The upcoming album PRSNT features artists Ryuichi Sakamoto, Laurie Spiegel, Lafawndah, Visible Cloaks and more.

This current age of algorithmic-efficiency and the chase to capture fleeting attention spans moves so fast that consumers seem to hardly get a second for reflection. Barcelona-based label Modern Obscure Music is working to change that with their recently announced collaborative record PRSNT that’s intended to give modern listeners a much needed pause. The label shared that “their curiosity about the state of online consumption developed further on discovering that around a third of all listeners using digital platforms skip to the next track, within the first 30 seconds of playing.” In response to this, the total run time of PRSNT is just over 6 minutes. All 12 tracks are just 32 seconds to both confront and respond to this social anomaly.

Modern Obscure Music have enlisted the help of environmental activist, mystic, and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto to help build the case of this social critique. Sakamoto is no stranger to using art to comment on cultural failings. His recently released film Coda spread awareness of the dangers of nuclear power after the infamous Fukushima nuclear meltdown in Japan. Sakamoto will be joined by composers Lafawndah, Lyra Pramuk, Lucrecia Dalt, Visible Cloaks, and others. The album is set to release worldwide on April 16th.

In the meantime, the label has shared one track titled “Lifeworld” by Visible Cloaks and a video announcement by a virtual humanoid. Pre-orders of the limited edition vinyl are live now, and all the proceeds of PRSNT will be donated to mental health charity to help fund the fight against the real-life impacts of digital addiction.

Pre-Order the album on Bandcamp: https://modernobscuremusic.bandcamp.com/album/prsnt/