The composers of digital music known in Europe and abroad as Almadrava have released their latest EP record, “13 Years Remixed Part 1.” The record contains four original tracks and a bonus radio mix of “Land of Eternal Sunset” for an approximate total listening time of half an hour. “13 Years Remixed Part 1” has been published on the popular independent music label, The Jump Records. In addition to the copious talents of Almadrava, the EP also features remixes by artists Sergi Domene, Deep State of Mind, Cesar Loreshhh, and Cesar de Melero Duendeando. Part chillout, part progressive house, part traditional EDM, “13 Years Remixed Part 1” by Almadrava is some of the most culturally textured, intriguing digital music to be produced in recent years.

Almadrava cites such main artistic influences as Afterlife, Mandalay, Morcheeba, Goldfrapp, Dido, and Chicane. The crew is actually a duo who have been collaborating since the turn of the millennium, Europe’s Patricia Leidig and Pedro Toro. Toro, who shares the task of writing music with lead singer and songwriter Leidig, also lists musicians outside the EDM spectrum like ’80s pop music, Depeche Mode, Waterboys, Alan Parsons, and Supertramp.

Asked to give a short rundown of the band’s history, Toro replies, “Patricia is playing the piano since she was three years old. I’m a video director, and we needed soundtracks for some documentaries.”

Almadrava began writing music in earnest in 2001. Their original sound is steeped in the ambient subculture and this is the character they give to audiences with their first record, “Blanco y Negro.” Their official band bio describes this early offering as “Combining classic instruments with synthesizers, tradition with modernity, the beautiful with the strange, Almadrava brings the listener to a chill-out world, where every single song is important.”

The band began remixing songs for well-known and respected composers like Transfer, Jask, Information Society, Tukan, M-Black, Sunblind and De-Nuit.
 Around this time, Almadrava also wrote the first musical of the air, “Dreamings.” The musical was presented in November 2002 in Motegi, Japan, to an audience of more than 55,000.

2003 saw the publication of their second album, “All You Left Us.” The record met with vast critical and fan acclaim. Their songs came to be included in more than 60 compilation CDs, such as “Café del Mar,” “Hed Kandi,” “Buddha Bar,” “Winterchill,” and “Chillout Sessions.”

There was a lull in record production for Almadrava following these hits, until they released 2010’s “Spectrum” record. Also, another year later saw the re-release of “All You Left Us,” the popularity of which had not waned in nearly a decade.

Speaking directly of their new, proud release of “13 Years Remixed Part 1,” Almadrava’s label writes, “13 years after [Almadrava’s beginning], four albums, and with their music on many main chillout compilations, they wanted to celebrate this anniversary opening their music to a selected group of friends and DJs. The result has been a group of EPs, ’13 Years Remixed’ which will be released during the second half of 2014.”

“Why celebrate 13 years?” writes Almadrava. “Why not? We are happy to be here and we hope to reach further away. It’s our will to make things good. Thirteen is an important part of the count, the one NOW. And our celebration starts with this ‘Remixed Part 1.’”

“13 Years Remixed Part 1” by Almadrava is available online worldwide. Get in early.

-S. McCauley

LINKS:
http://www.almadrava.com/