New Album : Federico Durand ~ A través del espejo (12k) ~ PRE-ORDER ~ Out January 8.

NEW ALBUM : Federico Durand ~ A través del espejo (12k) ~ PRE-ORDER ~ Out January 8.

Simple is beautiful

Federico Durand ~ A través del espejo (12k, USA)

Pre-order : HERE

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12k is happy to present the debut release on the label from Argentinian composer Federico Durand who has had a series of amazing releases on labels such as Spekk, Own, and Desire Path. Federico and 12k crossed paths on a tour of Japan together in 2014 where the personal friendships among the artists and the label are such a part of what 12k is about. Sharing music and ideas throughout the tour led to an invite to make an album.

It’s no accident that Federico’s music has a dusty air of nostalgia surrounding it. It has always been a very personal affair. Songs inspired family, local life and the world around him are woven by hand with a selection of very physical instruments. He works like a craftsman, piecing together fragments of sound from cassette recorders, small instruments and loopers and creates music that’s as softspoken as he is. No pretenses, no disguises, just the most honest and down-to-earth music that can be made. Broken melodies spinning from tape reels, the sounds of bells and small found objects being played with care... The music is as beautiful as it is introspective, like a small window of antique glass looking right into Federico’s soul.

In his own words:
“A través del espejo in Spanish means “Through the mirror”. I am fascinated with the experience of putting a mirror in front of another: as a miracle, the image turns in a loop that flows into infinity. Loops in the mirror get less clear with each repetition, the color becomes diffuse and greener. When these loops turn into a lullaby we can enter the other side of the mirror: a place of delight and insight.

I always make simple melodies as they are born free. In many pieces, I use cassette recorders as an instrument that play friendly with others such as piano, lyre, toys, bells or effects. I enjoy the possibilities of cutting tape and making loops, reversing, and even using many tape recorders at the same time making air recordings of the sound. The Roland Space Echo or 2880, which are loop-machines themselves, match perfectly with this way of working.
When I see an emboridery I enjoy both the front and back where a mysterious, invisible world suddenly appears. For this reason, I am grateful to the natural sounds made by the machines, the crackle of loops and other sounds that appear while working, as an unexpected gift.

A través del espejo is a dream of beauty, A love of handcrafted music.”

- Federico Durand

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Thank you very much Taylor Deupree and 12k! F.

Feliz año ~ Happy New Year

This was a year full of music and adventure. Best wishes for 2016, beauty, true and creation.

F.

Diorama

Feliz Navidad ~ Merry Christmas

Feliz Navidad ~ Merry Xmas!

F.

Very soon! ~ January 8th. ~ 2016

Very soon!

Federico Durand ~ "A través del espejo" (Through The Mirror) ~ 12k

Photo by Taylor Deupree

Recording

Album review by Anhedonic Headphone

It’s at this point that I would like to acknowledge that, despite my real lack of interest in music as a whole in 2015, I am feeling very #blessed that we are living in a time when there is great ambient, experimental, and droning music being created.

2015 has been a pretty good year for those genres—you’ve got a marquee name to the scene like William Basinski, you’ve got a solid release from Alex Cobb, an odds and ends collage from the Tape Loop Orchestra—with the promise of a new full length before the end of the year—and then you have marvelous pieces like A Chance Happening, or the masterful How Could You Believe Me When I Said That I Loved You When I’ve Been A Liar All My Life by Celer.

Inserting itself right into that “masterful” camp is a new collaborative effort from the gawd himself, Federico Durand, and experimental artist Chihei Hatakeyama.

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You can read the hole revie HERE.

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Thank you very much Kevin Krein and Anhedonic Headphone for listening and the kind words about this music, F.

Magical Imaginary Child ~ Review by Textura

Chihei Hatakeyama + Federico Durand: Magical Imaginary Child 

White Paddy Mountain

Chihei Hatakeyama would appear to be an inexhaustible fount of energy, given the number of solo and collaborative releases with which he's been involved during the past couple of years. And as if that isn't enough, he also oversees the operation of the White Paddy Mountain imprint and performs mastering work on a seemingly never-ending stream of releases. This first collaboration between the Tokyo-based sound artist and Federico Durand came about in early 2014 when the Buenos Aires, Argentina musician was on a Japan tour. Recorded at Hatakeyama's home, the two drew for inspiration from a small statue of Buddha in a neighboring temple and produced it using nothing more than an electric guitar (Hatakeyama) and cassette tape (Durand).

*~ You can read the full review HERE.

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Thank you very much Texrtura, F.

Magical Imaginary Child ~ Review by Music Won't Save You (Italy)

Chihei Hatakeyama & Federico Durand - Magical Imaginary Child ~ Music Won't Save You

Sempre più intense e diffuse si fanno le frequentazioni giapponesi di Federico Durand, come del resto è naturale che sia, vista la delicatezza impressionistica e il fragile equilibrio che caratterizzano la sua peculiare tavolozza elettro-acustica. Dopo Tomoyoshi Date, con il quale condivide l’ormai stabile progetto Melodía, è ora la volta di un altro tra i più ispirati sperimentatori ambientali nipponici, il prolifico Chihei Hatakeyama, l’incontro con il quale è avvenuto proprio in occasione dell’ultimo tour che durante lo scorso anno lo ha nuovamente condotto in Giappone.

Da quell’incontro sono scaturite le quattro lunghe tracce adesso raccolte in “Magical Imaginary Child”, realizzate attraverso l’esclusiva combinazione tra le modulazioni chitarristiche dell’artista orientale e le registrazioni ambientali impresse su nastro da parte di quello sudamericano. Oltre alla naturale curiosità che ha sempre spinto entrambi i musicisti alla collaborazione, motore dell’ispirazione che ha condotto al lavoro è stata – si legge nelle note di copertina – una piccola statua del Buddha conservata in un tempio nei dintorni dell’abitazione di Hatakeyama, dove i quattro brani sono stati registrati.

Il contesto, la suggestione concettuale e la sensibilità che accomuna entrambi gli artisti hanno costituito gli elementi propedeutici a donare a “Magical Imaginary Child” una marcata sensazione domestica e meditativa, che attraverso minuti dettagli compositivi e variazioni graduali definisce una materia sonora dolcemente evocativa. Mentre i primi due brani sono pressoché uniformemente incentrati su morbidi loop e frequenze basse, appena intessuti da fremiti e ologrammi di field recordings, i due – più lunghi – restanti presentano qualche increspatura in più, determinata dalle irregolarità dei nastri, che infine si trasformano esse stesse in riflessi adamantini.

È questo il suggello e probabilmente il fine ultimo delle vaporose modulazioni sviluppate da due artisti dalla spiccata sensibilità minimale, la cui interazione non ha prodotto una sommatoria meccanica degli elementi da ciascuno di loro apportati al progetto comune, bensì ha plasmato cinquanta minuti di ambience raccolta, cinematica, spiritualmente avvolgente.

Magical Imaginary Child ~ Reviewed by Infinite Grain

Listening is pure innocence, detachment, abandonment not of sound but the claim for it. Composing is largely invitation to humility and intuition, showing that what we call spirit is actually pure silence, that which awakens, moves and encourages sound as such; a silence present as sonic transparency, audible simplicity, openness to the naked manifestation of existing here, as visitors in an unfinished road, such as Durand and Hatakeyama, who come together to pay tribute to this sonic silence by drawing a looping  ode to the magic of melody, but also using noise as a messenger of concentration; generating landscapes and atmospheres which despite of being empty reflections and rootless echoes still pierce the soul and let dreams fly. This work is heard life, sound life, a beautiful gift to the heart’s ear, creating a subtle soliloquy in which listeners are doors to pure poetry, an allegorical manifestation of the ineffable. 

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Thank you very much Infinite Grain for listening! F.

Magical Imaginary Child ~ Reviewed by Fluid Radio

Magical Imaginary Child ~ Chihei Hatakeyama & Federico Durand

Chihei Hatakeyama, Japan’s ambient auteur of all things light and airy, has been fairly busy of late, pouring out sunbeamed sub bass radiation and a host of space pads since 2008. His most acclaimed works probably remain those on the esteemed Hibernate label, concillatorily ‘The River’ for quenching a periodic state of the year’s unease. But by and large, Hatakeyama has pulled in new ears on every new record, and here he’s joined by the very able and revolvently contrasting Farewell Poetry styles of Federico Durand.

Durand I’d like to state is not a member of Farewell Poetry, but this ideology – of mistaken identity, of transcendent stylish mane, blossoms the individuality of both collaborators into a delightfully tranquil hotchpotch. There are also shadows of David Tagg’s ‘Waist Deep Seas Of Milk’ about the whole (some) affair, a lush bathe in absorbent honeydew drones.

The first sound you hear on this lp, Magical Imaginary Child is a careful tone float, a quintessence chord, stapled together with that gentle field recordist touch both artists carve from the bark. The last melody contrariwise creates a sense of essential ascendente.

