This section brings together the collaborative work of Das Spezial and Sound Sanctuary. From recording in historic buildings and interdisciplinary arts projects to community collaborations and experimental music, each project explores the relationship between sound, place, creativity and human connection through film, photography and editorial storytelling.
Architecture as an Instrument — Turning Arts University Bournemouth into a Reverb Chamber
The spaces in which music is recorded have always influenced the way it sounds. Long before digital reverberation and acoustic modelling, musicians relied on the natural qualities of a room to shape a performance. Every space has its own acoustic signature, created by its proportions, materials and the way sound moves through it.
This session at Arts University Bournemouth's Drawing Studio grew from a simple idea: rather than recreating a sense of space later in the studio, what would happen if we captured the building's own natural reverberation as part of the recording?
Das SPEZIAL "Roots" Feat. Abi D'Arcy (RUFFMERCY VIDEO)
Das SPEZIAL return with their latest single Roots, a bold and melodic track with Brighton based singer and lyricist Abi D’Arcy.
It began, as so many Das SPEZIAL works do, with a collaboration between producer Shahab Notghi and Stew Jackson (Massive Attack). Inspired by world music—particularly Gambian rock and African rhythms—the pair set out to merge these influences with a 1960s vibe, weaving sitar, African percussion and vintage arrangements into a rich, psychedelic instrumental. To give the track added depth and emotional weight, cellist Drew Morgan was brought in, his warm, resonant lines enriching the soundscape.
Using a Church Built in 1551 as Natural Reverb for Our Song “Roots”
Some recordings are shaped as much by their surroundings as they are by the musicians performing them.As work on Roots developed, we began looking for a space whose acoustic character would complement the music. Rather than adding reverberation digitally during the mixing process, we wanted to capture a natural sense of depth and resonance that belonged to a real place.That search led us to a church first built in 1551.
How the Chapel Singers Helped Shape ‘Light Roast’
Some recordings continue to evolve long after the first session has finished.For Light Roast, we took elements of the original recording into All Saints Church in Southbourne, where the Chapel Singers recorded new vocal arrangements within the building's beautiful natural acoustic.With Abi D'Arcy's vocal accompanying the session, the choir responded to both the music and the space itself, creating something that couldn't have been captured anywhere else.