Kobol was formed some time ago by Mexican musicians
Ignacio ‘Nashio’ Chavez, a former member
of Nortec Collective who also officiate as Plankton
Man, and Argel Medina. Signed to the Tijuana-based electronic
imprint Static Discos, home of Murcof
and Fax, Kobol’s debut release, Broken Ebony
collates a series of complex digital jazz compositions
ranging from the laidback and soulful to the busy and
coarse.
Nashio Chavez started as a guitarist for a local jazz/pop
band, which also counted Fernando
Corona, of Murcof and Terrestre fame, amongst his
members, before getting interested in electronic music,
and in particular in the approach to jazz and electronica
developed by Squarepusher
on his early records. Both Corona
and Chavez went on to join Nortec, a collective of musicians
and visual artists based in Tijuana and were, for a
while, active members, incorporating elements of traditional
Mexican music in their contemporary setting. Chavez
also formed Niño Astronauta, with Kobol’s
Argel Medina and bass player Tati Moreno. Chavez left
Nortec in 2001 to concentrate on his solo project and
live performances with Niño Astronauta.
Kobol combine the natural fluidity and creativity of
jazz with the clean-cut ethic and almost infinite possibilities
of computer-based music to create a truly fascinating
piece of work. With Broken Ebony, Chavez and
Medina explore some rather interesting musical grounds,
finely balancing their work between tight digital processing
and live effusions. The pair’s compositions are
extremely complex and contrasted. Each track appears
as if made up of countless broken sections patiently
assembled together, yet, the energy that runs through
the nine original tracks hints at the musicians live
experience developed with Niño Astronauta. While
the title track is a languorous composition, the album
opens on a more upfront note with Hilton, and continues
to build up on this momentum on the driven Delevan,
Es Perticular, Trio In A Box, Soka
and Command Station. The vivid and harsh tones
expressed on these compositions contrast with the more
gentle approach adopted on the beautiful Roble,
while this album reaches its experimental peak on the
intriguing Terror Pig, on which sirens are
layered over cascading percussions, plucked strings
and blankets of glitches.
Broken Ebony surprises by its constant sparkle,
yet, Kobol never go over board here, retaining incredible
control over every single last inch this record. Although
melodies rarely find a way to fully develop, this album
remains surprisingly accessible and uplifting, and shows
Kobol as a truly exiting act.
4.2/5 |
