The debut album from Madrid-based Tutupatu is a blend of psychedelic krautrock, ambient synthesizer music, free jazz, and experimental noise. I’ve never really listened to krautrock before, and I’m still not sure it’s my thing, but the three out of this album’s five tracks that are more ambient than krautrock are beautiful and mesmerizing.
Tutupatu is a trio of Tomas Garrido, Matías Tangerina, and Olivares (one name only), whose musical backgrounds include classical, jazz, rock, electronic, drone, World music and more. On IV they lean into the rock and free jazz on the opening and closing tracks, “LeGrouve” and “Herba Roko.” We’re talking hella pounding drums, electric bass on overdrive, and squalling guitars and saxophones – although in the early going “Herba Roko” has some fine interjections from a baritone sax that ground it in rock ‘n’ roll. Briefly.
But the opening single “Tangerina” is my first favorite track of the year. Opening with bass and drum beats that led me to expect some Tuareg-style desert blues, it instead eases into a psych dub groove, electric guitars meandering like some early Jefferson Airplane or Quicksilver Messenger Service jam. A nice combination in every way.
“Tangerina” is surrounded by two gentle droning synth ambient jams, “Saturno” and “Čirkaǔa.” The former has some distorted guitar feedback sounds that fade in and out such that if blindfolded I’d be hard put to tell it from a SUSS track or some other sort of ambient Americana. The latter layers synth effects, folk instrument flutters and flutiness over a droning organ chord and a very jazzy bass guitar line.
The album’s publicity sheet says the five tracks were culled from a 72-hour recording session in the studio, “32 tracks rolling at all times, doors locked, lights dimmed, and volume cranked.” Whatever. It resulted in some mesmerizing sounds, and, as I said, at least one track that will be on my year-end favorites playlist. Not bad for a release in the cold depths of winter.
(Broken Clover Records, 2024)
