I was very pleased to work with Booca on his latest EP "So!" The EP is a fusing of acid melodies, breakbeats, and glitching, syncopated rhythm.
The four pieces explore different tempos ranging from the 110 bpm "Flash Eaters" to the 160/170 bpm dnb-tempo "Saudade" and "We Are Inside a Puzzle." In between sits the title track "So!" which is part acid dubstep and part slow drumfunk. Shuffles and filtered layers of drum breaks hint at the dnb roots.
In the process of sharing art and thinking about the project, I looked into getting a small run of lathe cut records. Unlike traditional vinyl, these are individually cut by the lathe. (Instead of cutting one master on the lathe and then creating metal stamps to press the records.) This was a first for Pinecone Moonshine, and it coincided with Booca reflecting on the art and music.
So below are Booca's thoughts on the project along with some imagery selected by Booca. Have a listen and enjoy.
What I want to tell is not so much a technical and/or stylistic aspect of the sound and the project of the new EP (I'll leave you free to imagine)... but it's more a new life experience that I'm enjoying in this period and that is somehow interconnected to the evolution of this label.
What surprised me the most about this project for the release of my EP is that there is a change in Pinecone Moonshine. And this change comes from [Nic's] desire to "take something away" to streamline the process of selling and buying vinyl. It may seem trivial, but this new evolution project for Pinecone Moonshine comes at a time of change and evolution in my life too.
It is a turning point in which I am exploring the aspects of antimatter, etheric bodies, mental powers, spiritual powers and the power of the universe. It is a time in which I try to "take away rather than add". And where I feel more and more convinced that everything that happens in our earthly life (both good and bad) always has a deeper meaning.
So for me there is an important connection between what is evolving in me and what is evolving in Pinecone Moonshine.
And so, even the sound of these 4 new tracks, it's a new sound for me. It's a different experience, that evolves and that makes me evolve. And I think it's a sound that is somehow new also for the Pinecone Moonshine experience.
So there is a living and tangible evolution that "unites" us, where no one planned anything, but everything flowed naturally by itself and therefore happened (or maybe had to happen).
After Nic expressed his ideas about the new project he wanted to create for the release of the new EP, I perceived a strong connection between the sense and meaning that Pinecone Moonshine has for him, and the value that the meaning of "pinecone", "moon" and "shine" have for me. Where everything reconnects to something very ancient. And so we have the "Moon" that represents the darkness, the "Shine" that represents the light, and the "Pinecone" that represents the Pineal Gland.
So the Moon is linked to our most emotional and unconscious part and represents our femininity, the mother, fertility, transformation, magic, dream life, acceptance, survival of the species, protection and birth. It is the night with its uncontrollable dreams and is complementary to the Sun, a planet that represents light and that is our most controlled, most active, mental and action part. That is our masculinity.
And then there is the epiphysis, (in the center) also called the Pineal Gland for its pinecone shape, which is a small gland located deep in the center of the brain, between the right and left hemispheres.
And it is precisely this organ present inside our brain that has a very important meaning. Because it is an antenna that connects our physical and material human part (starting from the base of our spine and going up along the map of the 7 chakras until reaching the brain and then the gland) to the superior and invisible one which is the spiritual part.
It is an organ not known by everyone, but important, because it is able to detect light stimuli and record rhythmic changes in the environment in terms of alternation of light (Shine) - darkness (Moon) and therefore regulate the circadian rhythm of the organism. In many spiritual traditions, the pineal gland is considered a gateway to a higher consciousness and a spiritual awakening. The gland is often called the third eye because it is said to be the seat of intuition and psychic abilities. It is believed that through meditation, visualization and other spiritual practices it is possible to activate and open the pineal gland, leading to intensified spiritual experiences and a deeper connection with the universe.
The intercession of these three elements is the result of a balance between our right feminine hemisphere and the left masculine one. And these two "spheres" slowly interact and merge throughout the experience that we welcome during our earthly life. Until we understand that duality does not exist, but that it is only a useful concept for human survival during earthly life. And so our true freedom is to have multiple and varied experiences during this life of ours, so that we can understand all of this, slowly evolving our soul.
Therefore the intercession of events and of what surrounds us always has a very deep meaning in the life of all of us. It always depends on how, and from what point you observe these events.
Good experience to everyone.
Release date 2024.
More PCMS releases by: Booca.
PCMS, Pinecone Moonshine (C) 2024.