Presenting their first ever artist album, Clubsonica Records welcomes Zalvador to the label with his debut LP ‘Emotions’. Hailing from Colombia, Zalvador emerged from his country's progressive music landscape in 2018. Noted for his poignant dance floor productions, Zalvador's craft shines through vividly, making each one of his creations an emotive experience. Currently calling New York home, it was a debut on Soundteller Records which foreshadowed what has been a five-year creative swell for the rising phenom. A string of well-received projects for Mango Alley, Plattenbank, Proton Music, Siona Records and The Soundgarden, have yielded play and support from Hernan Cattaneo, Miss Monique and Nick Warren. With a contribution to The Soundgarden’s Winter Collection to begin the year, Zalvador now embarks on the biggest project of his career, making his much-anticipated Clubsonica debut with ‘Emotions’.
Comprised of seven distinctive and equally compelling creations, it is the infectious grooves and electric lines of ‘Anxiety’ which set the tone for the album. Instantly seductive, its panoramic synth textures create a colourful canopy for muscular beats and mountainous basslines to ignite the dance floor. A well-crafted break sits at the heart of the journey, flowing through youthful arp fragments and phasing noise, before uniting for an exhilarating drop and powerfully hypnotic finale. Selection two ‘Elevation’ finds Zalvador composing with a strong sense of space. With
each sound being an event in a slowly expanding landscape, zooming out to reveal a world of scale in which depth and contrast coax perfectly with rhythm and melody. The Colombian flexes his free-thinking muscles across a memorable break, as pitch-shifting structures and hypnotizing effects take centerstage, eventually transferring energy into a suitably cosmic conclusion.
Continuing on a darker monochrome with ‘Fear’, Zalvador diversifies his portfolio with a thought- provoking creation. The New York resident allows the listener to relish in the groove, as flashing percussive arrangements and striking effects provide a bridge into a therapeutic, arp-driven break and suitably unstated finale. Meanwhile, on ‘Love’ Zalvador shifts his modus operandi into one of deeper grooves and poignant musicality. In lightning the mood while remaining fluid within the confines of the release, its fresh aesthetics and eager optimism perfectly set the stage for the peak hour qualities of ‘Pride’. Collapsing under its own gravity as momentum builds and pyrotechnic synths steal the air, eventually breaking into a hyperventilating helium rush of hazy harmonics, buzzing rhythmic structures and emotive chord changes.
The album’s final stretch sees Zalvador furthering his pursuit of progressive music excellence with the fiery energy of ‘Shame’. Pitched somewhere comfortably between cosmic reverie and melodic bliss, its utopian style ecstasy proves once again that the most astute artists often find a way to the finish line, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. While this looping hypnotism does not fail to command your attention, it also provides a segue in the collection’s final act, the aptly titled ‘Hope’. Sure to be celebrated for his progressive prowess, Zalvador places the final piece in this seven-track audio travelogue, as hopeful melodies ring out into timeless suspension, while a gentle flurry of effects sweep their way across a bed of pulsating beats and rebounding rhythms.
Zalvador creates a fascinating sonic ecosystem over the course of 'Emotions', a striking seven track odyssey that looks into the mind of an artist who masterfully balances rich production with fire-starting spontaneity.
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