Aquasonic: The Haunting Sounds Of Underwater Music

Musicians hold their breaths to perform.

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1 min
Colton Kruse
Colton Kruse
Aquasonic: The Haunting Sounds Of Underwater Music
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Aquasonic

Using specially designed instruments, Danish group Aquasonic is the first ensemble to perform music underwater and does so without using breathing apparatuses.

Charlotta de Miranda
Photo credit: Charlotta de Miranda

Instead of using SCUBA equipment, members must frequently resurface to breathe. The performers and their equipment start submerged in water-filled tanks equipped with hydrophones. Hydrophones are specially-built microphones that are used to pick up the band’s haunting concertos even while underwater.

The microphones aren’t the only specially-made equipment the band uses. They’ve also developed their own subaqueous instruments, including an underwater organ known as a hydraulophone, a crystallophone, a rotacorda, as well as a modified violin.

It took the band years to perfect the technology they use to perform underwater, conducting countless experiments with deep sea-divers. Learning to sing underwater was a whole other challenge. Lead singer Laila Skovmand has to produce vocals that lead the music all while rationing air was particularly difficult.

A hybrid of music, live performance, visual arts, and new technology, the group masters a huge range of aesthetics, skills, and genres. By fluctuating in between all of these artistic disciplines, they’ve created a truly unbelievable experience.

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