Scott Herren (aka Prefuse 73) releases a new album "Apropa't" from his Savath & Savalas project on 26th January. Warp and Hefty records previously released his Folk Songs for Train Trees and Honey album back in 2000, an understated and beautiful classic record.
Apropa’t is an album with a story. For the past 18 months, Scott has been based in Barcelona, Spain, searching for untold family roots and looking to put down some of his own.
"My father is from there, I didn’t grow up around him or the culture from Spain. So I was there immersing myself in the things I wasn’t able to be around growing up… also connecting to an important part of myself that is necessary for me to move forward in life."
Scott’s quest led him to unknown Catalan singer/songwriter Eva Puyuelo Muns - their meeting resulted in instant musical connection, despite Eva having never previously been involved with any music projects. From those first months in the spring of 2002 impressions, ideas, different lifestyles and a lot of music were exchanged. They shared the same passion for South American music, especially early 1970s Brazilian psychedelia, the simple production techniques, the very sad melodies also found in Spanish folk music, Afro/Cuban/Puerto Rican/NYC fusions and… tortilla de patatas. From Milton Nascimento and Maricio Lo Borges passing through Paco Ibañez and Música Dispersa, the story of two people finding themselves and each other in music is Apropa't.
"With Prefuse, living in Spain hasn’t affected me at all. With that, it’s best for me to work in the environment I’m used to ‘making beats’ in, which is Atlanta. But as far as Savath & Savalas, the environment has affected my music greatly. The whole project has become an almost straight-up, Catalan/Castellano vocal-based folk steez."
Indeed, Apropa't could not be more different to Scott’s work as Prefuse 73, or previous Savath & Savalas recordings. On the album you will hear both Scott and Eva singing, on all the tracks, with a cornucopia of gentle, melodic sounds from classical guitar, harmonium, concertina, bajo sexto, guitarron, harps and accidents thrown in. Recorded at home, on the outskirts of Barcelona, Apropa't captures a mood of dreamy intimacy, candlelit reverie and emotional intensity. Scott describes Apropa't as an exploration or acknowledgement of the relationship between himself and Eva, and of what is left by the search.
Mid-2003, Scott took the mostly sketched songs to Tortoise’s SOMA Studio in Chicago and mixed the tracks with John McEntire, with additionally recorded drums parts from Johnny Herndon, bass by Town & Country’s Josh Abrams, some vocals from Azita Youssefi (Bride of No No) and two horn players in Paul Mertens (Brian Wilson, Stereolab) and Dave Max Crawford (Poi Dog Pondering, The Sea and Cake).
Scott will be taking Savath & Savalas out live as a band in Spring 2004.
Dope Dope Dope
12-26-03, 06:14 PM
#1
Linear Mode
