OUTROS HORIZONTES

After the excellent debut "Cascata," Portugal based SAMUEL CADIMA with whom i've been working with for a few years on the PSIKE team (psychedelic, Kraut, Indo-raga, progressive electronic additions) on ProgArchives dropped his stellar mix of progressive electronic and Krautrock spaciness spiced up with all kinds of other elements from the past and in the process created one of the coolest retro prog albums of 2017 and two years later and a little more experience under his belt, CADIMA unleashes his sophomore album in the form of OUTROS HORIZONTES (Portuguese for "Other Horizons") and as diverse and eclectic as the debut was, this followup is just bursting with all kinds of interesting upgrades including not only a fatter series of synthesizers (Korg MS-20 Mini, M-Audio Venom, Arturia VST Farfisa, Hammond, Solina, Oberheim) but the inclusion of both electric and acoustic guitar, bass, percussion, vocals, recorder and a mandolin.

The album is divided into four tracks with three of them extending past the eleven minute mark and the remaining just under six so these are slow free flowing parades of sounds, rhythms, grooves and ambience. Unlike the debut which showcased an intro track that stole half of the playing time, this one is more even keel with the tracks more or less in equal standing with only the third, "Montanha de Nuevens" under the ten minute mark. In addition to the similar to the debut Tangerine Dream, Agitation Free, Manuel Göttsching and Jean-Michel Jarre influences are the colorful additions of Jonas Monk, Mike Oldfield, Steve Hackett, Colour Haze and Cosmic Ground, so overall the album has a much wider spectrum of sound and in the end evokes a much wider range of 70s retro this time around. Despite the extra sounds abroad, nothing feels forced as the musical flow is allowed to slowly ooze into existence.

"De Partida No Teleporto" launches things with the familiar repetitive Berlin School hypnosis of looped rhythmic drive that allows the contrapuntal guitar licks and other elements to develop into a hypnotic tapestry of pure cosmic bliss. Perhaps the most "stable" track on board as it doesn't splinter off into different themes. "Refúgio" follows with the whispering winds of a white winter wailing away with distant voices and spacey frequency drifts chirping about but ultimately giving way to a chime sounding percussive drive as a dramatic melodic development ratchets up the tension with a deep bass rich backdrop which cradles the tinnier exhibitionists. And just when you think the track is all cozy in its present form, it completely shifts gears and takes us into hyperdrive Berlin School synth action with repetitive looped synth stabs providing the backbone of the track while another melodies soars above. However this track meanders and completely shifts gears again many times. The wild ride only gets more sinister, mysterious and cosmic. Buckle up. This one takes you all the way through the wormhole and ends with an unexpected electric guitar and drum machine.

Montanha de Nuvens" takes on an acoustic guitar melody with the electronica and organs taking a backseat but adding the proper psychedelic touches with some folky touches courtesy of a recorder and a more rockin' ending with some electric guitar heft. This one escapes the clutches of progressive electronic altogether and sounds more like Supertramp in the acoustic guitar department alongside a trippy 60s psychedelic rock organ but then it breaks into a heavier anthemic rock cranking out a heavy dual guitar sequence and ends fairly quickly as shortest album track. The ending title track is not only the lengthiest coming close to the 12 minute mark but is also the most cosmic as it opens with a spooky oscillating synth sound accompanied by several layers of equally chilling sound effects and evokes the most surreal and frightening aspects of classic Klaus Schulze. The track displays CADIMA's natural knack for understanding the subliminal pacing of this sort of soundscape by allowing certain droning effects to subtly change pitch slightly while percussive elements come and go and mini-crescendoes wend and wind until they become an even larger one.

One of the hardest parts in making a progressive electronic album based in the Berlin School tradition is to prevent things from becoming overly repetitive and falling into periods of ennui. CADIMA took this to heart and creates a never-ending series of different styles and sounds to keep the whole thing churning along in unpredictable manners. While the album starts out in a more familiar Berlin School fashion with undeniable Tangerine Dream connections, the later tracks take unexpected journeys as they change things up and delve into genres not typically associated with the Berlin School or world of progressive electronic, two genres that are not accustomed to allowing themselves to cross boundaries. OUTROS HORIZONTES is an excellent musical adventure that uses the electronic aspects to create indelible mood setting mystification while the other jaunts add some spice to the planetary peregrination into this sonic odyssey. This is an excellent sophomore offering from Portugal's SAMUEL CADIMA and an unexpected brilliance shrouded in Berlin School regalia. Bravo!