By Catalina Santos @miahush
Last Friday, June 3rd, Okraa He kicked off the weekend with the release of his new single Mineral, which not only confirms the continuity of a project that has been establishing itself strongly internationally, but also It reveals a new and very interesting sonic facet.
For those who don't know him, Okraa It is a ship commanded by the Bogota artist Juan Carlos Torres, who has been sharing his talent with the local scene for years, first as part of the band Air Balloons and since 2014 with his solo project. If I'm to share my perspective, Okraa has always seemed to me to be a cutting-edge, impeccable, and exquisite project.. In her music and the accompanying visual art, the sensitivity, love, dedication, and meticulous work behind each of her productions are evident. Undoubtedly a work to admire.
Beyond being a fan of his exploration, I found in Mineral a song that hooks you from the start, with a kind of rhythmic abstraction achieved within a stable house beat, Rooted and powerful, combined with a foundational synthesizer playing an arpeggio that blurs the lines between beats. It lifts you off the ground. and it takes you flying through layers and layers of sound that unfold and unfold like petals of an immense flower unfolding in the form of a song. Of course, the reason it stirs something in me is not random. a metaphorical association to an organic and natural manifestation: the name, the lyrics, the tribal feeling generated by the use of voice samples at certain moments in the song, the circularity of the arpeggios, like spiral cycles or sound waves that expand and expand more, the natural way in which all these layers flow and blend together, forming such a beautiful chaos – like almost everything that is natural – together they achieve the sensation of listening music that originates from an organic principle, with a lot of soul, even though it is mostly composed with electronic tools.
It's worth noting that even though there are great songs in English, both from Okraa and other Latin artists, finding this kind of sound, so electronic, so international, accompanied by lyrics in Spanish, It is certainly refreshing and inevitably special insofar as it connects with a unique place in our brains and in our Latin hearts, Our roots, the place we come from, home. And as the cherry on top, I dare say it's one of those songs you can listen to again and again, without getting tired of it and almost without realizing it's started again. It leads to a kind of trance that I understand is a product of the layering of sound, since each one in itself is like a mantra that takes the mind to a supremely pleasant place, Like emptiness, like mental silence because of the music, divine. It's a song perfectly positioned on the line between contemplative and danceable., delicious for a wide range of tastes.
All that remains is for me to reiterate the invitation for you to enjoy this great single and so that they continue to follow Okraa and never cease to be amazed.
