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Exofauna
 A musical menagerie on a distant world
by Ron Perrone

Notes:
Exofauna is a musical fantasy about a trip to a distant Earth-like planet and the exploration of the habitat and wildlife that could be found there.  Each section features different kinds of animals or places. This collection is imagined as a score for an animated story and as such, some sections are purely atmospheric in style while others imply sound effects and specific action.

This is a single track (46:22 long). It is meant to be
experienced from start to finish without breaks. Put on your earphones, douse the lights, and turn your immagination loose.


----- Synopsis -----

Part 1: The Landing @
00:00
A space craft which has been orbiting an unexplored earthlike plane descends from orbit and lands. It is evening and as the crew prepares to spend their first night, a thunderstorm is rolling in.

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Part 2: A Gentle Storm @ 03:04
The sky is lit with glowing clouds of plasma and rain falls in sheets.  Unseen creatures  respond to the rolling thunder and rain with much excitement. The life forms which have evolved into a forest of crystals respond with a light show of their own as they unfold their facets like petals on their stalks to absorb energy from the electrical charge of the storm.  It is the kind of storm that is as comforting as it is beautiful to observe. As the storm subsides, the crew turns in for the night.

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Part 3: Daybreak @12:10

It is daybreak and the crew witness their first sunrise. Insect-like sounds mixed with the calls of animals greet the early dawn.  As daybreak spreads across the rain soaked landscape,  the crew prepares to exit the lander and explore this new world.

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Part 4: Walkabout And A Threat From Above @18:38
 it is determined to be safe for the crew to disembark without life support equipment and take their first look around.  The Explorers embark and begin by walking across a large field of low vegetation blowing in the wind.  As they head  toward one of the groves of crystalline tree-like life forms, flying creatures (which have been mere specks in the sky until now) descend and swirl just above the heads of the Explorers.  It is impossible to know if they are a threat or merely curious, so the Explorers decide to play it safe and opt for running for shelter in the towering forest of crystalline plants.  


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Part 5: The Alien Forest  @ 22:10
Once the Explorers are under the dense over story of the forest, the flighted creatures wheeling overhead give up and disperse.   This place is peaceful and echos with sounds that are strangely familiar.  It is a good place to catch their breath and relax for a while.  After a few moments they decide to do a bit of exploring in this alien grove of living crystals and set out again.  


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Part 6: A Squabble @ 27:40
Shortly they come upon 2 creatures the size of house cats who have squared off over what appears to be something they both want. The little beasts circle, growl and scuffle in short bursts of aggression.  It is a brief but entertaining alien quarrel which ends when both of the participants darts off into the understory.  The explorers push on.

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Part 7: Very Large Animals @ 29:30
After an hour of exploring the grove, it is decided to move out into the expansive meadows that stretch as far as one can see in every direction.  The Explorers observe a small herd of very large, magnificent creatures peacefully plodding along a game trail through the tall vegetation.  The crew decide to drop behind a rock outcropping jutting up from the earth to film the procession.


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Part 8: The Predator Chase @ 32:49
Once the parade of giants has passed, one of the crew members notices something crouching to the left.  It is clearly a predator preparing to spring.  Fortunately, it is not looking at the humans, but is fixed on something out in the meadow.  The crew continues to observe as the drama unfolds in a desperate chase.
 
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Part 9: The End of the Chase @ 35:58
The chase ends with the inevitable drama of a life preserved and a life taken.


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Part 10: The Cavern @ 37:35
It is now late afternoon and the Explorers decide they should return soon to the Lander, but the rock break behind which they have been hiding has revealed an opening to a cave.  The crew decideds to take a short detour underground.  Like many caves on earth, it is a silent place except for the sounds of dripping water, the occasional croaking of some small creature and the sounds of something fluttering overhead. This reassures them that the cave is a safe place.  It is a welcome sensation after the adventures above ground. The Explorers rest and take in the pleasures of the coolness and peace of the cave while filling their canteens with water from another world. But more time passes than they realize as they wander about exploring their refuge.


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Part 11: The Return to the Ship @40:53
After a while, it is time to go and the crew realizes that they have lingered a bit too long and emerge from their subterranean refuge to discover that it is now evening.  The stroll back to the Lander will have to take place in the dark. Their return treck is accompanied by the mesmerizing sounds of the night creatures of an alien world as night falls and the stars come out. They  arrive at the ship without incident, enter the air lock, and it closes behind them. The organic sounds of the living world are replaced by the hum of the space craft.  The first day on this new world comes to a peaceful close. 

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Instruments: Moog Old School Voyager, Moog Werkstatt-1, Pittsburgh Modular Microvolt 3900, Korg MS-20 Mini, Roland JV-880, Atomosynth KOE Darkside, Moog Grandmother, Behringer Odyssey, and Frame Drum.