Words by Justin Turford
We cover a fair amount of music from the nations that straddle the Tropics but few sound as frosty as this new seven track release (for Nottingham label Running Circle) from Dominican Republic duo Mauro Ferreiro (electronics and occasional T&L contributor) and Gonzalo Frómeta (drums, percussion) AKA Error Subcutáneo.
As Mauro himself describes: “ERROR SUBCUTÁNEO was born under the sweltering sun of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, but their project portrays the colder, more urban side of life in the Caribbean, where cacophonous violence and Cold War monoliths collide with dreams of a better tomorrow. The duo take elements of hip-hop, modular electronics, island syncretism, and bebop to twist and distort contemporary narratives on music composition, representing the greater movement of Latin American resistance directly from its epicentre.”
Confusion, free jazz rage, discord and an overarching sense of threat colour this record. Their collaboration with fellow DR artist Rita Indiana - ‘El Perseguidor’- displays her authoritative voice as the dialogue between the chaos and the focus. Not that this is particularly focussed music. More in tune with the wild experiments of the 70’s NYC ‘loft jazz’ scene than the current jazz revival, the tracks here fracture and scatter, synths detuned at will, the clatter of drums powering through the destabilised structures of the individual pieces. Gilles Peterson’s well known love of the more avant-garde edges of jazz have made him an admirer of the duo and it’s not hard to ascertain why.
‘Bosque’ is all horror movie keys, marimbas and drones, the drums switching from broken glass to dubwise to ? Celestial choirs and jet set orchestral samples bring the track to an ambiguous end.
‘Lolo Grams’ is beach mat chill if your cocktail contained Xanax and herbs. Nearly optimistic synth chords dissolve into acidic mayhem as the groove somehow keeps its tempo under eyewatering pressure from the echoing percussion.
The horror movie organs return with ‘Caña Eléctrica’, the addition of junglist bass wobbles, Gonzalo’s most unhinged drumming so far and some outrageous carnival ride interventions ensure an uncomfortable ride. Frenetic island percussion grabs the track by the neck halfway through before their studio says “Basta!”
Scratchy brushwork and lush pads open the short but sweet ‘Ice Cavern’, the indecipherable rhythmic mantra of a man’s voice brings a kind of ritualistic taste to the piece. The calmest track on the E.P. by far.
‘Volando Bajito’ leans more into hypnosis. A complex looping percussion rhythm is joined by a simple chord riff, flanging FX swirling slowly and methodically - this is possibly danceable!
The bonus digital only track ‘El Malecón’ (named after the boulevard in Cuba?) booms with attitude. A heavy pulse drives ahead as acid funk samples (think the weirder side of Moodyman) collide into layers of hand percussion and droney chords. Strangely funky.
Released today to coincide with Summer Solstice, 'Temporada Ciclónica' is a challenging but exhilarating journey through the minds of two young artists who’s deep knowledge of local and international music places no harness on their creativity. Raw and instant, these boys look at the world as it is and let its contradictions flow into their creations. 9/10
BUY HERE! https://errorsubcutaneo.bandcamp.com/album/temporada-cicl-nica