Monday 7 September 2015

The Sound Of Confusion Mixtape by Cumbres Carrascosa

Article by Cumbres Carrascosa


Forward by KevW:

"At the start of 2014 we were first introduced to the work of Canary Islands native Miguel Cámara and his EP 'Nevertheless Introductory'. More music has been recorded since then, and you can find it using the links below. So when he offered to make a mixtape for us explaining what music inspired and influenced him then we were more than happy. It's always interesting to learn what sounds artists use and how they go on to shape the songs that they're making. This mix is interspersed with a few touches from Cumbres Carrascosa himself, as well as featuring some of his own tracks. There's plenty to enjoy here, and quite a variety too. Plus, if anyone was unsure of where our site got its name, you only need to listen to the first tune to find out! If you're at work, or if you just want some sounds to get you through your day, then scroll down, hit play and listen a a great selection."


60-minute mixtape for The Sound Of Confusion with a compilation of tunes and artists inspiring the solo project Cumbres Carrascosa. Expect certain analog keyboard + pedals or eventual whistled language from the island of La Gomera on the mix. Enjoy.

1.- Spacemen 3 - Walkin' With Jesus.
Repetitive and mind-altering chords to start this mixtape. Neo-psychedelia they call it. I actually got to Spacemen 3 quite late, after their break-up. "Spiritualized" was one of my first hunts as soon as I got an internet connection. That search took me to Spacemen 3. I stick to the lyrics of this tune:

(…) I've chosen what's best
Well, here it comes
Here comes the sound
The sound of confusion
The sound of love.

2.- Gina X - BB 50.
I'm not really a fan of Gina X Performance and this song is not the main turntable favorite but I like this track anyway, the way it's composed. They somehow put this one as an interlude out of the German disco influenza of that time. And god knows I love interludes. I lived in their hometown Köln 20 years after this record was put out. I fantasize thinking one of them was a regular client at the late night club I used to work.

3.- Gaz Nevada - Going Underground.
Not much I can tell about this Italian band but there must be a logic between the "maybe I feel so lonely" and the "going underground" verses. There is.

4.- Crystal Stilts - The Dazzled.
Drummer Frankie Rose was the link to this band, and The Dazzled certainly represents how I wanted my music to sound like when I started the Cumbres Carrascosa thing. Indeed Still And Hushed Forever was composed in 2010 after listening to The Dazzled a trillion times. I wanted to stare at the horse and scream and kill god at the same time.

5.- Tomo Akikawabaya - Diamond.
My leitmotiv in an absolute dramatic and Wagnerian way. The Arabic-like melody of the vocals sets me adrift. The simplicity of the composition is enough to divert the attention from his mysterious background. Minimal Wave Records is re-releasing his music in a louder remastered 2LP edition.

6.- AC Marias - Drop.
Angela Conway, the intriguing ingredient.

7.- Nina Simone - Funkier Than A Mosquito's Tweeter.
I find much more fury on this version by Nina Simone. A song for the haters.

8.- Les Rallizes Dénudés - La Mal Rouge.
Besides all the attractive mystique and the political background behind Les Rallizes Dénudés, I admire the timeless capacity (or inexorable fortune) of Takashi Mizutani to perpetuate his work during almost 50 years.

9.- Tropic Of Cancer - More Alone.
Oh… Camella Lobo… Camella Lobo… She is Camella Lobo… Oh, dear… Camella… Lobo… She is… Oh… I might have romanticized the idea of a collaboration with her… I might have even proposed it actually… Oh… She is… I am… She is… I am… More Alone.

10.- Cortex - You Just Can't Kill The Boogeyman.
I was in Gothenburg right after a concert with a side project in Sweden. The family Ingelhammar hosted us before our trip to Holland. We spent the night drinking cheap wine and listening to their vinyls. Mostly Swedish underground. I was then told about Freddie Wadling, the band Cortex and the story behind You Just Can't Kill The Boogeyman: the things that are always coming back. That reminds me the words of my former psychologist on regards love and drugs. She helped me to embrace my fears and addictions because drugs work the same way love does in your brain.

11.-Rheingold - Dreiklangsdimensionen.
One of my favorites. I've always distrusted the Neue Deutsche Welle as much as the fairy tale of the Movida, but I Iove the "Sequenzen hone Grenzen" thing.

12.- Gary Wilson - Gary's In The Park.
Total respect.

13.- TALsounds - All The Way.
Just a little piece of Natalie Chami's world. I read somewhere there's no overdub here and it truly looks like a formidable first take. It inspired me to create Pyre Passage. I recently purchased her cassette All The Way via Hausu Mountain Records.

14.- The Fassbinders - Hellfire.
Geology Records released this project. All I know about it is a resemblance from Reiner Werner Fassbinder so that's all I need to pay attention to Hellfire.

15.- Cumbres Carrascosa - Glitch Of Love.
I had worked on the lyrics of Glitch Of Love under the influence of Cavafy's poetry. It's a song I've included almost everywhere I've played so far as it truly shows the specific idea behind the project. I've never played this tune twice with the same guitar, except in Japan where I borrowed one from the band Harps for part of the tour. Glitch of Love is included on the record Silenced No, available via US label RACECAR on CD and cassette. Also in Japan via Sone Records.

16.- Cumbres Carrascosa - Pulled Under By The Surge.
This is a first take with no overdub included on the digital EP Pyre Passage.



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