Actually Laughing Out Loud is a project by Rubén Patiño which explores the sound of laughter as a compositional material as well as a means of psychological conditioning. It originated as a re-interpretation of the “laugh track” sound effect featured prominently in many beloved TV sitcoms. ALOL stretches the boundaries in between the enjoyable and the uncanny while addressing certain aspects of contemporary entertainment and popular culture. At the same time, it is an attempt to explore humour as a subversive tool that allows Patiño to question, through a playful approach, rigid standards and a persistent excess of “seriousness” in contemporary electronic music.

The album is a compilation of sonic assemblages of manipulated laughter samples that have been featured in Patiño’s concerts and spatial interventions over the last years. Such as No Laughing Matter, a performance created with Kay Schuttel presented at Berghain as part of CTM 2020, that included 5 laughing vocalists live and numerous compositions included in the CD. This compilation also incorporates two tracks featuring Stine Janvin Joh. Mixed and mastered by Giovanni Ferlinga at Tapewave Mastering in Milan in 2019.