Sounds like….
Latin American dream surfing.
The review
When I feel the need to enjoy some chill out world beats I usually turn to two record labels. Merkaba Music and Tropical Twista Records. The latter is situated in Brazil and often features South American artists bringing their unique flavour of rhythm and melody with them. Irû.Wav hails from Salvador and her debut solo release Flecha is designed to take you on a journey.
That journey is a percussive and spiritual one as electronic beats mesh with South American traditional instruments and jungle atmospherics to create a ritual of sorts. The title track introduces you to the journey with drone digeridoos, crickets, chirping birds and a mixture of tuned percussion. Underneath a heartbeat of electronic drums throbs but it is the tuned percussion and flutes that lead the melody. ‘Infancia an Aldeia’ mixes child play sounds with raja synths that feel like they belong nowhere and everywhere. It is a clever way to bring you into a state of rhythmic relaxation.
Relaxation isn’t the end goal though. ‘Tekopora’ is a minimal bass and drum lucid dream whereas ‘Terra Infinita’ plays sees Irû.Wav take on a Juana Molina vibe which stays for a lot of the album. The tuned percussion she uses feels purposely clunky and jaunty as the rhythmic cycles shift and change. This kind of curious off-kilter approach works so well and I’d put the music in the same category as Dijf Sanders’ work. It is taking what is familiar and mixing it up in an unusual electronica aesthetic.
Highlights of this include the ghostly and serene ‘Sky Submarine’ that turns vocals into gliding synths over fast-paced tiny knocking sounds. ‘Love Arrow’ turns various bells into slow motion water bubbles. You could hear the music in a theme park and think it fitted! Elsewhere the deep bass synths of ‘Reciclos’ and traditional guitars feel like you are swimming in a dark sea or enjoying a late-night new age club. Everything comes full circle with ‘The End of the Journey’ where kalimba styled thumb pianos and hazy flutes return to bring you back to the land of the lucid.
Irû.Wav is like one part Dijf Sanders, one part Iglooghost and one part Juana Molina. A concoction of weird electronica and traditional sounds blended with a twist of strange, it gets better each listen too. A great way to vibe away those cold winter nights. Do some Latin American dream surfing instead.
Recommended track: Flecha
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