Instead of wonderfully raggedy, ‘Magical Imaginary Child’ is wilfully astral, applying a sensuous approach to tone and texture. A tone ripples like a bicep of the World’s Supplest Organism competition, Hatakeyama and Durand shaping promising verses that fade with the penny being dropped. Whether that child is imaginary we may know, and whether this music is greatly interesting we may know as well. In magic, never is a truer word spoken; the ultimate paradox, and the ultimate reason for musical adventure.

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Thank you very much Mick Buckinham and Fluid Radio for this hearfelt review! F.

El silencio de las estrellas

… nos trae noticias de casa.

Wondeful news! ~ Coming soon!

New album! ~ Chihei Hatakeyama + Federico Durand

A very special album.

Inspired by a small statue of Buddha in the hatakeyama's house neighboring temple, “Magical Imaginary Child“ is the first collaborative recording between Hatakeyama and Durand. Sourced from only an electric guitar (Chihei Hatakeyama) and cassette tape (Federico Durand).this album recorded on March 2014 in hatakeyama's house during Federico Durand Japan tour.These four works are true meditations and poetic sounds. 

Chihei HatakeyamaとFederico Durandの初のコラボレーションアルバムが遂に完成。Federico Durandの演奏するカセゥトテープと、Chihei Hatakeyamaのエレクトリックギターのみで作曲された本作は彼ら自身が語るように、詩的で、情景的な音像を描く。淡い水彩の単色画のような音色は儚さの中に強さを抱くような、まさに『秘すれば花』とで言えそうな哲学的な深さを感じさせる。録音当日の朝、二人は畠山の家の近くの古いお寺を散歩していた、そこで出会った『幻覚童子』という仏像からインスピレーションを受けた本作はMagical Imaginary Childと名付けられ、これから生まれてくる子供達に捧げられた作品となった。

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profile

Chihei Hatakeyama

Chihei Hatakeyama is A Sound Artist And Musician Living On The Outskirts Of Tokyo. He Has Performed For Years Under His Given Name And Also As One Half Of The Electroacoustic Duo Opitope, Along With Tomoyoshi Date. Hatakeyama Polychromes Memory-Evoking Soundscapes With Various Recorded Materials Of Electric, Acoustic Instruments Such As Electric Guitars, Vibraphone, And Piano. His Releases Is On Kranky, Room 40, Under The Spire, Hibernate Records, Magic Book Records, Home Nomal, OwnRecords And Spekk (As Opitope)..

www.chihei.org


Federico Durand

Federico is a sound artist from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Since his highly acclaimed 1st album on SPEKK (2010), he has been constantly delivering new materials from Home Normal, Own Records and Desire Path label, most of them sold out quickly. He also released album as Melodia (collaboration with Tomoyoshi Date from Optiope) and Every Hidden Color (collaboration with Nicholas Szczepanik). He uses a lot of fieled recordings which he took in his daily life mixing with guitar, cassette, and the overall impression is always warm and organic just as his personality.

credits

released 29 July 2015

all musics written by Chihei Hatakeyama + Federico Durand
mixed and mastered by Chihei Hatakeyama

photograph by Chihei Hatakeyama

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Muchas gracias Chihei & White Paddy Mountain por editar este álbum tan especial, F.

tags

Concierto en Una.Casa ~ Buenos Aires

Concierto en Yapeyú

Concierto en Buenos Aires con Pablo Reche durante la exposición inaugural de mi esposa Lucía Mancilla Prieto de dibujos a lápiz.

Concierto en Yapeyú

Concierto de Reche / Calarco / Bates / Durand en Yapeyú ~ Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires.

La tarde

New CD - Música para Manuel (Hibernate, UK)

I am very happy to present you "Música para Manuel".

This album is released by the lovely UK label Hibernate Recordings.

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Federico Durand is a sound artist from Argentina. Since his debut album on Spekk (La siesta del ciprés) in 2010, he has been constantly releasing beautiful albums on labels such as Home Normal, Dauw, Own Records, Desire Path and White Paddy Mountain. Federico’s work includes lots of field recordings mixed in with guitar, piano, tape loops and many other organic sources. 

Música para Manuel was originally made for cassette and sold out during Federico’s tour of Japan in 2014. The tape was limited to just two tracks but for us Federico has extended it into a full length and added 3 new tracks. The album is dedicated to Manuel Mellado, Federico’s grandfather who lost both his parents as a child and was, and still is, a very important presence in Federico’s life.

