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One thing that were particularly glad to see down South is the recent exposure of Mexican record labels like Mil, Static Discos and The Nortec Collective, who are showing that even Mexico can compete with the rampaging electronic music hordes who currentlydominate the US and European music scenes.
Originally a part of Tijuana's noteworthy Nortec Collective, Fernando Corona has splintered off recently to record his own music under the Murcof moniker. Having gained our attention with an excellent 4 track EP on San Francisco's Context Free Media label last year (three of those tracks appear here as well), Tony Morley's Leaf label has seen fit to release a full length of his work here in the UK.
Taking a page out of the minimal electronic music book penned by labels like ~scape, Chain Reaction and Context Free Media, Corona has pieced together a fantastic collage of micro-house with classical overtones that are both harmonious and otherworldly. Whereas some electronic artists flirt with classical music in their own compositions, such as Aphex Twin, Sun Electric or Ulrich Schnauss, this my friends, is the real deal.
Check the brilliant mix of plucked strings and Korg organ pad on "Mir" for example - each painstakingly edited together like the accents on a score of parchment; or the sense of dread that sneaks up on you in "Mo". The sense of mix placement and space is fantastic - alternating textures of lush ambience and cold minimalism that tickle the ear on headphones and embraces the body on a speaker system.
Corona not only has a great sense of melody but seems to have a real understanding of how traditional instruments can retain their beauty within the cold, harsh world of electronic music. Check out the layered mix on "Mum" where he pieces together ambient piano, strings, a solo female vocalist and some grinding electronics that all sit perfectly on top of a beat that wouldn't be out of place on a Pole CD, or Wagon Christ's work on Rising High.
For those seeking a unique take on classical music or for adventurous DJs out there who are looking to spice up their mix with something truly special, Martes should be an essential purchase.
An absolutely wonderful and highly original work. --Olli Siebelt
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
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Customer Reviews
Martes mixes arid micro beats and electronic noises with beautiful atmospheric soundscapes to create a unique piece of highly emotional and textural music. Corona manipulates his delicate constructions with expertise, slowly introducing layer after layer of sounds to slowly build intense patterns where intricate melodies flourish freely. Despite Memoria being strangely reminiscent of Polygon Window's eponymous track, Corona establishes very little connections with the existing electronic scene, concentrating instead on developing his own rules. Strings, pianos and woods are fully integrated with the more electronic sounds, giving each track incredible consistency and evocative power. Again, when he introduces human voice, as on the stunning Mapa, Mir or the moving Muim, he works at creating symbiotic environments to the point where it becomes difficult to dissociate reality from synthesis. Muim, perhaps more than any other track on this album sums up the Murcof equation. Here, voice, cello, drones and static beats support and complement each other in the most exquisite way, creating a complex model of contemplative incandescence, not dissimilar to the composite minimalism of Pärt or Gorecki. Martes, by all means an elaborate record, proves to be an extremely rewarding work. Far from being inaccessible and pretentious, the compositions are fluid and profoundly enjoyable. Corona seems to incorporate multiple levels of complexity all the way through, allowing the listener to appreciate this record from a different angle each time.
If the outer structure of Martes is electronic, the modern aspect of it is to be found in the more unusual components of Fernando Corona's music, and in the way they interact with each other. No other electronic record has ever offered such an extensive scope and sounded that coherent. This first Murcof album is intrinsically contemporary, and above all, a true masterpiece.
I could point to bits of it that sound like Aphex Twin, Cinematic Orchestra, any of Murcof's microhouse contemporaries such as Geeez 'n' Gosh or Andreas Tilliander, even Arvo Pärt or Jan Garbarek. But I won't, because any of that is likely to alienate someone, and all of it gives a false impression of the effect this record has.
You'll have to listen for yourself, but if you're looking for an electronic/acoustic hybrid with sumptuous but refreshingly different textures, subdued yet highly sophisticated drum programming, and an enveloping sense of space, you won't be disappointed with 'Martes'.
For me, the equation that sums up fantastic music is beauty + accessability + originality + longevity. This release is hugely enjoyable on the first listen, and while for much music this appeal rapidly wears of, this is not true of Murcof.
If you want music of absolute beauty that combines tradition with the future, then you need look no further than this.
Stunning.
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