By José Gandue @Gandour
I'll start with a personal opinion, which doesn't commit anyone else on the Zonagirante.com team: Much of what has been done in Latin America in recent years regarding reggae bores me to tears., Because in most cases it remains a failed attempt to feel like you're on a white sand beach in Jamaica, when in reality The music originates in small spaces located on congested streets in cities far from the sea. Yes, there are those who manage to "conquer that spirit," they manage to deceive us, but only in a very high percentage. An overdose of cannabis is not enough Nor is it enough to get the best dreadlocks to make us feel like we're in Negril or Blue Lagoon. Hanging a Bob Marley poster in your room isn't enough. to be one of the many children of the great master born in Nine Mile.
However, within all the work, we have also seen projects that have taken an interesting approach to this genre, which They have known how to approach its cadence and experiment on that languid ride, feeding it with local feelings, with urban environments and a more suitable nightlife. To the Bogota group Nawal He was always associated with the reggae scene in Colombia, but at the same time She was described as the odd one out in that scene. From their beginnings, they were drawn to elements more characteristic of contemporary electronic music and the pop-rock of their time. There was always a need to bend the rules of Roots, and integrate timbral substances that others avoided for being bound by overly restrictive and unrealistic rules. It hasn't been an easy road, but we can say that with their new album, Process and regression, Nawal has finally managed to stimulate the start of the race they were aiming for.
Process and regression It's an eight-song album where the first-time Nawal listener He is surprised if you tell him what soundscapes the band comes from. These eight tracks offer an eclectic journey ranging from a close connection to alternative trends in I like, ...even a desire to recall the days of disco dance as seen in So as not to forget and to never stop dancing. The use of keyboards is reminiscent of 1980s pop, and in turn, It creates atmospheres taken from house music of recent years. The guitar, on the other hand, provides a rock balance, just as it was done in some of the most popular songs on the Anglo-Saxon hit lists 30 years ago. The handling of the vocal melodies It is more characteristic of new wave than of any Caribbean moment of the past.
Of course, at this point you will ask «"And where is reggae?"»Well, in some recordings it's too hidden, and if we pay attention we'll detect it in moments of the bass and drums. In others It emerges vindicated and placed in a contemporary context, with asphalt and neon covering, as happens in Visible/Invisible (the best song on the compilation) y That's how it happened.
Is it an interesting album? Definitely, because it brings a challenge of breaking with the obvious. and because the band has understood where it is located, in geographical matters and in artistic aspiration. It's an album that clearly marks the beginning of a much more exciting phase for the band, as they move away from outdated labels and instead take on the mission of searching multicolored audiences with diverse desires.
Nawal addresses with Process and regression a healthy eclectic panorama, which will give them more satisfaction than sorrow. A brave decision that they will surely make with confidence.