Martinez, Israel – “Two Espressos In Separate Cups” – [Aagoo]

surferrosa   11/6/2012   12-inch, A Library

Turn this up loud, take a seat, close your eyes, and breath deep. Israel Martinez’s Two Espressos in Separate Cups is a piece commissioned by the Mexican Contemporary Art Museum in 2011. Originally this sound work was a 56 minute continuous loop projected into a gallery space over 16.2 channels. This text book sound scape is composed of samples from silent movies mixed with field recordings, analog/digital synths and computer sounds. The duality here is ruling, almost like a split personality, airing towards the wholly naked and organic, the fully synthesized and everything in between. Rolling, gurgling tones blend with the sounds of rustling and moving. Powerful drones oscillate around the natural sounds of chirping birds, humming crickets or running water. This piece moves in phases, always in flux..thickening up and thinning out.. hypnotizing in its variance and instability. It sounds like eating a bunch of psilocybin mushrooms and going for a walk through the suburbs. Captivating.. puzzling.. surreal.. If you drop the needle and don’t like what you hear, then pick it up and drop it again. This record is ideal for mixing, but also intriguing enough to stand strong its own. Oh the embrace of sound.. -Surfer Rosa