Orilla Oscura by Jon Porras

Orilla Oscura is the new album from Barn Owl’s Jon Porras. Having previously released solo work under his Elm moniker, this is the third album released under his birth name and the second album of 2012 (following Black Mesa released by Thrill Jockey). Orilla Oscura was performed and recorded in 2010 by Porras in San Francisco at his home studio, The Alcove. The album’s eight tracks focus on devotional solo guitar accompanied by manipulated tapes. Post-production was kept to a minimum so the tones, textures and colors could remain as they appeared. The album plays at 45 RPM for optimal sound quality and was mastered by Andreas [LUPO] Lubich at D&M in Berlin.

Orilla Oscura appears less Americana influenced than previous works and focuses more on despondent melodies and textures derived from cassette abstractions. At the time of recording, Porras was inspired by a book on the San Francisco Tape Music Center and wanted to incorporate cassettes as a foundation for the album’s eight tracks. Slowing down and manipulating the tape with analog effects, Porras would improvise and write parts to compliment the abstractions. His goal was to revive and reinvigorate these taped sounds like ghosts or resonances from the past; interacting and engaging with these reawakened tones. The Dark Shore suggests the meeting of two domains; past and present, land and sea, dark and light. Orilla Oscura is a record of phantom architectures and a contribution to a vision of California Gothic.

Jon Porras (Barn Owl) creates drone music with a refined sense of atmosphere and remarkable forward motion. Regardless of the tools he uses, be it guitars and stacks of amplifiers or modular synthesizers, Porras creates cavernous sound-worlds that are as inviting as they are alien.

jonporras.com