Following December’s amazing Helios EP (Optimo Music), Argentina’s finest, Lux & Hermetics return with the incredible four track ‘Aurora EP’, released 18th April on Otherness.
Lux (Lucas Chaumont) and Hermetics (Santiago Nino) have been friends for over a decade and almost inseparable for the last three. The duo share a deep fraternal love for philosophy, psychology, spirituality and the esoteric, which spills over in abundance into their music, offering a different flavor to most other electronic music collaborations. In fact, the pair are on a sonic quest to inject wonder, mystery, and a little sanctitude into your record collection.
‘Aurora’ was recorded in Buenos Aires in the midst of (Southern Hemisphere) Summer 2023. As you listen to the EP, feel your speakers bleed the atmosphere and ambience of those hazy South American early evenings on the beach, yellow parasols set against the red skies and the turquoise seas of the South Atlantic. If Helios is an EP for watching the sunset, then ‘Aurora’ is for watching the stars come out as you and your friends prepare yourselves for an epic night ahead.
The EP kicks off with the titular Aurora. Warm, rich A-chord variations ring proudly against Hermetic’s broken beat as Lux’s fingerpicked guitar brings you an extra layer of Balearic bliss. This track just makes you happy. Think Lemon Jelly with a splash of early Mr Scruff. Aurora builds softly into a beautifully crafted, emotive finale woven delicately through violins and guitar arpeggios.
Hermetics tells us more about the vocal sample on Aurora: ‘I took it from a documentary about the cultural impact of how music changed in the 1960s. They played a girl some new music and her reply was, “Oh right, that’s rad, but seriously how on earth do we jam with that thing? ´´
Next up is Sentient, which drips with Latin emotion. The beat here is your taxi, taking you from the beach and through Buenos Aires as the blood red sky turns into a deep indigo. Sentient envelops you in emotional and reflective substance, carried by a guitar that subtly conveys its message through Lux’s profound tremolos. The samples here create a sonic journey, the multitude of soundscapes becoming the landscapes from your taxi window.
I Need You Loved starts with piano chords reminiscent of Frankie Valli’s ‘The Night’, ringing out resplendently. The piano is then joined by a wicked UK garage beat, I Need You Loved subtly morphs into a dancefloor classic, gracefully transporting you back to those unforgettable summer nights, steeped in the vibrant energy of raves and cherished friendships.
No matter what mood you were in when you put ‘Aurora’ on your sound system, by the end of this three-track journey, you will almost definitely have a beaming smile on your face, which is exactly what Lux & Hermetics intended as they welcome you into their world of esoteric adventure.
