As if Bohr’s quantum physics, Von Trier’s human fragility or Christian Andersen’s tales were not enough, also the Danish Puce Mary seems to explore imagination and possibility; almost inseparable, even. The creation of mental spaces or the synesthesia generated by her art are results as natural as inevitable, of those who decide to break with a familiar, comfortable and soothing reality. In fact, all antagonistic elements in the work The Drought, possibly one of the most challenging records we heard in 2018 – and a strong reason to keep following it in the next ones.

A member of the Posh Isolation collective, one of the epicenters of European new music, she gathers from a magnetic field of noise and static electricity as the habitat of a music, which for lack of another term, one would simply define as transgressive. Listening to it and its hot perceptions, may indicate a reinterpretation per se, of so many other incarnations from noise to industrial; talk about Whitehouse, establish links with Wolf Eyes and never forget the huge contribution of Throbbing Gristle to all this nursery. Names that make sense to understand in a first approach, but that fade, with subtlety, when the real listening advances – and eventually gets lost in this labyrinth of tension and suspense that the artist carefully builds.

Even if the starting point is through an atonal and disconcerting aesthetic, one cannot limit an album like The Drought to a five-letter imprint alone; and if there is life beyond that noise imprint, Puce Mary materializes it. And it is a labor of composition and empathy, knowing how to extract sensations and provoke something unknown through raw sounds. Nothing comes gratuitously, and each moment seems to assume itself as a vital form in a whole. Even the cover of The Drought is highly seductive and profane (in equal proportions), worthy of an enigmatism that only tends to grow with the plunge into this black hole.

On stage, she shares an experience close to a ritualistic nature. She appears armed with extensive machinery and a presence full of urgency – opening cracks all around. It is with great enthusiasm that we welcome her back. NA

Since the start of 2019, Parisian based Emma dj has been building a rapidly growing catalogue of releases with 3 albums on cassette tapes as well releases on imprints like UIQ, REIF, Collapsing Market, BFDM and L.I.E.S.

A remarkable output from the Finnish native who’s been quietly forging an aesthetic of his own following a decade in electronic music across all corners of the industry. His productions display a clear penchant for harder, grittier and ever indescribable sounds translating directly into his dj sets as well as his collaborative experimental trap live show ‘g0drm’ which debuted at Bourse de Commerce, Collection Pinault in June 2021.

Operating since 2014, Falésia is the solo creative alter-ego of Nuno Afonso, born in Portimão in 1982 and living in Lisbon for the last decade. The electric guitar is the basic instrument in his work flow, although he also uses other instruments and other resources. Based on a free approach, both in technical and musical terms, many of his improvisations and compositions are based on minimalism and a more exploratory sound spectrum. It is in moments of tension and restraint that he searches for a greater emotional luminosity and textural expressions. The fascination for the volcanic nature of things is a constant guide in his path as a sound artist, more than musician. Some of his published works in 2021 include: “Erzulie”, “Ad hoc”, “Seiva”, “RAW MEDITATIONS” and “Vivarium”, the latter appearing with the sound and graphic fanzine Saliva. In music writing, he has a past connected with the publications Kling Klang, Mescla Sonora and Vice, and currently collaborates with ZDBmüzique and Rimas e Batidas. He is also one of the residents at Rádio Quântica.