By the Zonagirante.com team @spinning zone
Photos by Clara Schajris and Ana Roy
The smile begins from the very first second, the moment the bass drum and the bass begin to drill into the floor and the brain, and the audience's expectation begins to build in the atmosphere. With just a couple of details, we already feel that what's coming has flavor, that there's an invitation to movement, to feel the body flow without inhibitions. With What do you think? The short but substantial live session of the Argentinian band begins Strain, It was recorded and performed in a house in the Villa Devoto neighborhood of Buenos Aires during the lockdown. This production, which includes three songs, lasts just over twelve minutes., It gives a perfect example of the fusion of hip hop, jazz, soul and pop that is expressed in the compositional development of the group.
Recorded in June of this year, bunder the direction of Valentina Schajris y Ana Roy, This mini-concert features two special guest vocalists: Saushall accompanies in the second tune, Horizon and, with Lu Rod, in the final cut, Sponsor. Each song performed was composed during different periods within the last 3 years, and who better than Monxio, lead singer of the group, to explain the repertoire selection process: “The choice of songs came about for several reasons. “Qué pensás” is a song we released in 2019 that has the band’s signature sound, its essence. The live performance was an opportunity to reinterpret it and adapt it to a new format. “Horizonte” was born during 2020 and presented the challenge of adapting to an online production method. It has a rhythm we were dying to dance to and perform live. And “Auspiciante” is an unreleased song that we chose for the energy it transmits. It’s R&B with trap influences and a neo-soul sound, a very upbeat closing track that showcases the band’s sonic potential.”.
For those who until recently said that Argentine music in its most contemporary expressions was stagnant, without much to offer in its indie scene, It is clear that the reality is quite different, as reflected in the releases we are seeing each week on digital platforms. And although many of these proposals haven't yet reached the masses, they happily refresh the landscape and give new names to everything that's playing in each of the cities of the Southern Cone. In this case, Cepa has wisely combated the lethargy of the pandemic and presents us with material ready to be appreciated., awakening the curiosity of a potential and growing audience that is looking for new sound textures in Latin America.