ESIAFI 1 – 6000 satellites

7 June 2022 / by Jacob D
Album Art
Album reviews
ESIAFI 1 6000 satellites
Released: December 28, 2021
Label: Self-Released
Movement:
Experimental
Lane:
Infinity Frequencies / Sport3000 / 天気予報
Rating:
9/10
Heat:
Relaying Programming, 24 Hour Networking, Orbital Satellite

6000 satellites is a beautifully sentimental signalwave experience from start to finish under TV2’s ESIAFI 1 alias.  The album’s analog VHS aesthetic is sure to charm any listener. 6000 satellites is like late night lullabies broadcast from a lonely satellite in space.

Signalwave is a subgenre where artists sample old television recordings mainly from the 80’s and 90’s to create their music. Signalwave artists add a variety of effects, loop, chop and screw samples to create albums focusing on analog sounds and television aesthetics.

TV2 is a signalwave artist based in New Zealand. Ever since TV2’s Dream Signalwave Woman split album focused on rough and simple television loops with the artist 御幸 on the internet label B O G U S // COLLECTIVE, TV2 has been frequently showing up on the front page of the niche Bandcamp tag signalwave with the small and underground community of dedicated artists and fans still holding on to the struggling subgenre embracing her music.

TV2 creates static heavy signalwave reminiscent of artists like Sport3000 and video forum, often with references to New Zealand television culture from the 80’s and 90’s. TV2 is known to have various aliases such as carpet dust, national network and ESIAFI 1.

The album starts with a comforting acoustic guitar, a soft piano and a relaxing analog buzzing with the track “relaying programming”. Followed by “24 Hour Networkig” that starts with a wonderfully dreamy spiral of instruments that draws the listener into relaxation. Finally “24 Hour Networking” ends abruptly when it is interrupted by an analog hum reminiscent of vintage TV testcards and someone speaking in German. This is the perfect way to end a track on an album like this. The end perfectly showcases the aesthetics and themes of signalwave, and
6000 satellites.

The final track “Orbital Satellite” is the most beautiful and grandest on the album. It starts with delicate piano, reminiscent of many other tracks on 6000 satellites, but as the song reaches its climax an unexpected but very welcome electric guitar line appears to compliment the piano. I have never heard something so exciting and relaxing at the same time.

“Orbital Satellite” is breathtaking to say the least, it’s everything I love about signalwave and 6000 satellites in one track.
“Orbital Satellite” feels like the perfect finale to such a beautiful project. 

To be fair, 6000 satellites may not be the most high effort project on the music streaming website Bandcamp, it is not even the most high effort signalwave project with minimal editing done to its samples, but I believe that effort is not what makes this album worth a listen. Artists like Macroblank, Macintosh Plus and waterfront dining all prove that a good album is not always about the amount of effort. Good albums create good experiences, how they accomplish that does not matter.

6000 satellites has a strong and beautiful concept. TV2 manages to take forgotten 90’s and 80’s stock music, and turn it into something truly beautiful. I have been a fan of TV2’s signalwave music for a very long time now and I truly believe 6000 satellites is TV2’s best album to date.

6000 satellites sets a new bar to raise for TV2’s music that truly excites me for what she’ll do next. If you are looking for an album that is truly magical and unique TV2’s 6000 satellites album is definitely for you.