About this site
Sonic Therapy aka DroneWorks are my musings on all things experimental music related – specifically in the area of drone. However, Jazz and other things will surface on occasion.
Who am I?
My name is Daniel De Los Santos and from an early age I have been captivated by music. I first realized this sometime in 1979 in the backseat of a car listening to the live version of "Diamonds and Rust" by Judas Priest on a Sony Walkman. This was very high tech for the time. Simply put, the sound blew me away and sent me on a sonic odyssey that I am still on. Over the years, styles, tastes etc have evolved but one thing has not, the constant pursuit of having your mind blown. Now days, my tastes tend toward the experimental/esoteric but that does not mean I don't enjoy popular music. Something being popular does not disqualify its importance or impact.
Beyond that, I was a very minor player in the late nineties IDM/Industrial/Experimental scene. Honestly, it sounds more impressive than it is. I co-ran Mad Monkey Records with my best friend, recorded/played live as Tamarin / AO23M (collaboration with my before mentioned best friend), was part of the the amazing experimental group The Missing Ensemble (perhaps my proudest accomplishment) and released a split with Merzbow. It is worth noting that the Merzbow split would not have been possible without the support of Thomas Fang. After that, I kind of faded away from the music scene (both releasing and making) but my sonic pursuits did not.
Why are you writing this?
Honestly, I am doing it for myself and no one else. I am not sure anyone will ever read this or relate. But if that does happen, then that is most welcome. So why am I doing it for myself? Because the last few years have been very rough mentally speaking and the hits keep coming. It goes without saying that all of this can be crushing. So, this is my sonic antidote. A place for me to ponder and discuss things (with myself lol) that I cannot with others. Either because of lack of interest or because of my own insecurities.
What are you going to write about?
As I said, my sonic musings. This will come in the form of reviews and my (high) thoughts on experimental music/genres/composers/artists/etc. Basically, if I can tie it back into a sonic happening, I will discuss it.
The other thing I am going to write about is my journey into making music again. My mindset, my approach and successes/struggles. I might even share music from time to time.
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Everything is pubic. If you don't want to sign up, then don't. If you do, then great – lets see where this goes.
Photo by Daniel De Los Santos, Singapore