Espresso is a Chilean prog rock/ fusion band, originally from Quillota, V Region Chile, and were formed in 2015. Electronica and experimentation are also incorporated into their sound, with sound collages, as on opener Electro_Intro, on the subject of genetic engineering. The line-up is: Fernando Meneses Díaz (guitar), Wilfredo Salas González (piano, keyboards, synthesisers), Pierino Madrid Pruzzo (bass) and Elías Orellana Gómez (drums). The recording work of this debut album was done at Estudios Raíces Creativo, while the mixing and co-production was in charge of Felipe Ortiz. The mastering, on the other hand, was done by Francisco Holzmann. Espresso won the "Nación Prog Awards 2022" in two categories: "Best Band and Best Ibero-American Album".
“Dimension_Fractal” is split into two releases. ON 001, the light and airy instrumental ‘Kosmos’ is an interesting adjunct to the ‘threat’ implied by the introductory sound collage referred to earlier. The live ‘Dimension_Fractal’ is much more demonstrative, including an intricate staccato exchange between synth and guitar, with some heavy wah-wah, a fluid guitar break and some frantic bass and drum passages. This and succeeding numbers exemplify the technicality of their music, as well as its immersive qualities, with enough changes in pace and twists and turns to keep listeners satisfied, as on the sudden variation half way through ‘If_Then_Else (beta)’, Meneses Díaz’s nimble fretwork being at the centre of most of what they do. The keyboards also provide nice textures and atmosphere, as on haunting closing number ‘Cooler’, which also has some ‘Latin’ grooves and another mazy guitar solo.
The second part ‘002’ has four pieces in similar vein: opener ‘Io’ has an interesting jazzy ‘conversation’ between bass and guitar with some luxuriant synth and another sound collage about orbiting Jupiter; the approach struck me as quite similar to the Spanish quartet Kermit as well as some of the British jazz-rock bands of the 70s, Isotope etcetera. ‘Nuevo Horizonte’ is an energising piece, with nice wah-wah effects, more outer space dialogue. Another live track which is a millieu that shows Espresso at its beat, ‘Rollercoaster’, as the title might suggest, is a heavy rock ‘tour de force’ at least on first appearances, before settling into a dreamy reverie of sound; before three minutes is gone the intricate guitar is back and the harder edge at the core of the number resumes, another absorbing ‘reverie’ and the band even have enough time to finish in a flourish on an offbeat bass-led with guitar lines of Frippian complexity - yes, King Crimson are definitely in there somewhere- a clever and satisfying eight minutes of jazz-rock-fusion. Another live number, ‘Pulso (beta)’ features a significant contribution from Wilfredo Salas González’s organ, piano and especially synthesiser, in more of the same intoxicating melange.
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