In "Aquapelagos Vol. 2: Índico", Mike Cooper and Pierre Bastien take us on an auditory expedition through the Indian Ocean’s vast, mystic expanse. This album, part of KEROXEN's "Aquapelagos" series, isn’t merely a listening experience; it’s a plunge into the sonic essence of remote island chains, coastlines, and oceanic vastness. As if guided by the tides themselves, Cooper and Bastien evoke an ocean-bound narrative shaped by centuries of human migration, cultural exchange, and untold stories caught between waves and shorelines.

The opening track, “Return to Chagos”, with its haunting vocal loops and understated percussive textures, sets a deeply atmospheric tone, capturing both the beauty and melancholy of the Chagos Islands. Cooper’s guitar and electronics harmonize with Bastien’s “musical robots” and trumpet, producing eerie tones and metallic echoes that seem to drift like ghostly whispers across forgotten waters. It’s as if Cooper’s guitar speaks to Bastien’s brass notes in a language as old as the ocean itself, translating the story of Chagos from distant shores.

In “Nicobar”, birdsong mingles with looping guitar feedback and raw brass accents, evoking scenes of tropical storms and sudden disruptions - a subtle nod to the environmental fragility of these regions and the impact of colonization. The piece seems to summon the spirit of the island’s landscapes, portraying not just natural beauty but also the complex forces that shape it.

"Aquapelagos Vol. 2: Índico" is both unsettling and mesmerizing. Cooper and Bastien achieve a delicate balance: the album is alive with the organic ebb and flow of water yet punctuated by machine-like rhythms that feel timeless and unyielding. This collaboration is more than a tribute to oceanic cultures; it’s a meditation on fragility, connection, and dissonance - a beautifully eerie dive into a world that resists easy definition, where sound meets the unknowable depths.

In their alchemy, Cooper and Bastien extend an invitation to listeners to contemplate the ocean as both a frontier and a mirror, asking us to look not just outward but also within.