Santi Lizón is an artist i’ve had the pleasure of witnessing grow these past few years, and I like to think that he has inspired me along the way. I’m not sure how I came across Crisopa at first, but a quick look back at the ASIP archives and it may have been one of the very first mixes I heard from Winterlight back in 2009. Funny, seeing as they are both now signed on the legendary n5MD label. Santi has floated around with several netlabels prior to this years release on n5MD and it was probably his 2010 release ‘Last Membrane’ that ultimately sealed the deal and the chance for a further album with one of the best electronic labels of today.
‘Biodance‘, released last month, is undoubtedly Santi’s best work yet and a culmination of his organic sound; combining glitchy electronics, instrumental shoegaze touches and drifting ambience. I didn’t think you could get better than ‘Dancing Curtains’ on ‘Last Membrane’ – it was like Tycho, Winterlight, and Ulrich Schnauss were jamming on a Summer evening – yep that big (have a listen). But Biodance is an evolution of Santi’s sound, and more electronic noises give it much more variety and depth. ‘Es Todo Mental’ for example, stays very close to ‘Dancing Curtains’ in style, but just absolutely kills it with a thoroughly electronic, oscillating climax.
Take a look at the tracklist for Santi’s isolatedmix and you’ll probably see what I mean. Two of the previously mentioned artists are in there as inspirations, alongside the likes of Jon Hopkins, Ochre and Ametsub – a rich mix of recent electronica pioneers. It’s pretty easy to hear the Crisopa sound in amongst this lot, and if this mix serves any purpose, it’s crowning glory will be to introduce you to the beautiful sound of Santiago Lizón Martínez.
You can purchase ‘Biodance’ from n5MD, and download ‘Last Membrane’ for free here.
“I Pretended to create a trip from quiet introspection to more dynamic feelings without losing the connection with sensitivity, beauty and power. This also pretends to be a little tribute to the artists in here to appreciate their infuence over me and the great moments provided to me.”
Tracklist:
1. Ametsub – Snowy Lava.
2. Ochre – REM sleep research.
3. Tycho – Adrift.
4. Ulrich Schnauss – Between us and them.
5. Yimino – Firen (read edit).
6. Tobias Lilja – Spineless.
7. Jon Hopkins – Vessel.
8. Vaetxh – Clipper.
9. Stable Mechanism – Curious Eye.
10. Eleven Tigers – Wind.
11. The Flashbulb – Undiscovered colors.
Tracknotes:
1. Snowy Lava — Ametsub. Fits me gorgeously when I go out of the city to a lonely place when human presence begins to vanish.
2. REM sleep research — Ochre. A magic, delicate dream where I come back when I need to.
3. Adrift — Tycho. Blinding sun light, warming and encouraging.
4. Between us and them — Ulrich Schnauss. A train taking off from land and flying. A personal classic.
5. Firen (read edit) — Yimino. A voice inside me tells me: “activate the magic in everything by a simple touch”.
6. Spineless — Tobias Lilja. A powerful ball of energy grows inside my chest and propagates to my extremities.
7. Vessel — Jon Hopkins. Sensitivity and force.
8. Clipper — Vaetxh. Electrocution and time jumps in my brain
9. Curious Eye — Stable Mechanism. Android birds and apocalyptical landscapes. Great spanish artist here.
10. Wind — Eleven Tigers. Seducting darkness
11. Undiscovered colors — The Flashbulb. A departure, a farewell of something inside me.
Artwork photo credit: Arantxa Lizón
Crisopa on Soundcloud | Facebook | n5MD
