words: António Carvalho (edited by Raquel Pinheiro)
photos: Ricardo Silva
Upon arriving at RCA – Radioclube Agramonte concert hall, I spotted a low table in the center of the room, with a paraphernalia of interconnected devices under a dim light. A real challenge for Ricardo Silva, our photographer.
The spectators were seated or lying on mats, rugs, and cushions. It seemed an invitation to immersion and contemplation. Concepción was kneeling in front of this table. Although she is a multidisciplinary artist, this concert focused on the sound she created using the chosen devices, which included a cassette player and two walkmen.
She delicately manipulated buttons and potentiometers, inserting and removing cassettes, completely focused on producing sounds, loops, and drones resulting from the manipulation of the recordings on these tapes. Sometimes the sources were identifiable, but that didn’t seem to be the goal.
The transitions were smooth but clearly defined. This exploration of the sound spectrum, more concentrated in the mid-frequencies, but with occasional strong bass and atmospheric treble, rarely presented obvious rhythmic patterns, as drones and sonic brush strokes dominated.
This entire sequence of ambient themes took the audience on a wordless sonic journey, which induced alternating sensations in me, such as harmony and connection, agitation and strangeness. I am convinced that this was the purpose.
Concepcion clarified at the end that this presentation was based on her latest album, El Sol de los Muertos.
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