Exposé Online banner

Exposé Online

Not just outside the box, but denying the existence of boxes.
Covering music from the fringes since 1993.

Reviews

Ubiks — Ciudad Sumergida
(Mylodon MyloCD119, 2020, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2026-02-09

Ciudad Sumergida Cover art

Ubiks is a project that began in 2017, a more electronic oriented offshoot of a much earlier Chilean space rock band called Primavera Negra, specifically guitarist Reinhardt Schutz and keyboardist Mario Del Castillo. Drummer Pedro Puentes plays on several tracks on Ciudad Sumergida (Sunken City), though for the remaining cuts the drums are programmed by Del Castillo. Wanting to explore musical ideas in an audio-visual realm, Del Castillo and Schutz began manipulating and experimenting with the creation of soundtracks, perhaps initially inspired by the looping work of Robert Fripp and Brian Eno, though much of what transpires here in these nine tracks is most certainly a rock based endeavor. At just under four minutes “Vórtice 1” sets the stage, deep pulsing electronics, mysterious noise, sliding guitar tones, and an aggressive beat delivered by Puentes; the bulk of the album’s tracks were written by Del Castillo, but the opener is a composition by all three. The title track follows, starting with a more dreamy ambient feel, then midway through the piece it changes completely with a solid drum cadence into what could best be described as instrumental electronic rock with a Berlin School feeling. Appropriately titled, “Sunrise Highway” finds an alternate groove, Schutz’ guitar strongly contributing to the dreamy tapestry that undergirds the entire piece as it proceeds; the piece features some vocal growls riding just under the surface, though they don’t seem to carry any lyrical content. Some very cool sounds accompany “Vórtice 2,” a tune seemingly rooted in the funky style of Animals era Floyd, until a style changeover comes in mid-song. Nothing says ‘guitar on fire’ quite like “Tangerine,” played over an interesting rhythm that sounds like a mix of keyboards, drums, and berimbau. I would be remiss not to mention the absolutely stunning eight minute closing track “Aeropuertos,” which is reminiscent of no airport that I have ever seen; the programmed drums here are serviceable, but the powerful piano, guitars, and sweeping synth textures more than make up for any programmed instrumental shortcomings.

Filed under: New releases, 2020 releases

Related artist(s): Ubiks

More info
http://mylodonrecords.bandcamp.com/album/ciudad-sumergida

 

What's new

These are the most recent changes made to artists, releases, and articles.