The Shika Shika label periodically releases these little EPs by individual artists, the Botanas series – the word means “snack”. Following not that long after this past spring’s Me Redesenho, released via Brazil’s Voodoohop label/collective, Carioca producer Numa Gama’s contribution to the series is something worth chewing on for a bit.
The raw materials for the EP’s two basic tracks were gathered during a stay in Amatlán de Quetzalcóatl, a mountainous sanctuary of folkloric significance not far from Mexico City. Enriched with guitar and ngoni, and moreover very wisely applied synth work, once back in Rio, the results constitute a potent pair of aural experiences, complementary yet memorably distinct. A sense of elevation and altered perspective attend them.
The titles “Can You Hear It?” and “They’re Calling” suggest a connectivity (and imply otherworldy inspiration). That connection becomes apparent with the EP’s third and fourth tracks, the “Crossfader Remix” by Barda and Barrio Lindo (Shika Shika co-director Agustín Rivaldo), and Numa Gama’s own ambient blend. Both splice and weave the two original tracks together, revealing new facets of each, though each to a very different purpose.
