DOG FM is a cryptic dream committed to tape

Passing cars. Instructions from a sat nav. A recap of a World War II podcast. A panting, whining dog.

These are the opening sounds on DOG FM, a new experimental field recording / music / poetry mash-up from Oliver Chapman and Phoebe Eccles, out now on Bandcamp and streaming from Penultimate Press.

Like Oliver’s family trying to find—A pub? A parking lot? The final destination is unclear—you’ll get lost in DOG FM, a surreal journey through swirling soundscapes, grounded somewhat by Phoebe’s intimate and cryptic poetry. I liken it a bit to an audio drama, though you’d struggle to identify a narrative outside the vague feeling that you’ve just woken up from a strange dream.

Tonight on the Night Water podcast, Oliver and Phoebe join me to discuss DOG FM, their artistic processes, and, of course, their ideal late night vibes. Listen to the full interview and read some choice quotes below.

Listen to the Night Water podcast:

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On constructing DOG FM:

Oliver: “It just felt like slowly sculpting something… It was just a case of lots of trial and error… I was thinking about stuff in terms of space, in terms of how airy or dense it was, light and dark, how things were contrasted with each other from scene to scene or even within the same scene.”

Phoebe: “From my side it seemed like you were really collecting sounds as well. Ollie would be like, ‘Oh, I’ve just been throwing some chairs across a hall and it’s making quite an interesting noise, that’s nice’… that was kind of fun, from my perspective.”

On finding a voice for the poetry:

Phoebe: “I think the poem doesn’t want to sound too sure of itself because it isn’t sure of itself. I don’t know what the poems mean and I don’t want to sound like I know what the poems mean. I think they want to be in this space that is uncertain and is sort of clambering along with the other noises.”

On listener reactions so far:

Phoebe: “I think I'm surprised that anyone is listening to it... I'm even surprised that we're doing this right now.”

Oliver: “Dog music is in... I think I've realized just how weird it is. You normalize something when you work on it for hours and months. A lot of the response has been that it sounds kind of bizarre and otherworldly... which are all fair descriptions. It's a strange piece.”

You can buy or stream DOG FM on Bandcamp, or stream it on Apple Music and Spotify.

Don't forget to follow Oliver (@lagunabe4ch), Phoebe (@phoebe_eccs), and Penultimate Press (@penultimatepress) on Instagram to keep up with future projects.