【コラム】 Reconditeと森林浴 ― テクノが森に帰るとき

Column en Ambient Ecology Techno

27 Oct 2025

Prologue: A beat sinking into the forest

Text: mmr

Theme: German minimal techno artist Recondite.In the music, you can hear the breathing of the forest in its artificial sequences.Here we explore the philosophical intersection of his work and forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku).

Recondite――real name Lorenz Brunner. When many people hear his music for the first time, they feel a sense of loneliness'' andtranquility.’’ However, deep down, there is a tension between nature and technology. For Brunner, who grew up in the Bavarian forests of southern Germany, sound is not a product of the city; It was an organic thing born out of fog and humidity, wind and shadow.

In recent years, the term ``forest bathing’’ (Shinrin-yoku) has been attracting worldwide attention, even in Japan. It is not just healing, but the act of reconnecting human senses to the natural environment. This concept and Recondite’s sonic world are strangely intimate. His minimal tracks are like walking through a digital forest.

Chapter 1: The phenomenon called Recondite

Since their debut in 2011, Recondite has carved out a unique position in the progressive techno scene. While distancing himself from Berlin’s club culture, he combined solitude and nature motifs.

Representative works:

“On Acid” (2012) — Reconstructing the acid sound of Roland TB-303 in humid air.
“Hinterland” (2013) — An album with the motif of the scenery of my hometown.A melody that traces the ridgeline of a mountain.
“Iffy” (2014) — An introspective beat and a tone that feels like a fleeting moment of light in a forest.
“Dwell” (2020) — A work born during a time of isolation.The theme is a return to nature.

Chapter 2: Forest Soundscape

Analyzing Recondite’s music, it is characterized by “breathing in the low range” and “humidity in the midrange.” Kick is always subdued, instead letting the reverberations of the synths express the layers of air between the trees. This structure corresponds to the mechanism by which forest bathing stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system in humans.

Forest bathing uses multiple stimuli such as natural sounds, light, smells, and humidity. It is said to reduce stress hormones in humans (Forestry Agency survey, 2004).

At Recondite’s live performances, it feels as if a ``electronic leaf rub’’ envelopes the venue. Although it is artificial nature reproduced with digital equipment, For some reason, the listener feels the illusion of being closer to the forest.

Chapter 3: The intersection of techno and ecology

Techno music is often described as urban, mechanical, and inorganic. But Recondite’s approach is the opposite.He treats synths as “an extension of the landscape.”

Environmental philosopher Timothy Morton proposed the concept of “dark ecology.” It is impossible for humans to completely separate from nature, and we should rather accept an uncomfortable mixed state. Recondite’s music embodies this philosophy. An artificial drum machine mimics the heartbeat of the forest, and a sequencer recreates the rhythm of the wind. It is a sound ecology that depicts the ambiguous coexistence of nature and man-made.

Chapter 4: Forest Bathing Rhythm and Meditation

In forest bathing, it is recommended to **walk slowly**'' andfocus on breathing.’’ Recondite’s tracks similarly follow a moderately fast tempo (approximately 110-118 BPM). His beats are meditative and designed to sync with the listener’s heartbeat.

From musical psychology, it is known that a certain tempo promotes a state in which the parasympathetic nervous system is dominant. Therefore, the Recondite live experience is more than just a club event; It can be said that it functions as “forest bathing in the city”.

Chapter 5: Digital Sea of Trees - Integrating Visuals and Sounds

Recondite also produces his own visuals. Misty mountains, silhouetted trees, and frozen lakes. Together with sound, they construct an “electronic landscape”.

This visual method can be considered a form of immersive ecological expression in techno. In other words, his live performance is a sound forest bathing device. It is a reproduction of a digital forest that leads human senses to natural memory.

Chapter 6: Recondite and Japan - the intersection of forest culture

What is interesting is that when Recondite visited Japan, I was deeply influenced by the tranquility of Japan's forests,'' he said (from a 2018 interview). Unlike Western forests, Japan'sforest signs’’ have a mythical introspection. This influence is evident in the minimalism of his later works.

“Silence in Japan is not empty. It has presence.” — Recondite, Tokyo Interview, 2018

This ``silence as existence’’ is the very essence of forest bathing. Silence makes sound stand out. His music is an electronic translation of that philosophy.

Chapter 7: Chronology of works (relationship with Nature)

timeline title Recondite and the evolution of natural motifs (2011–2025) 2011 : "Placid" EP — Early work with the theme of lake reflections 2012 : "On Acid" — Exploration of organic acid sound 2013 : "Hinterland" — A concept album depicting the forest of my hometown 2014 : "Iffy" — Psychological landscape of light and shadow 2016 : "Daemmerlicht" — Forest at dawn with piano and ambient music 2020 : "Dwell" — Isolation and return to nature 2023 : "Taiga" — A fictional soundscape themed around the boreal forest.

Chapter 8: Acoustic Analysis - Forest Rhythmic Structure

When you analyze the waveform of Recondite’s track, Designed to organically fluctuate the mid-high range in the 2-6kHz band. This is close to the spectrum of wind and tree rustling sounds.

This “hierarchical structure of sound” is It imitates the process by which natural sounds stabilize the human psyche.

Chapter 9: Philosophical Considerations - The Self as a Forest

The act of listening to Recondite’s works is It is an experience of not only feeling nature'' but alsoassimilating with nature.’’ It’s like aural forest bathing.

The philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty ``The body is part of the world, and sensations are phenomena of interaction with the world.’’ Recondite’s music electronically implements this phenomenological perspective. In other words, it presents a new physicality called Music = Forest of Sensory.

Chapter 10: Conclusion - Techno returns to the forest

Recondite’s music is not mechanical nature, but It maintains a balance that feels like a machine breathing in nature.

If forest bathing is an act of returning humans to nature,'' Recondite's music is an act of "returning techno to nature." Artificial and organic, city and forest, beat and silence - all of them melt together in him. It resonates as a newpoetics of digital nature.’’