ProtoVoid - 90377 Sedna (Press Release)

Picture the scene... It's a dark, wintry night in (probably) late 2019, in a dark and cosy pub somewhere in Surrey. Two half cut individuals appear to be having a "YEAH LET'S DO A THING!" conversation. That conversation, so it transpired, was sowing the seeds for what would become ProtoVoid. 

Formed by award-winning composer Michael W. Bell and multi-instrumentalist Obelisken, the long-time friends established ProtoVoid as a collaborative sound art project. Their aim was to combine their creative and technical experiences together to create immersive and atmospheric sonic experiences, which each listener can experience in their own unique and individual way. Taking inspiration from the worlds of sound design, ambient and dark ambient music, the duo set about collaborating on a series rich timbral palettes that would eventually become their debut release. 

After several years in the making, the project finally came to fruition on January 31st 2024 with the launch of their debut release entitled “90377 Sedna”. This full-length LP comprised 6 ambient soundscapes themed around the trans-Neptunian dwarf-planet Sedna, and its vast elliptical orbit. Through our creativity, we intend to take the listener on their own personal sonic journey through our solar system and as such, 90377 Sedna is best listened to in a darkened room on good quality comfortable headphones, allowing the mind to wander and escape the realities of the world as the soundscapes play out. 

AEP0020 - LP
Genre: Ambient/Dark Ambient/Soundscape
Released: 31.01.2024

Concept: Beyond Neptune's Frozen Depths
In November 2003, a small trans-Neptunian object was discovered on the fringes of our Solar System. Initially designated 2003 VB12, it floats silently and inexorably through the vastness of space around our star, on an 11,400 year orbit. But with such a vast and unusually elliptical orbit, how did it get there? Is there another massive body out there? A hidden shepherd, as yet undiscovered, influencing its path through space and time?

Named after the Inuit goddess of the sea, 2003 VB12 was redesignated 90377 Sedna. At 23 degrees Celsius above Absolute Zero, Sedna is an isolated and desolate landscape, untouched by time. From her furthest point, it takes Sedna almost 6,000 years to reach her closest approach to Earth, travelling silently, yet inevitably, through to space toward our star.

Sedna appears from the depths, in all her majesty. When she last passed closest to Earth, around 9400 BC, Humankind was discovering crop farming and the domestication of animals. At 76 times the distance between the Sun and the Earth, Sedna drifted slowly on, not to pass that close for another 11,400 years. What might humanity look like when the Mother of the Deep returns?

As she continues on her path, Sedna returns to the dark abyss of space, not to return until 2076 AD. Another chance to so closely observe her silent beauty will not be available for almost another 12,000 years. What life will remain on Earth at that time, we cannot know, and yet, Sedna's frozen majesty will remain constant and untouched by the temporary concerns of organic life.

At her furthest point, at 937 times the distance between the Earth and the Sun, light from our star takes 5 and a half days to reach Sedna. Humankind may well be extinct the next time she comes around to visit, yet Sedna remains eternal and everlasting.

Production Notes
Music by Michael W. Bell & Leslie Plumridge (Obelisken)
Mixed at Aurora Eclipse Productions Ltd
Mastered by Dave Crawford at Plastic Tree Studios
Graphic Design by Amelia Livingstone