Rarely does a project feel so eclectic yet so cohesive, a sprawling, hypnotic sound-world where repetition seems impossible, and every listen reveals a new path through its immersive maze.
Brimming with inventive sparks, shifting perspectives, and textural nuance
Lisbon’s Francisco Godinho—known now as XICO and previously as XZICD—unveils I, a kaleidoscopic traverse through offbeat instrumental electronica, where sound design and atmosphere bend into peculiar yet imaginative forms. Built on a foundation of field recordings and experimental textures, I is an exploration of the abstract—part dreamscape, part dissonant puzzle. It’s a record that revels in contrast: surreal yet grounded, unsettling yet oddly serene.
With contributions from a cast of sonic artisans—Aelk Minsur, Frank P. Ciocci, Henry Meyers, José Veiga, Julian Frank, and Vera Masyutina—the album weaves a rich, borderless tapestry. Their voices blend into XICO’s vision, forging a seamless fusion that feels less like collaboration and more like collective immersion. Each track reveals a world within a world, unfolding in unpredictable directions. Think Mouse on Mars walking side by side with Amon Tobin and Kettel through twisted tempo shifts and warped instrumental and cinematic terrains. A treasure trove of vintage VHS, Betamax, and vinyl samples, woven together with an abundance of lush analog synths.
The layers run deep. “Moonbeam White” (with Sytrjv) ambles with thick, broken beats and a haze of buzzing synths, while “Bluebird” barely touches down—a brief, delicate drift into stillness. With Henry Meyers featured on “Gongs of Violence,” sparks ricochet with Eastern tonalities and flickering percussion, contrasting sharply with the eerie glide of “Bokanovskification,” where lounge-noir moodiness meets warped downtempo—alongside the multi-talented Aelk Minsur.
The album’s opener, “Mariposa,” flutters in with fragile grace, hinting at psychedelic textures that reappear in the warped BOC-nostalgia of “A Candle Burning At Both Ends,” where ghostly voices and faded synths shimmer like heat mirages. Later, “Carnal Remains” (with WDE) slows time to a crawl—its piano lines fragmented and processed, swimming through a metallic ambient haze like a lost film score. “As My Beautiful White Dog” ebbs and flows through hauntological passages, its ever-shifting tempo and fluid channels create a sense of motion that never settles. It moves like memory—fragmented, elusive, and strangely intimate.
I is not merely a collection of left field compositions—it’s an organic audio mosaic, each piece brimming with inventive sparks, shifting perspectives, and textural nuance. Rarely does a project feel so eclectic yet so cohesive, a sprawling, hypnotic sound-world where repetition seems impossible, and every listen reveals a new path through its immersive maze. Though XICO‘s latest sound structures defy easy description, it’s their warped rhythms and unearthly groove that truly command attention—and ultimately, that’s what matters most.
Artwork and design by Francisco Godinho & Inês Gonçalves — behance.net/iinesagnes
XICO logo by Pablo Iglesias Algora (Geso) — www.godisaglitch.com
I is available June 1, 2025 on Bandcamp.
