Elements records presents its 4th release, the LP ‘Hexágono Amoroso’, by Miguel Torga, one of the most exciting portuguese producers of recent times. Eleven tracks that tell the story of an abstract portugality, somewhere between the sweet melancholy of countryside mornings, dancing at some friendly after hours, or the dawning while embraced by someone to whom we feel inevitably attached to, but life’s game makes us wander through labyrinthine emotions. It is not a heavy record though. The blend of house/dub music, clever voice samples and this portugality, a nostalgia of the past, the eternal return to a beauty and peace of the most bucolic country, make for a very light and graceful record, as though it is bringing down the curtain of the fatalist history of Portugal, to a happy ending and in a warm nest. Production is cohesive, full of arrangements that are original and laden of personality, and his love for film, literature and intelligent humour is translated throughout the LP by means of more or less obvious references.Arty and colourful, it´s a must have abum for the arriving summer.

‘Pina Bausch do Intendente’, the opening track, as a matter of fact, immediately shows the subversive game of daily relationships, through undefined word plays, inviting to a sensual game of funk, tension and uncertainty. The elements of percussion, field recordings and the almost tragic sweeps, because so determinant,
complete this picture of uneasy crescendo.

‘Rosa Maria e os calores’ comes right away to ease all the tension with a solid and cheerful groove, pointing that dance can solve complex questions. Surrender completely to this wise track, where almost clinical voices, a sudden shout and a naughty tropical flute makes us aware and alive right on the dancefloor. The story goes on…

‘Do Lago’ is the third track, a superb ode to this portuguese paradise so envied outside. Ambient, dub, water sounds and an ethereal lead line take us to an almost hipnotic state of existencial perfection. Slowdown is intended but the mechanical
groove keeps the soul positive.

‘Pela água eu rei’ follows, a spacey-techno-dub bomb, spiced up by a languid and lazy voice that invites to a closing of the eyes, and an offering of our body to the dance. At this point we realize how this story makes sense in a frightful way, due to Miguel’s artistic sensibility and experience as a producer.

‘A Mariana’ keeps the dancing tone, cheerful and suggesting balance in a deconstructed groove with dramatic melody, of an almost ludicrous surreality. The instruments play and react together naturally, inscribing physicality to the track.

‘Tu és tão fresca’, aka ‘minimal doesn’t equal boring repetition’, makes tropicality show up once more, not letting us down. This element is actually preponderant throughout the record, giving pleasent sensations and a sunny feeling to the story: Portugal is sun.

‘Fauna e Flora’ comes next, a nostalic story full of hope, where the repetitious groove leads to a travelling through this hidden country, so constrasting in spaces and memories. That feeling of being on the road.

‘Quero-te longe’ is an incursion in pop house and minimal, with wandering and abstract pads, making for a potential perplexity along the jumpy rhythm of the track. Divergent emotions in full kinetic harmony.

‘Foguete’ could just as well put an end to the record, an anthem to classic house, where smiles and the complicity of dance are unavoidable. Love is a party, of one, two, three, a thousand. Once more the melodic arrangements create a well achieved cinematic effect, which is no surprise coming from a film fan, even though it’s a straight to the point track.

‘Caminhos’ is still on hold, a true hard to classify epic, somewhere between post-dubstep and solid acid that leaves us tiny before such sonic moment. It is hard to imagine a better counterpoint to the whole record, music that shows the confident maturity and eclecticism of Miguel. Proper destructive. Welcome be the future.

‘Ex’ is the exitus opus, disarming of all racional structures supported on rhythm and dance, leaving us drifting in a marvelous filigree of ambient, dreamy and mysterious.

#elementsrecords #migueltorga

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