In a world where the line between sound and silence grows thin, Rafael Anton Irisarri returns, sharing a haunting rework of “Reprisal” — a slow exhale of emotion and dreamlike ambient atmosphere. The track, reimagined by the Brighton-based artist Penelope Trappes, unfolds like a tide of breath and memory, where the elemental forces of air, rain, and ocean seem to move through sound itself.
Swells of drone and muted resonance pulse beneath Trappes’ spectral vocal incantations, forming a sound both vast and intimate — an invocation of fragility and grace. The rework exists in that liminal space between sorrow and transcendence, between dissolution and renewal. Trappes’ voice emerges as a choral apparition, weaving through Irisarri’s textured ambience like a prayer whispered into the wind. Beneath her voice, string textures reverberate and sigh, soft like dreams passing through the membrane of reality.
Directed by Agnes Haus, the accompanying video is an abstract meditation on texture and impermanence. Shot in black and white, the film isolates the physical world into shifting particles and dissolving forms — as though capturing the erosion of time itself. Each image ripples with microscopic drama: water, air, and organic decay collapsing into slow cosmic choreography. The result is a visual poem that mirrors the song’s meditative rhythm, a chiaroscuro of sound and matter.
“I’ve been a fan of Penelope Trappes’ work for many years,” Irisarri explains. “When I was thinking about artists I wanted to rework my music, I couldn’t think of a better one. Agnes Haus’ video for the Reprisal rework perfectly encapsulates the vibe of her track. I’m very grateful for their support and beautiful work.”
“I’ve been a fan of Rafael’s work for over a decade, and it was an absolute honour to be asked to rework a track from such a classic album,” says Trappes.
Watch the video for the Penelope Trappes rework of “Reprisal” below:
This collaboration forms part of A Fragile Geography: Reworks — a limited-edition cassette and digital release on Black Knoll Editions, celebrating the tenth anniversary of Irisarri’s landmark album. The project features reinterpretations from some of the most compelling voices in experimental and ambient music, each exploring Irisarri’s meditative compositions through their own spectral lenses.
Penelope Trappes’ rework of “Reprisal” is a voice-led invocation of loss and grace, echoing the ethereal minimalism of Grouper, Chelsea Wolfe, and Fever Ray. It lingers like breath on glass — transient, fragile, and quietly divine.
About Rafael Anton Irisarri
Rafael Anton Irisarri is a Puerto Rican-born composer, producer, and mastering engineer whose work has become a cornerstone of modern ambient and experimental sound. Over the past two decades, Irisarri has forged an emotional language from distortion, decay, and reverberation—transforming noise into something profoundly human. His compositions, equal parts introspective and monumental, explore the intersection of technology, nostalgia, and the fragility of memory.
Having released albums on Ghostly International, Room40, and his own Black Knoll Editions, Irisarri’s sound has evolved into an immersive dialogue between minimalism and density, melody and entropy. His productions often evoke the sensation of standing inside a cathedral built from static and echo. Beyond his own releases, he is one of the most sought-after mastering engineers in the independent music world, lending his ear to artists like William Basinski, Grouper, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Terry Riley.
As a performer, Irisarri brings his work to life in unconventional spaces—churches, planetariums, and art museums—where architecture becomes an instrument. His live sets are immersive rituals in sound, where subtle shifts in tone feel seismic. Through these performances, he continues to redefine the possibilities of ambient composition as an act of emotional excavation.
About Penelope Trappes
Penelope Trappes is an Australian-born, UK-based experimental vocalist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist renowned for her hauntingly intimate sound. Formally trained in opera and jazz, she merges classical restraint with avant-garde freedom, crafting works that are as visceral as they are ethereal. Her music exists between worlds—half-dream, half-devotion—where drone, ambient, and slow-motion pop dissolve into pure feeling.
Her acclaimed trilogy—Penelope One, Two, and Three—released via Fabric’s Houndstooth imprint, established her as one of the leading figures in contemporary ethereal and experimental music. Trappes’ later works, including Heavenly Spheres and A Requiem, released on One Little Independent Records and her own Nite Hive label, delve into grief, transformation, and spiritual renewal.
Penelope’s artistry transcends genre: her compositions blur the boundaries between song and atmosphere, ritual and resonance. With each release, she explores the emotional terrain of loss and transcendence, inviting listeners into a meditative state of quiet revelation—an act of listening as a form of communion.
A Fragile Geography: Reworks will be released on cassette on October 24, 2025.
Pre-Order here through ANOST, and here for Bandcamp.
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