Audio tapes - have you listened to them yet?

Music from nature

Crisp, resonant sounds mimicking cymbals, deep, resonant notes reminiscent of metal drums... these were the incredible sounds that Ethnobeat, a band from Siberia, created from ice on Russia's Lake Baikal in 2012. The video of this performance subsequently went viral, attracting countless people worldwide to this art form of "ice music."

Those magical melodies from the ice also appeared on dark nights across the Arctic territories of Norway and Sweden many years ago. In 2000, Norwegian composer and artist Terje Isungset performed the world's first ice concert inside a frozen waterfall in Lillehammer.

Six years later, Isungset founded the Ice Music Festival.Ice Music Festival Norway), attracting curious adventurers willing to brave sub-zero temperatures to experience a unique connection with nature through music. The festival, originally planned for this winter, was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but will still be held from February 4th to 6th, 2022.

For Isungset, an artist with experience using gifts from nature like wood and stone for his compositions, using ice was a breakthrough in his musical journey. "The first time I played music on a transparent ice surface, I was surprised by the pure, warm, and gentle sound. It was a sound completely different from the cold, crumbling ice beneath our feet," he said.

To date, Isungset has performed hundreds of ice concerts, including a performance at the 2017 Nobel Banquet. He has recorded eight albums under the name All Ice Records, and considers this art form his life's work.

So, what exactly is music made from tape? It's when artists use tape to create rhythms or play instruments crafted from tape. Many of these instruments may seem familiar to us, but when made from tape, they highlight the beauty of nature and offer unpredictable musical notes. Both the creation and use of these instruments are processes that cannot be precisely controlled. This adds to the appeal of this art form.

Making musical instruments

Ice-carved musical instruments can be made entirely of ice, such as horns or percussion instruments, or a combination of ice and other materials, such as harps with bodies made of ice and fitted with metal strings. Isungset collaborates with ice sculptor Bill Covitz, an artist from the United States who frequently visits concert venues around the world, to create instruments that reflect the unique character of each locality.

Another American artist, Tim Linhart, focused on ice and snow sculptures in the United States before moving to Europe and becoming famous for crafting ice musical instruments. After 36 years of creation, he has produced hundreds of instruments, performed in 19 ice orchestras, and participated in 11 igloo-style concerts in various locations, from Luleå (Sweden) to the Italian Alps.

By studying and mixing frigid materials—such as clear ice and homemade sparkling water, along with mountain snow—Linhart is able to create complex musical instruments like violins and harmonize them as perfectly as possible. It's a process he calls "ice crafting."

Years of ice sculpting helped him learn the advantages and disadvantages of this unique material. "When you reach the limit between the tension of the string and the thickness of the material, that's when the music truly emerges," Linhart concluded, after numerous trials, errors, and even breaking instruments.

Currently, this artist lives and works in Italy. He has built a professional orchestra capable of playing almost any genre of music, from rock-and-roll to classical music, using instruments made from ice.

Sculpting ice musical instruments typically takes a minimum of three days to several weeks, as harvesting the materials and ensuring their quality depend on the weather. Like wine, some years yield excellent harvests. Other years, Mother Nature chooses not to sing.

Play correctly

When the performance began, other complications arose. "The ice is always moving," Linhart said, "Body heat gradually melts the instruments. The air temperature rises because of the audience's breath. Different instruments then need to be adjusted in different ways. You have to lower the pitch on one, raise the pitch on another." To minimize this as much as possible, he designed concert venues with vaulted roofs to prevent the heat from concentrating on the orchestra.

Another danger? When playing the trumpet, the player's lips could get stuck to the instrument, since it's made of ice! And in most cases, the artists couldn't practice on the instrument beforehand, so they usually composed music live and improvised in front of an audience. Therefore, each performance was unique.

"I find the crisp sound of ice instruments fascinating and unique. But their capabilities are severely limited, as there are no pedals or levers to adjust during playing, or during breaks between pieces," says Anna-Maria Hefele, a German musician experimenting with ice harps.

That also means that it must be played correctly to avoid the entire performance consisting of only one melody repeated over and over.

Traditional harpists are still admired for their skillful playing and the elegant melodies they create. But with harps made of ice, the temperature of the fingers affects the sound of the instrument. Hefele lamented, "The problem is, harpists need warm hands to move quickly and accurately. If their hands are freezing, they can't control the rhythm, but if their hands are too warm, the harp will melt."

Creating music from tapes comes with many challenges, but many artists see it as an opportunity to refine their skills and hone their creativity.

"I've always enjoyed new challenges and exploring different musical genres," shared Viktor Reuter, the Swedish double bass player who has toured Norway, Germany, and China with Isungset. "When playing double basses with wood, your body is always in contact with the wood, and you can feel its vibrations." But with thicker, heavier tape, the bass sound becomes completely different. Harmonies must be simplified and played slower, requiring improvisation and a constantly changing mental state from the artist.

Music and messages from tape

Building and maintaining musical instruments, preparing the venue, and attracting audiences to the freezing temperatures are all challenging tasks that require considerable effort. For these exceptional artists, their job is to adapt to the unpredictable. They frequently have to improvise their music live during performances without rehearsal.

In addition to touring in China, Isungset and his band hold around 70 concerts each year in various locations around the world, from Australia and Japan to India and the United States. Often, they cannot perform outdoors and must use freezers to preserve their instruments. Meanwhile, Linhart is trying to bring this magical art form to the 2026 Winter Olympics, which are planned to be held in Italy.

For Isungset, this is not just about music, but also about environmental protection. He collaborates with the Bergen-based Bjerknes Climate Research Centre to organize discussions and art installations on the impact of climate change on ice and snow at his own Ice Music Festival.

"The most important thing for us is abstraction in artistic performance. Instead of lecturing people about what shouldn't be done, we share the message in a subtle way," Isungset said. The orchestra itself is also a metaphor for global warming, as it will dissolve each spring, once the audience has enjoyed the music and left.

In any case, "making music from tape is not an artificial thing, but a performance entirely directed by nature."

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