Drowned By Locals marks its fifth anniversary with a three-volume digital anthology and a limited printed manifesto, Black Circle, written by Ian Bruner and published by Drowned By Public.

Rather than serving as a retrospective, the anthology traces the label’s evolving sound, its expanding cohort of misfits, and its unfolding trajectory. Across the three volumes, DBL assembles new works, long-buried material, and contributions from artists connected to the label through releases, radio, dormant ideas, or future intentions. Taken together, they form a portrait of the label’s instinctive curatorial logic — pairing worlds that should not, by any reasonable measure, coexist.

Release Schedule

Volume I: Pornographic-Time, Vol. I — The Pornographic-Tantalus — November 28, 2025

Volume II: Pornographic-Time, Vol. II — The Continuous Present — December 19, 2025

Volume III: Pornographic-Time, Vol. III — The Horizonless Interface — January 30, 2026

All volumes draw their titles and thematic direction from Black Circle.
The manifesto describes “pornographic-time” as a condition in which desire is continuously activated but never fulfilled. It’s the experience of being pulled outward by images, demands, and expectations faster than one can return to oneself. You remain visible, but rarely seen.

Each volume adopts a different facet of this state.

Volume I — The Pornographic-Tantalus
“Each gesture toward conclusion makes the object recede. Tantalus stands beneath bowed fruit trees, but as she moves to consume, the branch bends away. With each pang of thirst, the water ebbs further.”

Volume II — The Continuous Present
“Because of its accelerated pace, pornographic-time both appears and vanishes instantly—a cybernetic loop, a continuous present. Overfull and empty. Life collapses into micro-moments that disappear as soon as they arrive.”

Volume III — The Horizonless Interface
“Both the targeted individual and the pornographic-Tantalus occupy the time-space of the horizonless interface, hived in algorithmic neurological pathways and pathologies, resulting in a bare life layered with compulsive and neurotic loops of behavior.”

Black Circle expands these ideas into print, combining Bruner’s text with visual contributions from more than twenty artists.
Released in a hand-numbered run of 100 copies, it will be available independently or bundled with the anniversary T-shirt by Rico Casella.
All physical editions include the full three-volume digital anthology.

released January 30, 2026

Mastered by Rashad Becker at Clunk Studio, Berlin
Artwork & design by Giovanni Murolo
Curation by Laith Demashqieh
Manifesto: Black Circle — text by Ian Bruner (published by Drowned By Public, printed edition: hand-numbered run of 100 copies)

—Per-track notes & credits (as provided by artists)

—Abbas Zahedi & Saint Abdullah – In This Space We Leave (Excerpt)
—Excerpt from a 2020 mixtape originally created for Abbas Zahedi’s South London Gallery show.
—Originally mastered by Glyn Maier.
—Remastered for this compilation by Rashad Becker.

—Kiki Hitomi – Dagger
—Produced by Kiki Hitomi.
—Vocals & lyrics by Kiki Hitomi.
—Mixed by Shins-K / Goh Nakada.

—bill daggs – hold them close
—Dedicated to bill daggs’ children on the fifth anniversary of becoming a father.

—Budokan Boys – Green and Glowing
—Final mix and original master by James Plotkin.
—Remastered for this compilation by Rashad Becker.


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