Federico Durand : Música para Manuel 
Label : Hibernate (UK)
Release date : March 13th. 2015
Format : CD
Edition : limited to 200 copies. 
Picture by Unknow Artist, Buenos Aires.
Mastering : Wil Bolton.
Design : Ian Hazeldine. 

You can purchase this CD HERE.

Thank you very much Jonathan, from Hibernate for the care put in this release, Wil for the beautiful mastering and Ian for the design.

Music comes from the other side of the mirror

Maravillosa reseña en Rockdelux, España

FEDERICO DURAND

“La estrella dormida”

WHITE PADDY MOUNTAIN

“El estanque esmeralda”

SPEKK

MELODÍA

“Diario de viaje”

HOME NORMAL

MÚSICA EN DUERMEVELA  Conforme pasan los años y Federico Durand depura su sonido como un alfarero ante el torno, más vívida es la imagen de esa belleza secreta y casi sagrada que él siempre ha ansiado conjurar en su música. Sus melodías son como figuritas de jade, móviles que giran sobre una cuna recién destapada la noche.

En menos de un año, Federico ha descubierto la versión más perfecta de su artesanía sonora en dos discos realmente hermosos: "La estrella dormida" y "El estanque esmeralda". El primero está marcado por el sonido de la lira, de un tono azulado y cristalino, y la espera de su primera hija. Federico se ocupó él mismo de las mezclas del álbum, que escuchaba cada día al atravesar los suburbios de Buenos Aires en tren al atardecer para volver a casa después del trabajo. Y es precisamente ese momento -cuando la primera estrella de la noche se enciende tímidamente- el que explica la inspiración y la esencia de estas preciosas diez piezas.

Por otro lado, "El estanque esmeralda" nació de una ensoñación: sentado junto a un pequeño estanque en una terraza, Federico revivió la impresión de contemplar los lagos del sur de Argentina siendo niño cuando sus abuelos lo llevaron a pasear para aliviar una fiebre. Como si se tratara de una manifestación sonora de aquellos recuerdos, estos temas conforman la cara más etérea y brumosa de su música, especialmente delicada en cortes como "Clavel" o "Nymphaea".

Si hay alguien que comparte la fe que Durand profesa por la delicadeza y la sencillez de sus sonidos, ese es Tomoyoshi Date (Opitope, Illuha), junto con quien comparte Melodía. Y si esa complicidad fue el mayor activo de "Saudades" (2013), la primera tanda de grabaciones registradas durante una gira compartida por Europa hace tres años, "Diario de viaje" muestra  a Federico y Tomoyoshi aún más cómodos y libres en esta puesta en común. A pesar de formar parte de las mismas sesiones improvisadas en bosques y hoteles que las que conformaron “Saudades”, estos temas tienen una cualidad distinta, más orgánica y deslavazada. Es música tremendamente sincera en sus formas e intenciones. 

JUAN MONGE

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Muchas gracias Juan Monge y Rockdelux por esta hermosa reseña!

F.

La entrada mágica

"Towards the poetics of sound: Federico Durand and his album La Estrella Dormida"

Perhaps music should be understood like poetry: without concrete meanings, solely with the emotional profusion it produces.

Marcel Proust used to say that music could easily be “the unique example of what might have been –if the invention of language, the formation of words, the analysis of ideas had not intervened– the means of communication between souls.” In Federico Durand’s album, La estrella dormida (The Sleeping Star), we can clearly appreciate this beautiful pondering, which yearns for a harmonious interpretation.

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You can read this beautiful review following this LINK.

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Thank you very much Jaen Madrid and Faena Aleph!

La Cumbre, Córdoba

A very special collaboration

A very special collaboration :

Stephan Mathieu - Nachtstücke

∫∂ VII HELIOSTÀSION MMXIV 

Four pieces, 260 minutes 

with a special contribution by Federico Durand (tape-loops)

13-page PDF booklet by Caro Mikalef for Cabina

You can purchase this album HERE.

11 January 2015 

Hawái - Best albums of 2014

Hawái ~ Best albums of 2014

Buenas tardes! "La estrella dormida" (White Paddy Mountain) seleccionado entre los mejores discos del año, entre muchos de mis discos favoritos del 2014, por la prestigiosa revista Hawái. Felicidad!

Good afternoon! My album "La estrella dormida" was selected by the wonderful page Hawái along with many of my 2014 favorite ones. Have a nice day!

You can read the review of "La estrella dormida" by Hawái HERE.

Thank you very much Hawái!