You need to listen to this compilation of ‘80s Spanish ambient and electronic music
A large part of La Ola Interior (Spanish atmosphere and acidic exoticism 1983-1990) sounds incredibly contemporary for a collection of tracks recorded in the mid to late 80s. Ambient as a genre was already relatively well established by the time many of the artists on this compilation recorded their songs. But as we approached the end of the century, much of the scene in the United States and Japan began to move into New Age territory. These artists from the Spanish peninsula were dealing with something much more experimental.
Interior of La Ola covers a lot of stylistic ground. There are despondent drones, classic analog synth excursions, detached vocals, field recordings and, yes, even more upbeat tracks. But what unites it all is a distinctly DIY aesthetic and a demand for attention.
Often, background music is designed to fade into the background. It “must be as ignorable as it is interesting,” according to Brian Eno. And while some pieces on Interior of La Ola could be used as background music, most require careful listening. The mood here lies in its hypnotic textures and repetition, not its ignorability.
Miguel A. Ruiz’s opening track, “Transparent,” is built around a short loop of what sounds like a piano. It’s bathed in aliased noise, suggesting it’s being played through a low-bitrate sampler. What is unfolding is almost like the reverse of William Basinski’s situation. Decay loops. The melancholic, choppy loop slowly fills in, adding more layers, building into a dense crescendo that cuts off abruptly.
This immediately brings us to “La Contorsión de Pollo” from Camino al Desván, which sounds like Tangerine Dream played at half speed. Finis Africae’s “Hybla” is Krautrock filtered through Spanish and Arabic folk music traditions, arriving at something rhythmic and catchy that doesn’t sound out of place alongside the drumless Kraftwerk of Orfeón Gagarin’s “Última instancia.” Other tracks like Javier Segura’s “Malagueñas 2” are more orchestral, almost epic – an unresolved hero’s journey in sonic form.
Several artists appear multiple times on the compilation, giving you a sense of their place within this diverse and loosely related scene. We have an idea of artists who have their roots in more traditional musical forms (Finis Africae), strongly influenced by American minimalist composers (Segura) and who are almost unclassifiable (Ruiz). But we also feel the desire for sound exploration that unites them.
Compilations like Interior of La Ola are invaluable in preserving the lesser-known works of artists often overlooked by the American public. The Les Disques Bongo Joe label offers many collections of this type and is worth following on Bandcamp.
