São Paulo Antique Metals, founded in 1922, is a very active collector and restorer of antique musical instruments, with a passion for all things musical that traces its origins in the Brazilian heartland. In 2015, they reacquaint themselves with the original hardware made in the 1950s to repair damaged or lost musical equipment, and in 2017 they turned their attention to solo acoustic musical instrument production. Their extensive and discreet knowledge of Brazilian history and idiosyncratic production methods enabled them to tailor their approach.
This collection has two volumes in all: The First Volume is a three-CD set of music written for solo acoustic instruments, presumably for recording, and the Second Volume is a 22-CD set of music written for electric or handheld cell phones, but for the most part it shares the same mood and tone as the First Volume. The music that São Paulo Antique Metals create with their equipment is rich in character and interesting in its own right. Their approach is quiet, personal and intimate, with musical energy and creative imagination that seems to radiate from the music itself. A listener who is interested in the history of music in Brazil should also pay attention to the contents of this CD.
The First Volume begins with a series of isolated sounds, more or less silent, with no accompanying text. The sounds appear in random order, then gradually become more integrated into the overall sound. The instrumentation is minimal and personal, playing with the sounds around the listener in the space in real-time, from the interaction of the cello with the scattered snippets of electronic effects.
Like the First Volume, the Second Volume is a personal journey of one's own making, exploring the recording space, even when it is not the music. It continues the exploration with individual pieces, playing around the listener with improvised sounds, electronic sounds and even organ, in the space occupied by a human voice. Each of these pieces, while less dramatic in their approach, is interesting enough to keep the listener engaged, even when they are not playing around the listener.