Ban - Surrealizar

EMI - LP
Portugal, 1988
Indie / Pop / Balearic

Sunny Portuguese electronic pop LP that includes brilliant balearic track, Um Espelho Riu. Great warm up stuff.

Throwback to my Okonkole Y Trompa era, the mid 2010's. Ban's first two albums really blew my mind when I discovered them -  was it 2017? - sounding so fresh for anyone who spent too much time digging 1980's synthpop 12". There was a light quality to the sound of Ban - reminding me of Larry Heard -, that contrasted with the heavy synth sounds we, balearic diggers, were so used to and that was announcing a new era to dig into: the 1990's. But no song from both albums blew my mind quite as much as Um Espelho Riu. Its eerie nonchalance puzzled me as it evoked a sun setting down on both the quiet town of Twin Peaks and Ibiza's Café Del Mar at the same time - an event astronomically impossible, but musically possible.

Listening to the album today, as I'm writing these lines, I'm realizing that it's a very pleasant LP, that my past self, probably looking for bangers, ignored, too busy playing Um Espelho Riu, every warm up dj set he did. Songs like Encontro Com Mr Hyde, Num Filme Sempre Pop or the Cherry Red-esque Doce Fazer Nada are extremely charming, making it a pleasant LP to listen to at home too! (VG+ / VG+)

Tracklist

1. Num Filme Sempre Pop
   
2. Irreal Social
3. Ritualizar
4. Função
5. Encontro Com Mr. Hyde
6. Brouhaha (Um Caso De Confusão Mental)
7. Um Espelho Riu
8. Era Uma Vez
9. Doce Fazer Nadas