The Mix by TELEFILME

Elefant Records Singles Club third delivery is definitely a luxury one, which will fill with pride the collections of its members: singles by PO!, the Swedish band POP RACE and, as a peak, the long awaited new single by TELEFILME, the mysterious Barcelona-Gijón connection at its best. An unusual, almost casual project, managed almost completely through the post, created from the friendship between two persons that turn out to own two of the most brilliant, prolific, intelligent and determined minds in our country; you can check so in the awesome CV’s of their personal projects: BEEF (David’s band) and Tito’s PENELOPE TRIP. Two of the most interesting, avant-garde and -what is even harder to get- well respected bands in Spanish pop.

On the pink vinyl single David and Tito divide the task again, consolidating the band’s own personality, more independent each time from the other projects of its originators: David takes care of the music, whilst Tito sings all the vocals, writes the lyrics and designs the sleeves. This time he used again, as he already did on his LP “Fade In/ Fade Out”, the tecnique of collage to reflect, with his personal and ironic sense of humour, TELEFILME’s aural and aesthetic universe. The recording method reflects as well that division of the tasks: David records the music at home, whilst Tito has gone this time to Pere Boada’s studios in Barcelona in order to add his bewitching melodies to his partner’s elaborated instrumental truss.

The first theme is called “The Mix”, being its main characteristic that, despite their short career yet, it sounds unmistakably like TELEFILME. It is a restful song, though it’s constantly shaken by the synthetic, syncopated rhythms programmed by David (“hyperactive drum”, say Tito’s lyrics). Over them, different chirps and galactic distorsions go along with vocals that could belong to STEREOLAB’s baroque architecture: Tito reaches the point of superimposing three vocal lines at a time, in a crescendo which runs parallel to the instrumental background increasing intensity.

“Mole” leaves that techno-lo-fi sound to cling to the one of unmistakably 80’s tech synthesizers, new wave and mascara, although both Tito´s vocals and the programmed rhythm take good care of making it sound modern.

“Zero Hour” finally proves something we all suspected: their passion for such another influential and unique duo as SUICIDE. The distorted and whispering voice, now defiant, now desperate and tragical, dissolving into shouts and pantings, owes most of its brutal impact to Alan Vega’s tuition. The keyboards -hypnotic and repetitive-, bear the label of Martin Rev, as well as the song’s insane, oppressive atmosphere, created though from a crushing, damaging rhythm which perverts even more the aim of the New Yorkers, and helps to give the song TELEFILME’s unmistakable trademark, soaked with that martian, dreamy intuition which impregnates all their songs with sideral drawings. It’s just that TELEFILME are already stars in another dimension, able to cheer up any interstellar party, and it’s only now when we begin to notice here, in our boring “real world”.