Bastien Pons, a French sound artist and photographer, is back with "One Minute of America," a powerful new piece that mixes ambient minimalism and sonic sculpture. Pons is known for combining sound and visual art to create immersive experiences. He is still developing his own unique language, which thrives in the quiet tension between presence and absence, structure and stillness.
The heart of "One Minute of America" is a found recording of sixty seconds of street life in the U.S. At first, it's just a brief moment: footsteps, voices, and the soft hum of the everyday. But as time goes on, it turns into something dreamlike. A quiet, offbeat kick drum comes in, giving the piece a steady beat without ever telling it how fast to go. The sound seems real but far away, as if time has slowed down so you can see it better.
Instead of telling a story in a straight line, Pons makes a sound space where the listener is invited to just be. The textures change slowly, creating tension not by changing the volume or speed, but by changing the tone and texture. The field noise, ambient hum, and echoes from far away all add to the meaning of the piece. The piece feels like a meditation on how things don't last, turning one minute of reality into a vast, thoughtful landscape.
Pons learnt musique concrète from Bernard Fort, and his approaches to sound are like those of a visual artist would. Like his photos, his music works best when there is a lot of contrast, like light against dark and stillness against motion. There are hints of Art Zoyd, Coil, and Lustmord in the music, but it still sounds like him: a raw, grainy interpretation of emotion through sound. "One Minute of America" feels as much like it's being touched as it does like it's being heard.
Bastien Pons keeps pushing the line between music and the environment with this release. "One Minute of America" isn't just a song; it's a moment frozen in time that reminds us of how beautiful everyday things can be. It reaffirms his place among the most intriguing experimental sound artists of today, encouraging people to slow down, listen carefully, and find the hidden rhythm of everyday life.