When the surroundings are right, inspiration usually comes easily. And if your surroundings take in the green vibrancy of the jungle, rolling energy of the Pacific and power of the sun, you’re in a good place. Inspired by the life and beauty of the Mexican beaches, Mig Dfoe definitely sees it that way.
“Playa La Llorona is a place close to El Faro de Bucerias, in Michoacan Mexico,” he explains, “it is my favourite place in the world.”
Stimulated by the variety of sounds, his “Playa La Llorona“ EP draws on both the physical and emotional; the perpetuating movement of the sea but also the sense of contentment it instils; the symbol of a hammock on the beach and the simple pleasure it provides.
“It’s all related to the sea,” Mig continues, “’Playa La Llorana begins with jungle sounds because the intention of the song is that the jungle is part of the orchestral sounds of the sea. The waves are the music, and because the place is absolutely desolate, the only music made is by the sea, the birds, and the insects. Palapa, is a place where you can rest in an Amaca, a kind of bed where the people rest and sleep on the beach, usually at a kind of bar, or restaurant. It’s very common in Mexico. Mares, means seas, and it’s a tribute to all the seas in the world. There’s energy but also sadness; Mares is a song for the oceans.”
Alive with tribal rhythms and ambient washes, ‘Playa La Llorona’ inhabits a place where the dense jungle breaks onto the panorama of the ocean, the moment of stumbling out of the foliage and across the sand. Yet it doesn’t sound like a triumphant escape from the clutches of the jungle, and nor should it, as Mig explains.
“La llorona is a name for a phantom in Mexico,” he begins. “It’s a typical Mexican tale and it means the woman who cries. At Playa La LLorona, the sand is full of silica (quartz) so that every step you do, it makes a sound like a cry. That’s why it’s called Playa la Llorona.”
The sound of satisfied lazing, ‘Palapa’s clean drumbeat claps with every break of the waves, the gentle keys and strings easing the sun to sleep whereas the downbeat beauty and pensive piano lines of ‘Volver’ tell a tale of a slight return.
“It’s been four years since I’ve been back to Mexico,” Mig reminisces, “but when I go back, these are the feelings I have returning to these beautiful places.”
