voices #44
◦ “voices” is the place where we ask, artists reply and you read.
here we got:
Droning Cats with NRV
answering some questions. We have already observed their ambient / post-rock / electronic work here.
[1. IDEA]
■ The A. O.: The track from “Cartography of Sleep” that we prefer is “Catastrophic”. Can you tell us how it came to light?
► Droning Cats with NRV: Catastrophic emerged the way much of this album did: in an unplanned moment where intuition quietly leads the way.
During one of our sessions in Brussels, a cluster of bird-like modular tones appeared almost out of nowhere, hovering over a deep, grounding drone. It felt like stepping into a dreamscape — familiar yet shifting. Christophe’s guitar responded instinctively, tracing a melodic path through this fragile sonic terrain.
As with the entire album, the recording was then sent across the world to NRV in Japan, who expanded the space with his subtle atmospheric signature—pads, reverbs, a softened horizon that allowed the track to breathe and unfold.
It’s worth noting that Cartography of Sleep was created entirely at a distance. Although Droning Cats and NRV have never met in person, the collaboration formed a kind of long-distance resonance: Brussels and Japan connected through sound, intuition and shared sensibility.
The title Catastrophic was given by Christophe’s ten-year-old son—a spontaneous suggestion that captured both innocence and emotional scale. We kept it immediately.
[2. CREATION]
■ The A. O.: How do you usually approach composition? Do you start with a concept, a sound, a state of mind or what else? How do you generally proceed from the initial seed to the complete work?
► Droning Cats with NRV: Our process reflects the central idea behind Cartography of Sleep: exploring the subtle borderlands between improvisation and introspection.
We rarely begin with a concept. One of us plays a tone, a drone, a chord; the others listen and respond. The music unfolds like a landscape gradually appearing through dusk. When the atmosphere feels alive, we begin recording. The first spontaneous hour usually contains the emotional essence of the piece.
Afterwards, we refine lightly—subtracting what distracts, adding details only when they deepen the world of the track.
Collaboration happens in layers: Christophe and Jan record in Brussels, then send their material to NRV in Japan. Across that geographical distance, he shapes space, colour and depth with a patient, attentive hand. The music grows slowly, almost meditatively, as if travelling between continents.
In that sense, each track becomes a kind of map—of mood, memory, and of the drifting states where consciousness softens and quiet wandering begins.
[3. FEEDBACK]
■ The A. O.: What do you hope listeners feel or experience when engaging with your music?
► Droning Cats with NRV: We hope listeners enter a sense of spaciousness — a moment where time loosens, breath slows, and the inner world becomes more fluid. If the music helps someone move into that gentle state between waking and dreaming — what we sometimes think of as a liminal wandering — then the piece has done what it needed to do.
[4. IDENTITY]
■ The A. O.: In a world saturated with digital music content, how do you try to keep your sound distinct and personally meaningful?
► Droning Cats with NRV: By listening inward rather than outward.
Instead of thinking about trends, we try to remain close to our own emotional geography — the textures and atmospheres that arise naturally when we play together. Authenticity for us means trusting that internal compass — allowing each track to emerge honestly, without forcing it into a predefined shape.
Working remotely also shapes our identity: Brussels and Japan, different time zones, different rhythms of life.
This distance creates space — literal and artistic — in which the music can breathe and evolve at its own pace.
As long as we follow that instinct, the sound stays personal — and recognizably ours.
[5. INFLUENCES]
■ The A. O.: Mention 3 albums that you consider relevant to your musical path and why.
► Droning Cats with NRV: ○ Brian Eno — Ambient 4: On Land
A seminal work that showed us how sound can become a place—organic, textural and deeply immersive.
○ r beny — Full Blossom of the Evening
A powerful introduction to modular ambient. Its fragility and warmth shaped our belief in improvisation and immediacy.
○ KMRU — Peel
When we first heard this album—without distinct melody or rhythm—it felt as though time had stopped. That sensation of relief and suspension deeply influenced our interest in drone and ambient forms.
[6. REGARDS]
■ The A. O.: Leave us with a quote you love.
► Droning Cats with NRV: “I think, therefore I ambient.” (The Irresistible Force)