The Best of the New Costa Rican Ambient Scene
Into the night, spend a night in the rainforests of Costa Rica with political changes
“Costa Rica is probably the nation in Latin America [with] the most diffuse identity,” says Alejandro Arturo,
who records as OVSICORI and whose debut LP Bucle, is full of soundscapes inspired by the region’s botanical
diversity. “We don’t have those big political milestones to share with our neighbours; it’s always been a land
of multiple influences, so the country is just kind of a big and weird hodgepodge.”
Bucle by OVSICORI
When he worked under the alias of Pólux (he now goes by El Rayo), Alejandro Arturo was known as one of the main
visual artists in San José’s early ’10’s indie music scene. In 2017, he decided to escape the urban swarm of the
country’s capital, and began stripping down the noise rock of his then-band Karaoke Pánico to its most basic
elements. Now, with his current project OVSICORI, his focus is on creating environmental soundtracks that
explore humanity’s relationship with nature. On his 2017 debut Antes, this meant a focus on mysterious drones
inspired by the pre-Columbian transcontinental voyages of Aboriginal Australians to South America. With
sophomore album Bucle, he uses vibrant modular synths to parallel the dynamic life cycle of Costa Rica’s botanical
landscapes (just listen to the vigorous crescendo that guides the final minutes of “Horizonte O” before it eventually
fades away in a sea of dissonance).
Adiciones by Blau Grisenc
Carla Alfaro’s now-defunct Blau Grisenc became popular because of the sense of intimate melody she brings to
ambient compositions, which can sometimes seem aloof and depersonalized. From her debut Ópalo to her final
double release Adiciones and Sustracciones (as well as in a series of splits with seasoned electronic acts), she evokes
concepts like memory and nostalgia through carefully constructed atmospheres. Tracks like “9093” intertwine
bright layers and bubbly percussion, contrasting with the more contemplative tone of tracks like “GASSS.”
Blondas I i II by capicva (second track sample)
Since the early 2010’s, experimental artist capicva, aka Andrés Gómez-Peńa, has been a staple of club night Glutamato.
Earlier this year he emerged with Blondas I, his first “real” album after a series of internet loosies. “Blonda 1” features
droning sitar-like samples, and “Blonda 2” adds in mystic chanting and East Asian bell sounds that imbue the track
with an almost devotional feeling.
Devenir by EUS
José Acuña’s name comes up often in discussions of Central American experimental music. Under the monikers Lioth,
Claro de Luna, and Ett Abigail, he has explored the sonic possibilities of post-metal, progressive metal, and
noise, respectively, leaving his most abstract tendencies for EUS. In this project, he meshes gritty industrial
textures, airy symphonics, and gloomy synths on tracks like the dark-edged “Unidad,” from Devenir.
Canvas [EP] by Fross
Using cold modular drones as its foundation, Fross’s music seems to invoke the landscapes of Norwegian
forests rather than Costa Rica’s “living Eden.” On releases like 2019’s Canvas, this Cartago native conveys the
unnerving stillness of Costa Rica’s less-advertised misty mountains through dark harmonies, deep synth hums,
and windy textures.
Ahora a dónde? by Multitud (single track EP)
Multitud’s 2019 single “Ahora a donde,” one of animation artist and musician Sebastian Fallas’s best-known
compositions since his 2017 debut, finds inspiration in the iconic xylophone melodies of Donkey Kong Country 3,
then filters them through Fallas’s meditative soundscapes. The result is a unique blend of tropical ambient and
8-bit aesthetics. Multitud stands out as one of the Costa Rican ambient scene’s most distinctive projects.
Eternidades en caos (Split 2020)
Sharing its name with an infamous cult classic film (E. Elias Merhige’s surreal, bloody Begotten, from 1989),
this dark ambient project is both abrasive and challenging. The music has become more ominous with each new release,
reaching a harrowing peak on 2020’s Eternidades en caos (Eternities in chaos). If you have a hard time picturing
a Lovecraftian apocalypse taking place in the tropics, the desperate sirens and piercing sense of dread of “después
del bombardeo” will help.
nihil est by postestética antinihilista internacional (bonus track - tourettes de cosas lindas)
Born out of the natural collusion between internet shitposting and aesthetic theory, Postestética Antinihilista
Internacional is the project of experimental musician Esteban Mora. As of this writing, he has released 30 albums
and EPs since he created this alias in 2017, and his frenetic pace doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.
