Hush Hush Records continues its mission to showcase unique transportive sounds from emerging new artists with the self-titled debut album by Coliguacho, the alias of Santiago-based musician Ben Griffiths. Steeped in the rich sounds of his family’s Chilean ancestry, Coliguacho’s first offering is a stunning blend of dreamy digital cumbia rhythms infused with cinematic ambient textures, evocative field recordings, unpredictable house excursions, and intricate avant-garde flourishes.
Born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, Ben grew up within a Chilean family, his parents both classically-trained musicians. Surrounded by both his parents’ music as well as their deep record collection of Latin artists, he’s long harbored a fascination for the unique rhythms of South American music, especially traditional Chilean and Andean music. As a child he took up the guitar, but he shifted his focus towards music composition and production in high school, eventually enrolling at university to further pursue music studies. Following a stint as a member of nine-piece band The Fabric, a retro soul/funk outfit fronted by recent breakout vocalist Angie McMahon, Ben’s musical journey now embarks on a thrilling new path with his new solo project, Coliguacho.
Pronounced col-lee-wacho, the name comes from the Mapuche word for a horsefly-like insect that’s common in the south of Chile and Argentina, an area where Ben spent a few memorable summers visiting his mother’s family. Over the years, the insect became a vivid symbol of his maternal homeland and the region’s rich musical legacy. He embraced the name in university as part of his post-graduate degree in music composition, launching the Coliguacho project to utilize traditional Andean music as a foundation to build his own modern musical aesthetic. The project now fully realized, Coliguacho’s debut album features six epic tracks that explore a unique and magical sonic territory that weaves hypnotic mid-tempo cumbia rhythms through evocative soundscapes. Each song embodies a distinctive space that beautifully, organically unfolds to patiently reveal unexpected sonic delights.
The album’s visual component is taken from a series of paintings and designs by Ben’s friend and close collaborator Carmen Alonso-Martinez.
credits
released October 19, 2018
Music composed, performed, produced and mixed by Benjamin Griffiths (unless otherwise stated)
Artwork by Carmen Alonso-Martinez (Ca and Co Studios)
Tape layout by Chris Robles
Additional engineering by Oliver Powell
Mastered by Samuel Alderson
Hannah McKittrick - Vocals on ‘El Esmog’
Imogen Cyglier - Vocals on ‘El Esmog’
Juice Webster - Vocals on ‘El Esmog’
Sean Connelly - Bass Guitar on ‘El Esmog’
Nico Callaghan - Drums on ‘El Esmog’
Thanks to Mark Pollard, Miriama Young, Alex Ruder and my parents.
coliguacho.music@gmail.com
Copyright © 2018 Coliguacho. All rights reserved.
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