- In a recent interview with RA, Circo Loco resident Andrew Grant claimed that his new imprint Barraca Music was to hopefully bring the sound of Valencia to a wider audience. Judging by their debut EP, El Prólogo, things are a tad weird over there.
What else explains the breakdown near the three-and-a-half minute mark where the ghost of Squarepusher circa Hard Normal Daddy rears its head and drops some science on the snare drum? Things were fairly normal up until that point—although a bored frog seemed to be responsible for much of the melodic content aside from the shuffling tech house rhythm. Hell, Danny Fiddo and Affkt had even started to incorporate minimal's favorite up-the-ladder/down-the-ladder progression. Then madness. And a field recording of a Mexican sanctifying a house. (Appropriate for a debut release, surely.) Yes, it's just about every abstract cliché in the book, but when you throw them all together like this, sometimes things just fit together just awkwardly enough to work wonderfully.
"Cartas Para Geisha," not so much. Neither compellingly abstract nor a bludgeoning anthem, the track sits somewhere in between—rolling around with its beautiful rotating synth melody with nowhere to go. Here, instead of focusing on the overall effect, there seems to be a desire to make every single element perfect, which makes the sound design impeccable and the track itself a bit of a yawn. More weirdness please.
Tracklist A Points
B Cartas Para Geisha