The imagery of his cover art might be jarring, but the melodic arpeggios of compositions like “tourettes de
cosas lindas” are surprisingly graceful.
por ahora by quilting
San José’s quilting is an ambient project from two important figures in the Costa Rican hardcore punk scene:
Jennifer Karczynski of primavera and Johan Stoltz of Ladrona. Quilting’s debut, por ahora, transforms punk
anguish into melancholic vignettes with alluring chamber pop harmonies and baroque electronics, creating
hybrid ambient gems like “típico orión” and the excellently-titled “espero que te mueras (metaforicamente)”
(I hope you die [metaphorically]).
voices by solmoon (Neptune)
voices by solmoon (Slow Burn ii)
Evolving from her previously known synthpop alias, Mimus, Rebeca Solm now makes music under her own name.
If her recently released voices is any indication, the change of moniker also signifies a change in direction,
exploring a coarser approach to composition. The album’s centerpiece, “Slow Burn (ii),” creates a dark
ambient-style sense of dread via walls of distortion. The occasional intermissions of clean guitars and
whispered vocals showcase the surprising tenderness resting just beneath the maelstrom.
From Rainforest waste to Industrial haste, these are the sounds of the earth rotating at the equator :
https://daily.bandcamp.com/scene-report/costa-rican-ambient-scene-report
And since the music is focused on deep listening, the physical spaces where these artists perform became
even more important. Open-air events, like Jardín de escucha, and events that promote sustainability,
like After Fería (which links with local farmer’s markets) are now home to artists at the forefront of
the country’s experimental electronic music.
It's time to pull an all-nighter! Listen to the waves of synchronicity..
dr. π (pi)
♫
enjoy!
❤️
“Costa Rica is probably the nation in Latin America [with] the most diffuse identity,” says Alejandro Arturo,
who records as OVSICORI and whose debut LP Bucle, is full of soundscapes inspired by the region’s botanical
diversity. “We don’t have those big political milestones to share with our neighbours; it’s always been a land
of multiple influences, so the country is just kind of a big and weird hodgepodge.”
Bucle by OVSICORI
When he worked under the alias of Pólux (he now goes by El Rayo), Alejandro Arturo was known as one of the main
visual artists in San José’s early ’10’s indie music scene. In 2017, he decided to escape the urban swarm of the
country’s capital, and began stripping down the noise rock of his then-band Karaoke Pánico to its most basic
elements. Now, with his current project OVSICORI, his focus is on creating environmental soundtracks that
explore humanity’s relationship with nature. On his 2017 debut Antes, this meant a focus on mysterious drones
inspired by the pre-Columbian transcontinental voyages of Aboriginal Australians to South America. With
sophomore album Bucle, he uses vibrant modular synths to parallel the dynamic life cycle of Costa Rica’s botanical
landscapes (just listen to the vigorous crescendo that guides the final minutes of “Horizonte O” before it eventually
fades away in a sea of dissonance).
Adiciones by Blau Grisenc
Carla Alfaro’s now-defunct Blau Grisenc became popular because of the sense of intimate melody she brings to
ambient compositions, which can sometimes seem aloof and depersonalized. From her debut Ópalo to her final
double release Adiciones and Sustracciones (as well as in a series of splits with seasoned electronic acts), she evokes
concepts like memory and nostalgia through carefully constructed atmospheres. Tracks like “9093” intertwine
bright layers and bubbly percussion, contrasting with the more contemplative tone of tracks like “GASSS.”
Blondas I i II by capicva (second track sample)
Since the early 2010’s, experimental artist capicva, aka Andrés Gómez-Peńa, has been a staple of club night Glutamato.
