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Latin America’s pulsating musical heritage and electronic music’s universal appeal, has seen Argentina rise up onto the world stage as an ever-evolving hotbed of talent. The fresh, passionate, musical/cultural mix in Buenos Aires and all over the country is going global, enter Juan Hansen. The past couple of years have seen this supremely talented, trained composer/musician/vocalist, develop his incredible live sets – performances that are rapidly becoming legendary in the clubs of Argentina, guided by an exemplary ethos of mixing genres without prejudice. Now, Bedrock is set to release Juan’s first ever EP in a perfect collaborative meeting of musical minds with the legendary Jimmy Van M.
‘Kobalt’ exhibits a distinctly futuristic feel, as its ever-mutating, a deeply hypnotic groove is overlaid with incredibly dynamic analog synth work, topped with Juan’s distinctive, heart-melting vocal contributions – quite simply, an epically original creation. Riding a breaking wave and diving deeper into electronic soundscape territory comes ‘Madin (Gala Dub)’, a more experimental, linear audio excursion, but no less impressive in its outcome.
Meanwhile, the sparse, stripped-back, percussive ‘Kobalt (Anormal Rework)’ presents a perfect juxtaposition to the original in terms of feel and vibe. Anormal is a highly creative Buenos Aires-based audio-visual designer and producer focused on the development of minimalist scenes, sharp forms, and unconventional textures, and thus his rework here is a perfect reflection of his constant search of synthesis and bold concepts.
As a mark of this exciting collaboration’s boundless creative ideology, Jimmy & Juan also decamped to Ernesto Romeo’s studio (one of the finest analog studios in Argentina) to completely re-record an alternative version of ‘Kobalt’. Ernesto is a legend in his own right – considered among the pioneers of the scene; a modular synth master as a member of Klauss (since 1988); Carl Craig collaborator on Planet E; and a renowned educator as a professor of synthesis. For this project, the trio set about experimenting and recording layers of live synths to give ‘Kobalt’ a new vibe, taking out original parts, inserting new ideas, editing and tweaking, to end up with an entirely new, deeply delicious ‘Kobalt (Synthwork)’ version.
Every successful collaborative project needs a guiding light, and from his first club experience at 14 years of age at The Bocaccio in Gent, Belgium to his first DJ residency in NYC at the legendary Twilo; through creating the legendary Delta Heavy Tour 2002 with Sasha & John Digweed (31 cities, over 100.000 people, across 60 days), to releasing a multitude of singles, remixes, albums and compilations; Jimmy Van M has a peerless pedigree, having remained at the vanguard of the underground dance industry for more than 20 years. Currently residing in Buenos Aires, he continues to build an enduring legacy, with his recording projects, and is enabling and managing the new music generation through the recently launched Insound Academy, as a mentor. With such powerful creative energy joining the past with the future, Argentina’s place on the global stage is set to grow even stronger.
Release Date: August 27th, 2018