Forest on Stasys
Deprogramming of Reality
Delsin
Artists in Latin America don’t just make Latin music. It feels ridiculous to even write something like that, because of course they don’t. Yet if you look around the contemporary electronic music landscape, it often seems that the only Latin artists who find serious traction are those whose work conforms to (frequently outmoded and stereotype-driven) European and American notions of what Latin music, culture and identity is “supposed” to look and sound like.
I’ve banged this particular drum numerous times before, and while I certainly don’t mean to disparage anyone from Latin America (or its diaspora) who’s experimenting with cumbia, reggaeton, bachata, salsa, merengue, guaracha or any other distinctly Latin style, those experiments—as exciting as they can be—only represent a fraction of what’s happening within the region. Plenty of Latin artists are making straight-up house, techno, jungle, electro, etc., and in some cases, they’re doing it far better than their European and American counterparts.
Forest on Stasys is one such artist. Based in Buenos Aires, he’s perhaps best known as the co-founder of the Danza Nativa label, although he also heads up his own Aura Sonora imprint. As a producer, he’s been releasing (mostly techno) records for more than a decade, and though he’s appeared on a variety of different outposts over the years, his new Deprogramming of Reality EP—which also happens to be his debut on storied Dutch label Delsin—feels like his highest-profile offering to date.
The Argentinian producer most definitely meets the moment, and the record’s robust title track serves as a kind of mission statement. Built atop a chunky kick and outfitted with ominously buzzing tones, its pulsing groove is brimming with electricity, though the sudden appearance of some chilled brass melodies (is that a trumpet?) prevents the whole thing from blowing out every circuit in the room. Opening number “Estructuras Monolíticas” is more of a moody chugger, and “Reptile Genetics” maintains a similarly pensive vibe, even as it steps up the percussion and tosses some serrated synths into the mix. But it’s the final track, “Return to the Source,” where Forest on Stasys properly exhales, swaddling his percolating—and yes, slightly Latin-tinged—drum patterns in lush pads and an enticing cloud of soft static. Much like the rest of Deprogramming of Reality, it’s unlikely to inspire any perreo competitions, but it’s a welcome reminder that when it comes to electronic music, Latin America has a lot more to offer than tropicalismo.