If you need sonic architecture to hold emotions beyond words, look no further to this poignant sampler by the underrated Facade Electronics, the label by FAX out of Mexicali, Mexico. It’s brought together by feeling as much as something superficial like genre. I had the same sense of connections to producers I care about in contributing a mix this fall.
Music can seem meaningless when it goes out into the void. So that meaning comes from giving something back – exchanges we can’t have in words. Northern Mexico’s FAX is someone I’ve always admired both for his production voice and his ability to act as a hub for Mexico and artists from around the world. Having said we should do more to mark the passing of artists, we urgently need to celebrate music as a practice of being alive, too. Mexico’s scene gives so much more to the international scene than it receives in return. Centering on big cities and a handful of networks stifles all of us, and those biases are easy – and a joy, a gift – to correct.
Quietly released late last month, Sampler III is the third in an annual tradition and a perfect introduction to the label. It’s the imprint launched in 2020 by FAX (Rubén Alonso Tamayo); FAX is also the co-founder of the excellent Static Discos and that label’s longstanding graphic designer – you’ll see his credit on covers like this one, too. He’s also put out music on SEM, Traum, Level, and Dragon’s Eye, as well as being a prolific art director. And he’s an all-around lovely person.
Bienvenidos a la tercera edición de nuestro Sampler. La arquitectura sónica de Facade Electronics a través de las diferentes caras de nuestra disquera. Presente y futuro. Lo que comenzó como una muestra del naciente sello en 2021 se ha nutrido, moldeado y crecido gracias al aprendizaje y al talento de nuestros artistas. Miembros fundadores y nuevas <<facades>> de varios rincones del planeta perfilan esta nueva compilación con tracks exclusivos que navegan entre el ambient, la experimentación analógica y digital, el dub y tecno nocturnos, la electrónica y más. Sampler III es nuestro lanzamiento invernal anual a precio especial en Bandcamp y todas las plataformas y tiendas digitales. Felices fiestas a todos. Gracias por su apoyo y amistad.
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Welcome to the third edition of our anual Sampler. The sonic architecture of Facade Electronics through the different faces of our label. Present and future. What began as a showcase of the nascent label in 2021 has been nurtured, shaped and grown through the learning and talent of our artists. Founding members and new <<facades>> from various corners of the planet outline this new compilation with exclusive tracks that navigate between ambient, analog and digital experimentation, nighttime dub and techno, electronica and more. Sampler III is our annual winter release at a special price on Bandcamp and all digital platforms and stores. Happy Holidays to all. Thank you for your support and friendship.
Gu curates an equally worthwhile mix series to go alongside Facade’s release schedule. I’m grateful for the chance to send them a mix back in October. I remember I was lost in the news, and somehow this selection and mixing came from some deeper well of feeling, along with navigating through friends and artists who I personally value.
Couvre-feu – Charbel Haber and Fadi Tabbal
Reset – Rabon Aibo
Manat is speaking – Nour Sokhon
Istana (Madrigal Version) – Senyawa
Janoob – Toumba
Track 1 (KRAUT) – Merouj
La Lisana Lah – Muqata’a
Maximum Style – PPC
Elektromagnetic Tribalism – Zisko
ALAYN – Ayoub
Manipulator – Ekrän
Bentang – Lintang Radittya
Anaser – El Kontessa
Cosmopolitan Hancha – Rizan Said
Sugar and Air – Giant Swan
Labash – 3Phaz
African Drum Machine – Afrorack
Ensemble Fears – Peter Kirn
Two Chambers – Loscil
Let’s do this description in Spanish only – it sounds better, and you can work it out:
Desde Berlin, el musicólogo, artista audiovisual, periodista y editor de createdigitalmusic.com, Peter Kirn, nos entrega un atinado mix acorde a los tiempos: Global beats, ambient nocturno, tecno maquinal, maximalismo y abstracción sonora a través de trabajos de 3Phaz de Egipto, Charbel Haber + Fadi Tabbal y Nour Sokhon del Libano, el artista sonoro Rabon Aibo, Toumba de Jordania, el argentino Zisko, Lintang Radittya de Indonesia, Merouj de Armenia, Loscil, Afrorack y el mismo Peter Kirn entre otros.
Every chance we have to bring these artists together in person is valuable; I can’t help dreaming of that wishlist festival as I listen to these tracks.
Do go check out Facade. The best place to do that is on their dedicated website:
https://www.facadelectronics.com
You can also follow them on nitter – no, not a typo; it’s an open-source server! Watch how fast it loads without a bunch of JavaScript ad spyware (seems that instance isn’t totally working, but it’s still fun to browse):
https://nitter.1d4.us/facadelectronic
And the music: don’t miss Fax’s own solo release.
Or take on this exquisite video, featuring art by Pablo A. Peña P, with Fax’s remix:
But a lot more, as well. Don’t overlap the scorching, detailed work by Japanese duo Yamaoka and NR211. I would love to dance to a mix that sounded like this all night, even if that’s not on anyone’s radar as something commercially viable. It sounds like a club night on the edge of a collapsing pulsar:
And thanks, Rubén.