The Paranoid Foundation: a collaborative music/multimedia project aiming to explore the darker elements of the human psyche.The Paranoid Foundation was formed in London, UK during 2003 by Crispin Lee and Andrew Walker: 2 sonic explorers with a shared interest in dark, experimental sounds. The duo take influence from a variety of musical sources including krautrock, industrial and punk through to dub, electronica and ambient/noise to provide an intoxicating soundtrack to the often harsh reality of modern life.The debut cd 'Foundations' is the first product of the collaboration: a split release album comprising two 30 minute sections. Inspiration is drawn from two very different physical environments for the music, however both induce a surprisingly similar emotional response. Using dark electronics alongside spoken word vocals plus treated guitar and bass 'In a Wilderness of Others' Paradise' is Cris's claustrophobic narration of a love lost set against a seemingly cold and unforgiving inner city backdrop. Drawing upon the introspective atmospherics of his solo project 'City Paranoid' and deploying impressively moody synth passages throughout, the overall impact is hugely affecting. The second section, 'Submerge' explores parallel themes of isolation and separation though far away onboard a sea-going vessel. Drawing upon Andy's personal experiences as a seafarer, the largely electronic drone based pieces explore the psychological impact of living aboard a lonely ship set adrift on a vast ocean.Assistance was provided on this release by Tetsu Okada: an audio and visual artist based in Tokyo, Japan. Tetsu provided field recordings and contributed a visual piece for the cd booklet. More of Tetsu's work can be found on http://www.paranoidfoundation.com, his graphics providing an accurate visual counterpart to the musical themes of the project.SMALLFISH RECORDS REVIEW:City Paranoid's debut cd was a very deep, quite experimental selection of guitar based drone tracks... and very nice it was too. This sees City Paranoid teaming up with some collaborators to deliver an album of two distinct halves. The first uses similar drones and electronic manipulation of guitars to create an incredibly dense selection of tunes. Added to that are a series of spoken word vocals that give the whole piece a haunting and dark atmosphere. The second half of the cd is instrumental and whilst it uses similar motifs, it has more depth in my opinion. Superb.