Reka & /Beyond/ – Acid Dusk [Urban Legend Records]

There are an infinite number of reasons why an artist may be influenced to create his or her work, but no cause is better justified than that of life itself and the beauty of everything that surrounds us. Nature as a creative concept can have different interpretations, however, the alliance between Reka and /Beyond/ has built a sound framework based on the beauty that nature offers, a beauty that can show infinite aspects depending on its evolution and condition, and which is in danger due to the mismanagement of this planet by the human race.

Astalar joins the countless demands to try to reverse the current situation of the planet, however, to this attempt to make the population aware of the catastrophe that is looming, we must add the artistic objective, which is to show a new symbiosis between these two producers.

The album opens with We Owe You All, a cut that exemplifies the transcendence of the habitat, of nature, for the development of our life and that of any organisation. Musically, both artists choose to use a strong background, with a powerful punch, to which they add a harmonic conjugation that manifests grandeur and Reka’s imposing voice that reiterates the slogan dedicated to mother earth. 

Cynara, the second cut on side A, alludes to a species of thorny plants that inhabit the Mediterranean. This track begins with a dense atmosphere to which a firm rhythmic pattern is added later, and an arpeggio that conditions the musicality of the piece.

Side B opens with Mil Espinas (A Thousand Thorns), a cut that stages the tiny distance that exists in nature between beauty and cruelty, between calm and anxiety. The gentle drones that enter from the beginning and Reka’s hypnotic vocals lull the listener into a serenity that is soon altered by the intrusion of rhythmic structure and a solid bass line.

Acid Dusk illustrates the various outcomes that can appear in everyday moments. This cut closes the EP mixing influences from various musical genres and in which both artists transform what at first seems to be a placid scenario, like the powerful pad that opens the track, into different sonic outcomes with the addition of a couple of acid lines and a forceful syncopated rhythm.

Release: March 22th, 2022.