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Federico Aubele’s new album “Berlin 13″ marks his return to a smoky realm of acoustic guitar licks, heavy rhythms and sinister dub atmospherics. Featuring guest appearances by Jesse Harris, Karina Zeviani, Natalia Clavier, and Mauro Refosco (of Forro in The Dark and Thom Yorke’s live band). Check out Federico’s video introduction to “Berlin 13″ is posted in our Hi-Fi section. “Berlin 13″ was released on March 22, 2011. The album is now available in our shop. “Berlin 13″ was included in a review of international musicians titled “Foreign Affairs” in Baltimore OUTloud. Click here to read the review.
As a follow up to “Berlin 13,” Federico released “No One EP” on 12″ vinyl last summer. The EP will feature remixes by Rob Garza (of Thievery Corporation) and Guillotine Cuts. Stay tuned for more information and a release date for this vinyl EP!
Bio
Federico Aubele returns to a smoky realm of acoustic guitar licks, heavy rhythms and sinister dub atmospherics for his fourth studio album, Berlin 13. The record pulls from the personal transformation Aubele experienced in his time living in Berlin and the vibe of a city strongly associated with electronic music.
“Moving to Berlin was a great experience for me, though not an easy one. It forced me to face a lot of my demons. When everything that you take for granted disappears and you find yourself in a whole new scenario, you need to redefine all things in your life,” Aubele says. “Sort out what you want to keep and what you need to leave behind. It can be painful, but it is a great experience once you assimilate it. It reminds me of that Bukowsky phrase that goes: what matters most is how well you walk through fire”
The inclusion of the number 13 in the title refers to the Tarot Cards: the 13th card is “Death”. While many may draw a negative connotation with this card, it can actually signify a deep renewal and transformation in a person’s life.
“I learned how to read the Tarot Cards when I was still living in Buenos Aires. It’s a fascinating system for self-exploration. The 13 can mean a deep crisis that eliminates everything that prevents you from moving forward. That is exactly what I experienced in Berlin”.
To set the tone for this album, Aubele revisited his deepest musical influences, focusing on those he believed essential in his formation as an artist. From the backing beats to the musique-concrete samples, and the nylon string guitar layered with his baritone voice, the result is a blending of the elements in his unique style.
“I had a formal musical education. One of the things I rescue from those years, is being exposed to a lot of 20th century composers and styles. I was fascinated with Schoenberg’s atonalism, Stockhausen’s explorations in electroacoustic music and musique concrete, Ligeti’s tone clusters, etc. The core of my music is a combination of electronic music, dub, classical guitar and the experiments those composers conducted in the 50′s and 60′s.”
Berlin 13 features collaborations with Natalia Clavier, Ka, Mauro Refosco and Jesse Harris.
