Despite the considerable success of Fernando Corona’s
work as Murcof, Mexican electronica has remained pretty
ignored on this side of the Atlantic. Yet, the Nortec
collective of artists, based in the border city of Tijuana,
in the North of the country, has, for years, promoted
DJs, bands and solo artists as well as designers, filmmakers
and audio visual artists, giving them a chance to perform
live, exhibit their work or release their music.
It is through Nortec that Corona got the chance to get
heard outside the boundaries of his native Mexico as
he appeared on a Nortec sampler and on the collective’s
Tijuana Sessions Vol. 1, released through Palm
Pictures in 2001, as Terrestre. No longer an active
member of Nortec, which he left to concentrate on his
solo work, Corona remains largely associated with the
collective through his work.
As he is said to be putting the finishing touches to
his second album as Murcof, Corona is finally releasing
his first album as Terrestre. Corona’s original
template for Terrestre is based on the Collective’s
idea of mixing traditional element of local and regional
music with contemporary structures to create something
at once totally unique and highly original. Secondary
Inspection steers away from this concept slightly
as Corona revises his approach to this project by injecting
some minimal sonic structures and elements of dub to
give his compositions depth and substance. If he retains
some discreet elements of his native culture all the
way through, mostly perceptible on the two opening tracks,
Botas De Oro and Secondary Inspection Theme,
the influence of Murcof is equally palpable as ominous
soundscapes electrify each composition in one way or
another. Yet, with Terrestre, Corona swaps the sumptuous
and intricate ambiences of Martes
for more straightforward 4/4 rhythmic structures reminiscent
of early Detroit techno. It doesn’t however mean
that there is no depth to his work as Terrestre. Far
from sounding like some ethnodance project, Corona applies
the same care to his sonic environments here as he does
with Murcof. Secondary Inspection is at once
clever, effective and stunning, even if the sonic realm
is not as instantly impressive as what Corona has got
us used to. From the delicate beat structures and underlying
ambient waves of Botas De Oro or Secondary
Inspection Theme to the menacing atmosphere of
Ejido Del Terror and the voluptuous Alushe’s
Night Out, Secondary Inspections offers
a new angle to Corona’s work while reaffirming
his talent.
Most recently, Corona, as Terrestre, was commissioned
to score the soundtrack for Nicotina, the latest
film from Mexican director Hugo Rodríguez. Considering
the cinematic aspect of his music, it seems like a justified
step for the man. More than a simple filler in between
two Murcof albums, Fernando Corona brilliantly justifies
the necessity for Terrestre and proudly flies the Mexican
flag over the electronic movement.
4.4/5 |
