Silencio volcánico

The formation "Silencio volcánico" (volcanic silence) is comprised of electronic artist Başak Günak (alias Ah! Kosmos, born in Turkey and based in Berlin), pianist and composer Hara Alonso (Gran Canaria) and visual artist Pedro Maia (Portugal). The three seek new ways to integrate acoustic instruments with electro-acoustic resources (analogue, modular synthesisers, and software). Combining signal processing and advanced techniques in piano sound, they seek to amplify the instrument's textural and performative possibilities. The project's experimentation and melding of genres and methods is a natural consequence of the joined forces of two musicians from very different backgrounds: Hara Alonso, classically trained, mostly in ambient and neoclassical music, and Başak Günak, who has made a name for herself on the electronic dance scene.   The idea of 'Silencio volcánico' was born of a fascination with geology and natural processes. Inspired by a very special place in Gran Canaria known as la Caldera, where Hara Alonso made a series of binaural field recordings, the two artists developed a musical concept based on space, resonance and stone. La Caldera is the archaeological site of the Canarian aboriginal settlements, Cuevas del Rey and Roque Camello, consisting of a hundred caves with chambers, burial sites, chasms, etc. In this special space, there is a unique kind of silence that these artists call "volcanic silence", which is the perceived echo of the eruption of lava, an ancestral roar. During their residency, their inspiration draws on these sonic experiences with the idea of recording them in six or seven tracks to make an album. Mixing some of these field recordings with prepared piano, granular layers and minimal rhythm, they attempt to explore the intermingling of silence and sound. The resulting show is accompanied by the visual art of Pedro Maia, which uses compositions and projections that combine analogue and digital media in equal measure.