I first stumbled upon Juana Molina's music in 2007. Her album Un Dia was a revelation, and I am not sure I had ever heard anything like it. Unique voice, undulating trance inducing loops, beautiful Argentinian folk tinged melodies, and a swirl of acoustic instruments and percussion married to an electronic aesthetic. Pure magic.
I interviewed her almost ten years ago around the release of 2017's Halo for Tape Op #119, and it was a thrill to pull back the curtain on her process and thoughts on music making.
Her latest album, DOGA, is another masterwork from Molina. It has all of the signature destabilizing elements that immediately transport the listener into another dimension, but it is also the most fully realized of all of her work. Enter the portal and float from one unique sonic universe to another. DOGA is from the future, and from the past. The undeniable connection to Argentina's musical roots and the embrace of technology is a marvelous pairing. Listening to DOGA, I feel nostalgic, and at the same time, like I just landed on an alien planet and got dropped off at the disco. I could list favorites, but that'd be a disservice to anyone reading this. It is top to bottom brilliant, and has yet another completely trippy album cover (Juana's head on a sheep dog's body) to set the table for the music to come.
Composed, recorded and played by Juana Molina, produced by Molina and Emilio Haro, mixed by Emilio Haro and Juana Molina, and mastered by Daniel Osario. Other contributors include Diego López de Arcaute on bass drums, and production assistant Mario Agustín de Jesús González.
