#atmpl01

[thesunlounge]

F F - S’Espalmador Lightworks (from ATMPL01, Afro Templum 2018)

[thesunlounge]

Reviews 174: Afro Templum 01

Afro Templum is a new label extending from the monthly party of the same name headed by Feel Fly and Damianto. Their first release is ATMPL01, featuring five globetrotting edits put together by F F (Feel Fly) that move between mediterranean beach fantasias, Jamaican sun rituals, Burundian folk explorations, and so much else besides. Indeed, the album is structured so that two magical cuts of seaside fusion, balearic jazz, and Italo romance bookend a trio of eclectic mystical journeys comprised of solar organ dreamworlds, ecstatic string and voice ceremonies, and deep tribal rhythms overlaid by soulful singing and hypnotic chants. It’s and exotic and entrancing trip through some of the world’s more esoteric sonic corners and if the fiery cuts here are any indication, Feel Fly and Damianto’s monthly Afro Templum party in the heart of Perugia’s Old Town is not to be missed, so suffused must it be with transportive musical vibrations and wild tropical energies.

F F - ATMPL01 (Afro Templum, 2018) We blast into “Cesenatico” via prog leaning staccato syncopations before dropping into a downtempo fusion dreamworld. A two chord Rhodes refrain dripping with liquid vibrato sways alongside funked out basslines while shakers add to the vibes of disco exotica coming from the drumkit. Sparkling piano waterfalls give way to flamenco guitar runs not unlike Cantoma as entrancing acoustic guitar solos ride crystalline blue waves towards a sunset horizon. Pianos riff away with an air of island magic and moaning vocal flashes lead to expansive saxophone pyrotechnics in that Roberto Lodola “Marimba Do Mar” kind of way, all screaming solo bliss occasionally moving into blasting jazz virtuosity...circular runs of impossible length...eternal webs of blown reed fire. There is so much vivacious energy to the solar groove ritual as it underlies a transportive melodic world of paradise magic, especially as chanted voices call out to a twilit sky over sexual sliding bass riffs while bongos and congas are submerged in a tropical fog of shakers and rainforest rattles. 

“High Swim” is based around hypnotic percussion, with electronic and acoustic tones coalescing underneath dubwise echoes. Narcotic polyrhythms set the stage for mammoth bass squelches and these wondrous organ lines…like walking on sunbeams through a forest made of light. It’s so minimal yet so effective, as the drums, basslines, and paradise keyboards lift the soul through the clouds. And the track ends like it began, with a throbbing dance of percussive enchantment. We head deep into Burundi for “Alois Mabayi,” where an otherworldly string instrument covered in dust leads an ecstatic jaunt built upon wild fingerpicking. The lines between melodic and rhythmic are completely blurred as scatting breaths build themselves into a trance state while spoken solar spells diffuse through the mix…a combination of mystical voice incantations moving the mind towards ecstacy. Then comes “Musik A Ka Thi” and its rolling cascade of hand drums and body moving shaker rhythmics overlaid by a joyous call and response between syrupy male singing and a blissful sunshine choir. The pulsating percussion webs are backgrounded by a thunderous four-four kick and extended passages of the track are given over to mellow vocal fantasias playing off the thrilling percussive jungle. The group choir moves in and out of the mix with their euphoric waves of rainbow light and during polyrhythmic solo sections, throbbing tribal pounds support finger rolling drum bewilderment sounding like an infinite flow of crystal marbles striking some ancient substance. 

We close with “S’Espalmador Lightworks,” as guitar harmonics sway alongside looping hand drums. Balmy synthesizers in saturated hues of aquamarine flow through the mix, bringing with them flutes that melt the heart. Imagine awakening on the shores of some beautiful yet hidden beach paradise, as sea creatures dance atop the harmonious blue waves in the form of synthetic woodwinds and sprightly aerophones. Occasionally there are moments of slow motion disco maximalism, as dreamhouse piano chords and renaissance flute percolations wash over pulsating four-four rhythms. Elsewhere, things break down for a passage of wonky bass throbs, spaghetti western six-strings, and stomping kick drums before the lush world of seaside fusion returns, now with twanging desert guitars tracking the flutes for overwhelming harmonies of light and love. Then the flute is let loose on a jazz leaning solo of springtide warmth, flying over the wobbling bass synths and sun-soaked beach drums as they gallop through white sands. And before it all fades away, there is one last blast of dreamy tropical disco.

(images from my personal copy)