Tambores En Benirras is the alter ego of acclaimed producer and selector Gripper, who brings you the hotly anticipated follow up to his Orbe Dotado LP (2021).
‘Ondas Horizontales’, (horizontal waves), released on NuNorthern Soul on 29th September is an album like no other. A true work of beauty created by a unique personal story.
Gripper began producing music back in 1991, releasing music on ground-breaking labels such as Grand Central Records, Om Records and Fat City Recordings. His releases have been supported and played by such luminaries as Louie Vega, Roger Sanchez, DJ Camacho, Laurent Garnier, Kruder & Dorfmiester, Heidi Lawden and Bill Brewster.
For much of his illustrious musical career, Gripper has lived with visual impairment. A month after the release of Orbe Dotado (Gifted Orb), his eyesight deteriorated so badly that he became registered blind. A totally new, ground-up approach to making music was needed. ‘Ondas Horizontales’ doesn’t just paint pictures in your mind, it places you into a 3-D world where your ears don’t just listen, they see. Soundscapes become landscapes. Vividly detailed and sonically colourful, ‘Ondas Horizontales’ is the story of Gripper’s time spent daydreaming, visualising, immersing himself in the sets of the Ibizan masters and long periods spent soaking up the Balearic sun. This is a record to totally immerse yourself in, the calming, soulful layers providing such a depth of sound that you will soon feel like you are relaxing in Gripper’s own deckchair.
Gripper explains: “Instead of developing ideas through jamming and finding sounds, more time was spent soul searching and becoming familiar with a slightly different way of looking at my surroundings. I think it’s safe to say that places and situations have a vibe about them, and without visual stimuli this becomes heightened, more prominent, and more important. This is what makes ‘Ondas Horizontales’ a unique album.”
Phil Cooper, longstanding Ibiza DJ, and label boss at NuNorthern Soul adds: “After releasing Orbe Dotodo, which Gripper wrote as Tambores En Benirras at the height of lockdown and was quite dark in its sound I wanted to do something again with Gripper, something lighter and more positive to reflect the post pandemic period and our hope and relief it was over. As the ‘Ondas Horizontales’ project progressed, Gripper’s eyesight became significantly more impaired. So, I wanted to make sure that we could put something together that would be audio and visually beautiful.”
The result is an album that is unique, beautiful, and with a personal story of a kind, generous man and incredibly talented producer at its heart. So, close your eyes, sit back, and let Gripper’s masterclass paint those pictures in your mind.
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