FARWARMTH :: Momentary Glow (Planet Mu)

FARWARMTH eschews anything traditional or melodic, and what emerges from his experimental compositions are sometimes would-be rhythms—sometimes huge swaths of frequencies which clash and collaborate in turn.

The language of ancient machines

On Planet Mu’s website, the page for FARMWARMTH (Afonso Ferreira) ends on this note: “FARWARMTH’s music can seem alien; recognisable sounds turned unrecognisable, channeling raw emotion by building layers of sound in unusual ways into huge energetic sculptures.” Weirdly enough, for a PR blurb, this is very accurate.

In his debut record, Portuguese producer FARWARMTH offers music which exists outside of most electronic conventions. You cannot really hype up the listener using the usual electronica lingo. There is no glitchy two-step, no booming kick, no squelchy acid line. There are no ethereal pads or industrial rhythms. What the listener will find on Momentary Glow are sonic structures that rise and fall, the language of ancient machines or maps for ephemeral territories.

FARWARMTH eschews anything traditional or melodic, and what emerges from his experimental compositions are sometimes would-be rhythms—sometimes huge swaths of frequencies which clash and collaborate in turn. Sometimes the music is soft, sometimes harsher. All the track titles, like “Below The White Sky,” “Across The Black Sand,” “Into The Grey Sey,” all evoke vastness, something unbroken and monochrome.

The sounds are all from organic instruments which FARWARMTH processed later on, and the use of manipulated samples gives the sounds used an edge, a bite, like in “Below The White Sky,” where it sometimes feel like bugs scraping at a bone keyboard which then give way to open air. In “To Heft The Weight Of Memory,” Ferreira anchors us to this weight by the constant bass drone in the background, while something semi-melodic tries hard to lift that weight up. In a way, it is remarkable how Ferreira manages to be so evocative, while largely working with a musical language which is very much his own.

This is a very exciting debut—rough, but in a good way. It obstinately defies conventions and categorisations. Highly recommended for anyone looking for new sounds on the uncharted fringe.

Momentary Glow is available on Planet Mu.