We’re excited to premiere new music from Portuguese Venezuelan analog tropicalista polymath Alex Figueira.
After the success of his first solo 45, analog tropicalista Alex Figueira returns to the aesthetics of early Fumaça Preta, with an utterly bonkers A-side that can only be described as an “in-your-face acid macumba techno breakbeat funk freakout”.
Flipping over we encounter a haunting psychedelic ballad, with the sweet vocals of Maddie Ruthless, from NY’s leading lovers rock revivalists, The Far East. Equally trippy and beautiful, the soothing sounds of the Wurlitzer piano and the electric sitar will be bouncing in your head for hours after the first listen. The kind of song that finds collectors dropping eye-popping sums, decades after the original release. Guarantee your retirement now by getting a few copies!
“Maracas” is the main theme of the movie “Maracas, Tambourines And Other Hellish Things” directed by fellow record nerds Matteo Fava and Dave Potsma. They convinced Figueira to play the main character, and eventually to record the complete music score too. The movie tells the story of a struggling underground musician / part time record store clerk, whose music career is going nowhere until an improbable encounter gives his life a dramatic turn.
The characteristic mix of synthesizers and heavy percussion used by Figueira in almost all his projects, gains here a somewhat freer dimension, embracing the chaos openly, without ever neglecting the groove, nor the roots of the rhythm. Values that are at the label’s core. Even while laying down all the instruments himself, Figueira has managed to capture the same out of control tropical psychedelic spirit of his former band, Fumaça Preta. Fans of the group’s output will certainly rejoice over this new release.
The flip carries “Grasping & Wishing”, an evocative psych ballad that retains the same tripped-out flair of the A-side, while slowing down the tempo considerably with a decidedly African 6/8 beat. Sung by New Orleans’ own “Rocksteady Queen”, Maddie Ruthless, stepping out of her classic reggae background, to grace the track with her beautiful voice, permeating the issues of belonging, doubt and introspective reflection portrayed in the lyrics, with a thin layer of exquisite fragility that will comfort your ears.
Finally, Figueira seasons his songs with a plethora of production tricks, ranging from percussion sounds created by liquids to a variety of bamboo flutes, via several layers of multi- processed electric sitar tracks. Listen carefully and you will discover new sonic nounces every time you put the record on.
Out May 21, order your copy here.