Jorge R-Escudero Composer and sound designer

It's been a long time coming, but I've released a new record. So suck it up.

 

Yes, Hypeporpotamus called it quits, but Hyperpotamus is incoherent (notice my use of the third person, ich bin so relevant, Kumpel...).

 

Anyhow, this new release is a mini album comprising of 6 songs, which goes by the name of "Clavo Zen" ("Zen Nail"; as in what is hit repeatedly by a hammer). It's a very personal catharsis after an intense (to put it lightly) three and a half years.

 

During the recording process I lost my father, I dove into the sponge floored underworld of herniated lumbar discs, I moved house three times in a single year (the roof on my first house #1 was literally blown away by the wind à la "Wizard of Oz", the other caved in, no comments), I quit Hyperpotamus after 10 years of non-stop touring and had a son. Close circle.

 

Without having planned it that way, Clavo Zen is a conceptual album in which every song oozes pure grief. It was under the shadow of my father's passing that I barely managed to record the bloody album. This fact is reflected in the music, both in lyrical content (this time only in Spanish) and in its performance and production. 

 

To make things even more uncomfortable, the album has been recorded exclusively on a 4 track cassette recorded (second hand Portastudio 424), giving it that lo-fi touch. Like listening to a charcoal drawing.

 

I used the cassette as just another instrument, slowing down takes, accelerating others, recording my voice at unusual speeds to later play them back at completely different ones, "tuning" takes on my father's saxophone -an instrument I love and hate in equal measure- and always recording complete takes. No cut and paste allowed. No looping (so 2010...). All this with the wholesome philosophy of making use of human error, of which there was bounty aplenty.

 

More news. It's also the first album I record as Hyperpotamus with real instruments. I simply got hold of what I had at hand: flamenco guitar lent by a friend, mastodontic cast iron castanets from Morocco, my grandfather's no less mastodontic accordion (accordionists have the highest suicide-rates amongst musicians), my father's alto and soprano saxophones, various drumkits generously offered to me by friends and strangers, and a piano, a cello and a viola lent a music library in Madrid, who had no idea what I was doing.

 

The recording conditions were, for the most part, asbolutely deplorable. Drums, for lack of decent equipment or more energy from my part, were recorded in strict mono, and if you listen carefully some piano takes will have the glorious honour of showcasing the dubious skills of the man next door practicing Rag Doll for 40 minutes. NON. STOP. NON. STOP. NON. STOP.

 

What else can I say? It's the album I'm definitely proudest of. I sweated blood, sweat, tears and herniated nucleus pulposus to finish it, I've been very selective in the number of songs to include and have counted on very talented people for its release on 45" vinyl:

 

Front and back cover: Alicia Marsans

Mixing: Luca Petricca at Reno Studios

Mastering: Mark Gergis - aka Porest (the guy who discovered Omar Souleyman)

Graphic design: José Torre

 

This flaming record is on sale on my website as well as Bandcamp and a selection of trendy Madrileño record stores: Bajoelvolcán, La Integral, Delia Records, Café Molar and La Negra.

I do wish to say there will be no live shows for this album so please, be good and buy yourself a copy (I say this out of lucrative love). 

 

If you happen to be in Madrid, I'll repeat the home delivery experience of 2009 which went down so well. If you want to buy my album and avoid shipping costs, I offer you the possibility of sending me an email me with your address and I will personally deliver my record at your door. I will use a bike, in the hope of redeeming myself for using such indecent amounts of petrol in the fabrication of the vinyl record which will most probably be left to decorate your coffee table. This way, it's not like I'm solving global warming, but I will have tea with you to comment on this urgent issue. I had thought of calling this service Hyper, but I don't wish to compete with Uber. They're bastards.

 

And to top it all off, anyone who buys my record will bear the right to own a copy of it in the highest quality mp3 imaginable on earth, only if you send me an email with a recording of your voice stating the capital of Burkina Faso. You will also receive a secret googlemaps link with detailed geographical locations of where the album was recorded.

 

I luvsyou,

 

Hyperpotamus