Hush Hush Records continues its mission to showcase unique transportive sounds from emerging new artists with the self-titled debut album by Coliguacho, the alias of Santiago-based musician Ben Griffiths. Steeped in the rich sounds of his family’s Chilean ancestry, Coliguacho’s first offering is a stunning blend of dreamy digital cumbia rhythms infused with cinematic ambient textures, evocative field recordings, unpredictable house excursions, and intricate avant-garde flourishes.
Born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, Ben grew up within a Chilean family, his parents both classically-trained musicians. Surrounded by both his parents’ music as well as their deep record collection of Latin artists, he’s long harbored a fascination for the unique rhythms of South American music, especially traditional Chilean and Andean music. As a child he took up the guitar, but he shifted his focus towards music composition and production in high school, eventually enrolling at university to further pursue music studies. Following a stint as a member of nine-piece band The Fabric, a retro soul/funk outfit fronted by recent breakout vocalist Angie McMahon, Ben’s musical journey now embarks on a thrilling new path with his new solo project, Coliguacho.
Pronounced col-lee-wacho, the name comes from the Mapuche word for a horsefly-like insect that’s common in the south of Chile and Argentina, an area where Ben spent a few memorable summers visiting his mother’s family. Over the years, the insect became a vivid symbol of his maternal homeland and the region’s rich musical legacy. He embraced the name in university as part of his post-graduate degree in music composition, launching the Coliguacho project to utilize traditional Andean music as a foundation to build his own modern musical aesthetic. The project now fully realized, Coliguacho’s debut album features six epic tracks that explore a unique and magical sonic territory that weaves hypnotic mid-tempo cumbia rhythms through evocative soundscapes. Each song embodies a distinctive space that beautifully, organically unfolds to patiently reveal unexpected sonic delights.
The album’s visual component is taken from a series of paintings and designs by Ben’s friend and close collaborator Carmen Alonso-Martinez.
credits
released October 19, 2018
Music composed, performed, produced and mixed by Benjamin Griffiths (unless otherwise stated)
Artwork by Carmen Alonso-Martinez (Ca and Co Studios)
Tape layout by Chris Robles
Additional engineering by Oliver Powell
Mastered by Samuel Alderson
Hannah McKittrick - Vocals on ‘El Esmog’
Imogen Cyglier - Vocals on ‘El Esmog’
Juice Webster - Vocals on ‘El Esmog’
Sean Connelly - Bass Guitar on ‘El Esmog’
Nico Callaghan - Drums on ‘El Esmog’
Run by KEXP DJ Alex Ruder, Hush Hush Records is dedicated to curating an emotional and introspective sound that's free of specific genre boundaries and ideal for headphone sessions, late-night travels and intimate encounters.
Drones, synths and epic sound walls emerging from a distant fog. Meditative, peaceful and as if from the inside of an iceberg. Sounds that aspire to the light. An outstanding, deep and imaginative album with subtle electronics. Apart from "Day" by Christopher Hipgrave (https://homenormal.bandcamp.com/album/day), for me it's the strongest album in the catalogue of Home Normal. silence et liberté
Dazzling acoustic guitar compositions from this New Jersey musician, with notes that catch the light like the sun on wet blades of grass. Bandcamp New & Notable Dec 6, 2021
Beautifully immersive songs from this artist based in Germany, with uplifting synth melodies designed to reflect new beginnings. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 12, 2021
An 80s-analog dream awash in sequences and delays. Musical enough to enjoy attentively, unintrusive enough to let it slip into the background. One of my favorite releases from Past Inside the Present! johnpenola