Manos Del Mar

Manos Del Mar (Hands of the Sea) is a musical love letter to the delicate symbiotic relationship between nature and humanity in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Splice’s team, alongside Mexico City-based singer-songwriter and composer Moncaya, visited the gorgeous coastal waters of Baja to combine field recordings and music to tell the story of how local fishermen and activists are promoting sustainable fishing and tourism practices that respect the sea and protect the fragile ecosystem.

While in Baja, Splice connected with Orcas, a women-led and run organization that specializes in creating marine conservation solutions through science, communication, education, and local-based tourism. Orcas decided to solve a problem that the scientific community has been sounding the alarm on for decades: the collapse of the shark population (among several other issues). Currently, at least 36 percent of the 1,200 species of sharks are at risk of extinction, according to data from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). But in Mexico, small-scale shark fishing continues to be a tradition for native communities, and it has been the main source of income for entire families for decades. So, in order for Orcas to make progress on protecting these waters, they needed to build trust with the local fishermen. In the past, there was a reluctance to cooperate with scientific organizations like Orcas for fear of the revocation of fishing permits without notice.

After a lengthy dialogue, they were able to work out a solution that ensures the sustainability of both the sharks and the families in the area. Orcas has been converting fishing income into eco-tourism income for the local fishermen and training them in new, sustainable fishing methods. They’ve also worked with locals to petition against and protect the waters from dynamite fishing, underwater mining, and unchecked tourism that threatens the sharks and the entire Gulf of California ecosystem.

This pack captures this ongoing environmental protection effort through sound and music. You’ll hear field recordings captured by Splice and the local fishermen themselves of their boats, fishing lines, and the peaceful sounds of the ocean. You’ll hear ambiances of cactus forests and crashing waves while Moncaya plays charango and sings delicate melodies in concert with the sounds of nature. The pack even features hydrophone recordings of sperm whales making their patented clicking sounds. All of these sounds have been flipped into versatile percussion and melodies that blend together seamlessly. The entirety of the pack is a serene and captivating soundscape that deserves our awareness and protection.

211 Samples