Founded in 2016 by Peruvian musician Sergio Díaz De Rojas, the piano and coffee collaborative platform turns five this year and is celebrating with the very first compilation style release from its associated label which enters its fourth year. Realismo Mágico is a conceptual project featuring “unconventional works” by a dozen artists some of whom have appeared previously on the platform and some that are new to the fold. Each has contributed a piece inspired by the concept of magical realism, a literary genre that blends realistic, natural settings with surreal elements from the realms of dreams, myth, and fantasy. The result is a heady sonic journey that is emblematic of the boutique label’s mission to be a home to artists whose work freely crosses the borders between ambient, electronic, and contemporary classical music.
The first preview of the album is “Fall Fly Run” by Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, an award-winning film composer whose solo work explores the duality between classical forms and electronica. The potent vibrancy of her style is on full display as she takes us through a dream she keeps having in which she ‘sinks’ into the sky and starts to fly around a city with tall skyscrapers eventually to land slowly to a run. Deftly she sets the scene with a kaleidoscopic fusion of airy piano lines, Philicorda electronic organ, and swirling synths while the Ondes Martenot performed by Josh Semans gives the piece just the sense of soaring weightlessness it needs to complete the illusion.
Realismo Mágico will be released on August 6 and features illustrations by Jordan Amy Lee and graphic design by Celia Fernández González. Other artists featured on the compilation are Tim Linghaus, Sjors Mans, Jakob Lindhagen & Vargkvint, Simeon Walker, Martyna Basta, Gustav Davidsson, John Hayes, Lucy Claire, Klangriket, Ella Zwietnig, and Brueder Selke.
Links: Bandcamp | piano and coffee records | Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres
Stationary Travels 