We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Se Ve Desde Aquí

by Mabe Fratti

supported by
Sven B. Schreiber (sbs)
Sven B. Schreiber (sbs) thumbnail
Sven B. Schreiber (sbs) Thanks to a lucky constellation of the planets, I was able to see this unique composer, cellist, and vocalist live in Leipzig. She's a Guatemalan in Mexico, and she was accompanied by her friend Héctor Tosta on guitar, a Venezolan living in Mexico, too. It was an awesome evening full of unusual avantgarde music, and talking to both after the gig revealed that they are very lovely people, too. Needless to add that this is the kind of artists that I support with purchases whenever I'm able to. Favorite track: Cada Músculo.
BC
BC thumbnail
BC me quedo alusionante desde aquí Favorite track: Algo grandioso.
jgladden
jgladden thumbnail
jgladden throaty cello, dario argento inspired synth, andrade’s rhythms lock step with fratti’s empathetic, pristinely delivered spanish. ecstatically imploring, the compositions emerge with a raw immediacy, the world at stake between every phrase, each note shimmering in the ear like burning filament.
Frotting Christ
Frotting Christ thumbnail
Frotting Christ if you're like me, listening to 2 minutes of this album should be enough to convince you to buy it. stunningly beautiful. Favorite track: Deja de empujar.
brentwurst
brentwurst thumbnail
brentwurst Hi, just checking back in as I got a shipping notification for the new Mabe Fratti LP on Oct 31st, my email said it would arrive no later than Dec 12th, today is the day and it's not here. Were there any delays with a batch? Thanks.
more...
/
  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      £9 GBP  or more

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    180g vinyl in Mid Blue

    Includes unlimited streaming of Se Ve Desde Aquí via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    6 remaining
    Purchasable with gift card

      £25 GBP or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Includes unlimited streaming of Se Ve Desde Aquí via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      £12 GBP or more 

     

1.
Con Esfuerzo 02:30
2.
3.
4.
Esta Vez 04:17
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

about

Guatemalan cellist and composer, Mabe Fratti releases Se Ve Desde Aquí (It Is Seen From Here) on October 14 2022, on Unheard of Hope.

Se Ve Desde Aquí (‘It Is Seen From Here’) marks another step in a remarkable run of releases from Guatemalan cellist and composer, Mabe Fratti. It is possibly her most revealing one to date; showcasing a sinuous and tensile sound coupled with a confident and clear-eyed worldview.

Mabe Fratti is always on the lookout for new ways to express herself and to reflect her surroundings; she sees this as a process of continual “sonic transformation”. Not that she sees her method as unique: “I believe this happens to a lot of musicians, that in the interim when you finish a record and you release it you learn [new] things and change your philosophy towards what you want to sound like.”

Se Ve Desde Aquí is a decisive shift away from Fratti’s most recent works, which were more enigmatic in tone. The rich, multi-layered arrangements heard on 2021’s acclaimed long player, Será que ahora podremos entendernos and egoless collaborations such as the fabulous Let's Talk About The Weather with Malaria legend and Monika supremo Gudrun Gut, created a mystery around Fratti which reveal only certain aspects of this affable musician’s character.

Fratti sees her new music as “drier” in texture and more on the front foot in terms of setting out emotion: she describes the results as “less protected”. According to her, the sound is “informed through the aesthetics of rawness, and a ‘dirtiness’”: sampling expressions within improvisation, or extreme hi-fi dry sound. This noisy instrumentation is set against “the tools of melodic lines and harmony”, leading to a trademark richness, but one now more judiciously applied to set up a moment: “I did layering but it's more in specific moments. Basically my whole idea was to be as raw as possible and try to avoid overdubbing the same instrument as much as I could, of course always leaving space to break my own rules in the process.”

This “frontal” approach carries over into the lyrical content. Many of the lyrics on tracks such as ‘Algo grandioso’ (‘Something great’), ‘Esta vez’ (‘This time’) and ‘Siempre tocas algo’ (‘You are always touching something’) refer to walls either falling or being circumnavigated. Questions around the use, or value, of time and other lyrical content invoking the senses and the body - as seen in ‘Deja de empujar’ (‘Stop pushing’) or ‘Cada músculo’ (‘Every muscle’) - also seem to suggest Fratti making pivotal individual decisions in her life, whether due to internal or external agencies. The tactile, mercurial and sometimes sparkling arrangements also suggest Fratti knowing where to place her work in the wider world.

Mabe Fratti always enjoys working with others and Se Ve Desde Aquí is a record wholly informed by the collaborative process, whether holed up in WORM Sound Studios in Rotterdam, or at her home and in the Progreso Nacional studios, both in Mexico City. One key help has been Hugo Quezada, of Exploded View and late of synth act, Robota. Other recording allies are co-producer, guitarist and synth player Héctor Tosta, drummer and personal mentor Gibrán Andrade, saxophonist Jarrett Gilgore, violinist Alina Maldonado (heard on tracks ‘Cada Músculo’ and ‘Cuestión de Tiempo’), as well as Carla Boregas from Brazilian punk band Rakta who added tape loops and synthesizers to track ‘Siempre tocas algo’.

Gearheards will be interested to know how such a transcendent sound came about. One key element is a focus on microphones, specifically Earthworks microphones, which Fratti “fell in love with” and saw as an inspiration for the wider creative process. She also fulfilled a lifelong wish and “played a little saxophone on the track ‘Desde el cielo’.” Whilst at WORM Sound Studios, Fratti lost herself with the vintage synths such as “the amazing” KORG PS 3200 and a much prized CS 60. In Progreso Nacional she recorded Mellotron, CS 50, a Jupiter, Solina, Korg M500 and more. “It was too much fun.” The Solina has an interesting backstory: Hugo Quezada found it “dropped in the garbage” whilst out walking with a friend. Quezada has a history of finding instruments in strange places; having found a vintage MS20 once that was being used as a table in a food stand… Regardless: all these provenances, places and people joined to create a truly remarkable work.

credits

released October 14, 2022

Album produced by Mabe Fratti & I. La Católica
Recorded in WORM Rotterdam, Progreso Nacional and Tinho Studios (Mabe’s house).
Mixed by Mabe Fratti Mastered by Mason Le Long
Mabe Fratti: cello, vocals, synths and saxophone (in track 7)
Synths and/or guitars and/or bass contributions in every track by I. La Católica
Synth and tapes in track 9 by Carla Boregas
Violin in tracks 5 and 7 by Alina Maldonado
Drums in tracks 1, 2 and 3 by Gibrán Andrade
Saxophones in tracks 2,4, and 8 by Jarrett Gilgore
Album cover photography and sculpture by Kevin Frank
Album design by Noa Fratti Album illustrations by Beto Collía

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

TAR / MM / UOH

Independent record label group. Tin Angel Records, Meat Machine, Unheard of Hope.

contact / help

Contact TAR / MM / UOH

Streaming and
Download help

Shipping and returns

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like Se Ve Desde Aquí, you may also like: