Muddy Ponds is a pretty uncommon work, unlike any of his former releases. The context is basically one of frustration, of unclarity. Thus it’s fuller and muddier than usual, hence the title.

“Near my house there is a natural pond and in springtime and summer it’s full of frogs talking to each other. I love the sounds they make, so I decided to make a recording of this. Afterwards, when I listened to it, I noticed how many other sounds were present as well, which meant I had no clean recording of the frogs. At first I was pretty frustrated with it. But after listening repeatedly, I started to hear it in a different perspective. The unclean recording was basically full of life, even if that was not what I had originally hoped for. This prompted me to start working on it in a way that is quite unlike my other work. Instead of making the work sparse and open, it’s fuller and muddier than usual, a bit like the pond. Sounds are quite similar to each other and often blur together. On top of that there is a constant friction, as if my frustration about the muddiness has found a way in here, or out. Then again, life as we know it started in muddy ponds, I believe. The other two tracks are based on the same concept, but have different sound origins.” - Roel Meelkop

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Roel Meelkop is a sound artist from Rotterdam, whose musical activities go back to the early eighties. He is more concerned with structure, dynamics and timbre than with tonality and rhythm. His work is often described as nuanced, dynamical and sculptural.