ReleasedFebruary 13th, 2013 |
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Helado Negro - Mitad Del Mundo
When most listeners think of electronic music, the words "soft" or "melodic" don't typically come to mind - especially in the dub-step era. Helado Negro, the moniker for multi-instrumentalist Roberto Lange provides a welcome change. Curated by Wilco keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen, the two produced a stunningly original song called "Mitad Del Mundo".
We first met curator Mikael Jorgensen in March 2012. He was slated to join Cat Martino and Sufjan Stevens for Cat's April 2012 Shaking Through session, though his busy schedule touring with Wilco prevented him making it. He promised he'd come back, and that was a promise kept, returning withHelado Negro's Roberto Lange.
Spanish for "The Middle Of The World", Helado Negro's "Mitad Del Mundo" was born out of Lange's childhood memories. "I feel like a lot of the songs that I have are almost like patch cables... like I'm patching in one end of a memory, and these non-chronological experiences come together to make up my lyrics."
Helado Negro is just one of many projects that Roberto Lange has been working on with other artists. In addition to work with people like Julianna Barwick, Bear In Heaven, andPrefuse 73 Lange is also a visual artist with a substantial resume which is how he met Jorgensen. The chemistry of that friendship was immediate. "When I was listening to the Helado Negro records, I was like man, I would love to get into whatever some of this is." says Jorgensen. During their session, the two spent most of the day pushing and twisting nobs and dials on an impressive collection of their own gear and several synthesizers provided for the session byMoog Music.
"I can't think of anything that's more fun and gratifying than to have all this stuff set up, have everyone here working together, trying to make something cool that didn't exist two days ago," says Jorgensen.
As the day progressed, the layers of the song began to bend together effortlessly. Lange's whimsical Spanish flowed. Whatever problems presented seemed to resolve with a turn of a dial.We felt like we were on another planet. Perhaps it could have been the mitad del mundo…