Volk (Remastered)

Friday April 17th, 2020 (originally released on March 1st, 2005)
Vate [V07]

 

Volk, an album from Vate has now been remastered on its 15th anniversary.

It is a summary of the work done between 2001 and 2005.

Back then, several movements within Mexican electronic music fused electronic music with popular music. Vate’s music shows strong influences of this style.

This mix between modern electronic music with popular traditional elements is a constant in Vate’s work, which keeps on being centered around music in general, mass culture and various urban subjects. Volk was developed with these things in mind and went along with the creation of the Chill and Go group as well as with Vate’s participation in the Urbe Probeta compilation.

Reviews

“The music is primarily computer generated with some sampling. “Fiesta” uses street sounds and dialoque interspersed with a pounding beat and droning electronic lines. “Diablo” also uses a good amount of latin rhythm among the techno affects. Most of the other tracks are more IDM, depending heavily on computer oriented sounds but still emitting a rare beauty.” Free Albums Galore

Tracks

Apolo X

As in many of the tracks from Volk, a previous version of this one was played live several times between 2001-2002. It was reconstructed for Volk from scratch, based in the original samples and extended into a longer version.

Marimba

A sample of the work within the Chill ánd Go collective, based in Marimba sounds and a tamale vendor announcement. A sound stamp from Mexico City.

Diablo

Diablo was done originally for the videohome Cumbia cachonda from director Christian González, along with other three pieces: Cachonda, Cachonda (Foreplay) and Por debajo del Agua. Diablo combines the basic sound of cumbia, as usually is played in Mexico, with simple and danceable electro sounds.

Stravinsky

Another type of blend: Big Beat with orchestra.

Patria / Extranjero

One of the three pieces of Nortec style in the Volk album. Inspired by a poster Mexico-USA border. The first part was begun in Mexico in 2001 and the final section was finished in Spain in 2004. Both places are for me a foreign country and a homeland.

You are aquí

Tijuana and its legend. A map in the border indicates to the traveller in spanglish: “You are aquí” (Usted está here).

Mac-ila

Northern Mexico is a great assembly plant (“maquila” in spanish). A great producer of Mac-objects in series. Third and last Nortec piece from Volk.

Por debajo del Agua

Another piece of the Cumbia Cachonda soundtrack. A cumbia güiro and an accelerated trip hop. Corruption as the engine of a country.

Fiesta

A funeral is a celebration without host. (Luis Ignacio Helguera) Collaboration and simultaneously tribute to the text recited and written by Luis Ignacio Helguera (1962-2003). Images of the dawn after a drunk and sad celebration. Fiesta is part of the Urbe Probeta compilation, an encounter of poets with electronic musicians.

Casa

Sound cuts from my old home.