dean fraser

“Spectral Voyeur,” the second album by audiovisual artist Dean Fraser suggests a perverse nature of listening. Drawing upon Franco-Swiss theorist François Bonnet’s concept of ‘desired-listening,’ we approach the music through a selective fetish – a desire to possess the sound. As Bonnet writes:

The object that listening fabricates always supposes a cut, always presupposes a sieving that defines it. By virtue of this, the sound-object must be understood at once as the object formed by listening–as the condition of the audibility of sound–and as the objectal projection of listening’s desire. Listening is not neutral and apathetic. It is always a will to listen, a desire to listen.

This ontology of sound acts as a doorway–a framework guiding us toward the music, yet never offering direct access. As we travel deeper into the music, the object of desire becomes obscured. Its promise of pleasure is enveloped in fog and what was once familiar dissolves, giving way to only fleeting traces and indistinct impressions. We are left with a music that is ineffable in its becoming–existing beyond reproach, yet constantly inviting of renewed exploration and investigation.