Kroeber (1946-2024) and Splet (1939-1994) were a dynamic duo of passionate sonic explorers who dedicated their lives’ work to wielding the power of sound to bring stories to life, frequently collaborating with director David Lynch on films such as Eraserhead, Dune, and Lost Highway. When Splet passed away in 1994, Kroeber created Sound Mountain to preserve and carry on the extensive library of sound effects the two had built together over a 15-year creative and life partnership.
In 2016, Kroeber partnered with Pro Sound Effects to open her and Splet’s extensive private archive – the Sound Mountain Collection – to sound designers and filmmakers everywhere. PSE’s Editorial Team diligently transferred Kroeber and Splet’s sounds from the original tapes, performing careful restoration where necessary and curating the material into libraries like Cinematic Winds, Deep Resonance, and Cosmic Echoes.
Inspired by the evocative, unique, and often esoteric sonic language created by Kroeber and Splet, PSE sound designers Daniel Louis D’Errico, Sebastian Henshaw, Huascar Alberto Holguin, Eric Mooney, and Facundo Moreno revisited Sound Mountain through a creative lens. Reaching deep into the archives, D’Errico and the team discovered hidden sonic secrets and hints of stories waiting to be told, weaving them into seven distinct tapestries of sound that blend together to create a hypnagogic soundtrack honoring Kroeber and Splet’s unparalleled creativity.
I Thought I Heard a Stranger is available now for limited release in physical and digital formats. Close your eyes, open your ears, and receive a transmission from somewhere else. We invite you to listen closely.
Available now from Pro Sound Effects and Translation Loss Records: