- Pablo de Vargas is a producer from Montevideo, Uruguay, a city that isn't known for electronic music. But like most artists who come of age in the internet era, de Vargas's rolodex is global. He has close ties to Mexico City's NAAFI label/party, he's released on Matias Aguayo's Cómeme label and dropped a remix for London's Her Records. He also runs the Salviatek label, which has delivered Aequs Nyama, his debut EP. It's de Vargas's strongest work yet, and a fine example of an increasingly multicultural underground that mashes together regional styles for futuristic music tied to local traditions.
One such sound is candombe, an Afro-Uruguayan drumming tradition with a seductive lilt. Its pattering is a constant presence in the background of Aequs Nyama, and de Vargas works with Uruguayan groups to give his tracks an earthy oomph. The C1080 drummers add lifelike texture to "Tambor Espada (سكين)," while the spurting, almost acidic synth lines keep it from sounding like a stuffy electroacoustic experiment. On "C vs S," Triangulación Kultural trace around de Vargas's collage of orchestral hits, birdsong and the ceramic container he "stole, quickly recorded and secretly returned to a movie set while working at a film production." Ansina's drumming provides a funky counterpoint to the synthetic elements of "Suave Pero Rugoso," which chime and flash like a pinball machine.
The fusion of acoustic and electronic sounds is an important part of Aequs Nyama, and de Vargas does it exceptionally well. The only solo production, "Ayida Weddo," feels more electronic, but even that one samples a rudimentary instrument that de Vargas built himself.
Each track is packed with ideas, and it's the unique, alluring rhythms that keep everything in perspective. (It's so seamless, in fact, that even the solid remixes from mobilegirl and Blacksea Naõ Maya feel like distractions from de Vargas's vision.) It amounts to an EP that's both au courant and idiosyncratic enough not to be trendy. The music connects to many different scenes, ideas and threads, but in the end, Aequs Nyama's appeal is its local, homespun touches.
Tracklist01. C vs S feat. Triangulación Kultural
02. Tambor Espada (سكين) feat. C1080
03. Suave Pero Rugoso feat. Ansina
04. Ayida Weddo
05. Ayida Weddo (mobilegirl Remix)
06. Tambor Espada feat. C1080 (Blacksea Não Maya Remix)