Flako - real name Dario Rojo Guerra – has been gestating, evolving for some time now.
Earning attention with the warped hip hop of 2012's 'Eclosure' EP, the producer then set about re-visiting some of the sounds which influenced his childhood.
Growing up in South America, Dario absorbed soul, funk and native cumbia, which filtered into his sub-consciousness. Using this kaleidoscope of sounds to channel something entirely new, the producer found himself re-aligning his music with something rather more natural.
“I’m not religious,” Guerra explains. “Nature is the only thing I really believe in. The sun and water are the two things that I find worth worshipping. There's nothing without the sun, and there's nothing without water.”
New album 'Natureboy' is the result. Out today (March 23rd) the blissed out grooves are matched against neo-classical flourishes, against moodscapes which overwhelm at every turn.
Flako has kindly penned a Track-by-Track guide to his debut album.
Check it out now.
The Opening / Purple Trees
The opening music is inspired by Alejandro Jodorowsky’s thoughts about his film Holy Mountain. "I wanted the film to enter their subconscious and break down barriers, releasing the spirit” It is a sonic gate, that slowly opens to reveal what I believe to be the space that music comes from, but im not sure.
Shipibo Icaro
Because I find our relationship with nature is out of balance, I try to learn and be more conscious about all beings including plants. One day I came across the Shipibo People, indigenous people from the amazon rainforest in Peru, who gain their knowledge and power to cure from the plants. Shipibo shamans say that spirits, particularly plant spirits, teach them the icaros.
An icaro is a song sung in Shipibo healing ceremonies by vegetalistas (shamans) and are used to call in different plant spirits, call in the spirits of others or the deceased, take away dark spirits and dark energies, for protection and to manage the ceremony. I felt the need to create my own icaro to call plant spirits and learn from them.
Gelis
On 'Soil Festivities' by Vangelis, he derived inspiration from the life processes taking place on the Earth's surface during spring time and his ability to capture this perfectly by creating a unique sound world around the miracle of nature, is very inspiring. I too recorded this during spring time and tried to capture what I saw happening to nature, into music.
Spice Melange
This song is inspired by the fictional drug central to the Dune series of science fiction novels by Frank Herbert. In the movie Dune the most precious substance in the universe is the Spice Melange, a drug that gives the user a longer life span, greater vitality, and heightened awareness; it can also unlock prescience in some humans, depending upon the dosage and the consumer's physiology. This prescience-enhancing property makes safe and accurate interstellar travel possible. I believe music can also give you all this!
Kuku
In music, whether I’m listening to it or making it, I mostly look for beauty or relief. This one has probably saved me from going completely nuts. Music Heals!
Solo For Chloë
I took inspiration from a song called 'The Colours of Chloë' by Eberhard Weber. His music stimulates my fantasy and I always try to imagine who Chloë is and what she could look like. Whether she is real or not 'Solo For Chloë' is my sonic picture of her.
Shape Of Things To Come
When I try to imagine the future, I see myself riding a yellow plastic duck, going on a journey to unknown spaces and this is what it sounds like.
Som Da Aura
Hermeto Pascoal is a great artist i admire. His Aura Sound technique portrays a person's personal music (Aura sound) present within their particular speech impressions, by "orchestrating" it. His way of hearing music in everything is very inspirational and made me try to hear and transform sounds & noises into music. So I recorded all kinds of noises, extracted melodies I could here in them and translated it into this little Choir.
Twelve O’Clock Shadow (ft. Miguel Atwood-Ferguson)
It almost feels like this song already existed and Miguel and I just connect two matching pieces. To me it represents the moment when you become one with your shadow and you are just yourself.
Lyrebird
A lyrebird is most notable for their superb ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds from their environment. You do the math.
Golden High
Imagine you’re in the belly of your whale friend, carrying you to a wonderful place you have never been before, surrounded by good spirits while Eden Ahbez is playing flute next to you.
Payaso
I have no idea where this song came from, but it felt really good to record. It makes me smile, because I have to imagine a clown playing a synthesizer and conducting a choir every time I listen to it.
Who Do You Think You Are
Sometimes I get really angry about the arrogance of the human race. It is just so stupid to think and act superior, as if humans are the greatest and above everything, so I felt the strong need to record a reminder to myself and others to not forget that we are just a part of something bigger then ourselves.
For You (Reprise)
This is a Reprise of a song for you Bonita.
With Me Now (feat. Dirg Gerner) Nothing is forever, but memories can last long. I recorded this song in memory of my beloved grandmother and hope she will hear it every time the song is played.
The Odd & Beautiful
I like to imagine someone dancing to this song, it looks odd and beautiful.
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