top of page
Search

The 10 best global albums of 2023

  • Dec 26, 2023
  • 1 min read

10. Ale Hop and Laura Robles – Agua Dulce

Peru’s Laura Robles and Ale Hop explore the radical history of the cajón on their fiercely unusual debut album. Processing the box-shaped percussion instrument through fuzzing distortion and heavy reverb, while adding elements of synth bass and squeaking electronics, they lend Afro-Peruvian folk rhythms established during slavery a modern, industrial twist. Often unpredictable and on the verge of sudden collapse, the nine tracks on Agua Dulce push the cajón into unchartered and exciting territory, proving its power and versatility far beyond the gentle acoustic jam sessions where it’s often found.


Read the full list in the Guardian.


[This piece was published on 24/12/23]

Recent Posts

See All
The life and death of dubstep

One of my earliest and most formative clubbing experiences was spent in a church basement in Brixton around 2010. Age 16 and blinded by dry ice, it wasn’t the thrill of gaining entry to a club underag

 
 
 
Hit Machine review

On paper, writer Jonathan Caren’s Hit Machine has all the makings of a chart-topping smash. Featuring the London stage debuts of Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother) and Noah Galvin (Dear Evan Hansen),

 
 
 
Global Music Column – August

The Zarabanda Variations – The Zarabanda Variations Classical music aficionados will be familiar with the stately form of the sarabande – a Spanish dance adopted into a languorous and tender musical s

 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page