FEDERICO DURAND - La Manzana Mágica

The impermanence of rustlings, of invisible things. Scratched silences, distant bells in the wind, the crackle of the stars. Federico Durand speaks the language of ghosts, of storms, and of details that seem motionless. For twenty-five years he has given us, at a yearly pace, an album that proves to be a treasure chest brimming with surprises.

The recent “La Manzana Mágica”, released on 12k, is no exception. The prolific Argentine musician had already released on Taylor Deupree's label “A Través Del Espejo” (digipak CD) in 2016, “La Niña Junco” (LP) in 2017, and “Alba” (transparent blue LP) in 2020. The new work “La Manzana Magica” is likewise released on LP as well as made available in digital form.
In Federico Durand's work, the format is part of the artistic experience. The object is part of the story. “La Manzana Mágica” is no exception, reproducing on its cover and inside some of those "Cinderella" stamps that inspired Durand in composing the album's twelve tracks. It is the echo of a world that no longer exists, which Federico filters through the lens of his incredible sensitivity, making use of field recordings and a handful of old instruments that now seem thoroughly outdated (Crumar Performer, mtl.asm CT5, Electro Harmonix 22500, Roland Space Echo RE-201, ARP Odyssey, Sony TCM 200DV, cassette tapes, music box, Zoom H1, Microcosm, toy steel drum, feedback looper, Korg MS-20, Fostex X-18). His daughter Maria Luisa sings on a couple of tracks (“Jul 1948.” “Jólin 1960”). 

In a world so fast and frantic, this sound is a form of hope. A hope that animals and insects know how to speak to us; that birds are the letters of the air, that age-old underground roots consult with the tides. To stay, to contemplate, to breathe, to listen: finally, someone affording themselves the luxury of lingering close to the wonder of the cosmos. Of inquiring into their own true nature: impermanence.

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06/10/2026