Earlier this year he emerged with Blondas I, his first “real” album after a series of internet loosies. “Blonda 1” features
droning sitar-like samples, and “Blonda 2” adds in mystic chanting and East Asian bell sounds that imbue the track
with an almost devotional feeling.
Devenir by EUS
José Acuña’s name comes up often in discussions of Central American experimental music. Under the monikers Lioth,
Claro de Luna, and Ett Abigail, he has explored the sonic possibilities of post-metal, progressive metal, and
noise, respectively, leaving his most abstract tendencies for EUS. In this project, he meshes gritty industrial
textures, airy symphonics, and gloomy synths on tracks like the dark-edged “Unidad,” from Devenir.
Canvas [EP] by Fross
Using cold modular drones as its foundation, Fross’s music seems to invoke the landscapes of Norwegian
forests rather than Costa Rica’s “living Eden.” On releases like 2019’s Canvas, this Cartago native conveys the
unnerving stillness of Costa Rica’s less-advertised misty mountains through dark harmonies, deep synth hums,
and windy textures.
Ahora a dónde? by Multitud (single track EP)
Multitud’s 2019 single “Ahora a donde,” one of animation artist and musician Sebastian Fallas’s best-known
compositions since his 2017 debut, finds inspiration in the iconic xylophone melodies of Donkey Kong Country 3,
then filters them through Fallas’s meditative soundscapes. The result is a unique blend of tropical ambient and
8-bit aesthetics. Multitud stands out as one of the Costa Rican ambient scene’s most distinctive projects.
Eternidades en caos (Split 2020)
Sharing its name with an infamous cult classic film (E. Elias Merhige’s surreal, bloody Begotten, from 1989),
this dark ambient project is both abrasive and challenging. The music has become more ominous with each new release,
reaching a harrowing peak on 2020’s Eternidades en caos (Eternities in chaos). If you have a hard time picturing
a Lovecraftian apocalypse taking place in the tropics, the desperate sirens and piercing sense of dread of “después
del bombardeo” will help.
nihil est by postestética antinihilista internacional (bonus track - tourettes de cosas lindas)
Born out of the natural collusion between internet shitposting and aesthetic theory, Postestética Antinihilista
Internacional is the project of experimental musician Esteban Mora. As of this writing, he has released 30 albums
and EPs since he created this alias in 2017, and his frenetic pace doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.
The imagery of his cover art might be jarring, but the melodic arpeggios of compositions like “tourettes de
cosas lindas” are surprisingly graceful.
por ahora by quilting
San José’s quilting is an ambient project from two important figures in the Costa Rican hardcore punk scene:
Jennifer Karczynski of primavera and Johan Stoltz of Ladrona. Quilting’s debut, por ahora, transforms punk
anguish into melancholic vignettes with alluring chamber pop harmonies and baroque electronics, creating
hybrid ambient gems like “típico orión” and the excellently-titled “espero que te mueras (metaforicamente)”
(I hope you die [metaphorically]).
voices by solmoon (Neptune)
voices by solmoon (Slow Burn ii)
Evolving from her previously known synthpop alias, Mimus, Rebeca Solm now makes music under her own name.
If her recently released voices is any indication, the change of moniker also signifies a change in direction,
exploring a coarser approach to composition. The album’s centerpiece, “Slow Burn (ii),” creates a dark
ambient-style sense of dread via walls of distortion. The occasional intermissions of clean guitars and
whispered vocals showcase the surprising tenderness resting just beneath the maelstrom.
From Rainforest waste to Industrial haste, these are the sounds of the earth rotating at the equator :
https://daily.bandcamp.com/scene-report/costa-rican-ambient-scene-report
And since the music is focused on deep listening, the physical spaces where these artists perform became
even more important. Open-air events, like Jardín de escucha, and events that promote sustainability,
like After Fería (which links with local farmer’s markets) are now home to artists at the forefront of
the country’s experimental electronic music.
It's time to pull an all-nighter! Listen to the waves of synchronicity..
dr. π (pi)
♫
enjoy!
❤️