Humus - 4° (1997)

Artista: Humus

Álbum: 4°
Año: 1997
Género: Rock Progresivo / Rock Psicodelico
Duración: 43:50
Nacionalidad: México

Lista de Temas:
1. Fatscope
2. Usa Las Tijeras

Alineación:
- Jorge Beltran / Guitars, bass, keyboards, percussion, drums, effects
- Victor Basurto / Bass
With:
Curiel / flute
C. Lopez / drums
C. Bozzo / drums
A. Centurion / drums
J. Romero / drums
P. Bobadilla / drums

Acá el cuarto disco de la banda mexicana Humus, otro aporte de Jose Zovek Herrera Jimenez pero no el último. Y otro de los aportes de esta semana donde todos los discos que vamos a publicar son contribuciones de nuestros amigos cabezones para compartirlos con toda la familia cabezona que se junta junto al fogón a compartir música.

Jorge Beltrán, como otros, tiene en su vocabulario una palabra frecuente: olvido. No es sólo su sino, su destino, es lo que ampara a la totalidad del rock mexicano de búsqueda, eso que he dado en llamar “el otro rock mexicano”.
La vida musical del guitarrista-compositor es prolífica y arranca con trabajos en formato de cassette, algunos en LP, CD y ahora descargas digitales; sin embargo, desde hace unos años, cuando Beltrán se mudó a la ciudad de Monterrey, la constante ha sido el silencio.
Se trata de un mutismo involuntario, porque mientras una febril creatividad se ha apoderado de él y lo ha llevado a generar obras marcadas por el riesgo y la aventura, las condiciones para difundir su trabajo se tornan más difíciles. En ese sentido, Humus es una figura romántica, hijo del siglo pasado, un músico que ve el arribo de las nuevas tecnologías, pero que preferiría ver plasmada su obra en algún formato –lo imagino visualizando cósmicas y debrayadas imágenes para las portadas de sus viniles– tradicional y no ceñidas a los arbitrios de lo digital.
Es que, como muchos proyectos sonoros independientes de este país, Humus se ve atrapado en el limbo. No sólo sus obras aparecieron en formatos hoy día olvidados por la industria, también el no pertenecer a un sello o habitar en un sello pequeño ha impedido la reedición en CD, por ejemplo, de sus músicas originalmente lanzadas en cinta.
No obstante, en el baúl Humus tiene resguardadas las siguientes producciones, listas para ver la luz: First Incarnation (1989), Lucid Matter-Ascetic Chuckwalla (2002), Rebirth (2000), Xenokronosis (2004), You Are What You Hear (2000), Impossible Album (2005), Ultimate Puff (2006), Humus 13 (2007), Humus 14 (2010), Put it in Your MInd (2011). Sólo Happy Days Ahead es conseguible en iTunes.
Humus-Beltrán es hijo de la sicodelia, del krautrock, de la improvisación. Por sus venas fluye la influencia de Ultimate Spinach, Can, Blue Cheer, Amon Dull II, entre otros. Es un sonido que apela a largos diálogos con los músicos que acompañan a la banda de un solo hombre en sus diversas correrías, un fluir sonoro que demanda amplitud de espacios y por tanto es expansiva, tiende a privilegiar los cortes de larga duración, es música en la cual los solos de guitarra son un importante condimento, música cósmica, hija del siglo XX, alimentada de una cauda innumerable de bandas sicodélicas y experimentales engendradas en los últimos cuarenta años.
Nunca ha sido fácil adentrarse en este sedimento sonoro; sin embargo, es importante señalar que su autor jamás ha intentado desvirtuar su proyecto o doblegarse para complacer. Él tiene muy claro que su trabajo es minoritario, pero también quien esto escribe sabe que si Humus tuviera a su alcance una plataforma mediática como la que disponen otras bandas (por ejemplo The Ufo Club, Masters Musicians of Bukkake, Wooden Shjips, Psicomagia) en otros países, por lo menos podríamos borrar de su vocabulario la palabra olvido.

David Cortés

Y vamos a completar la discografía de esta peculiar agrupación mexicana.

Humus es un grupo progresivo originalmente formado, en 1987, solamente por Jorge Beltrán, quien interpretaba todos los instrumentos. A partir de su segundo disco se incorporó el bajista Víctor Basurto y desde entonces ha funcionado como dueto. Los dos músicos a lo largo de su carrera han formado varios grupos con conceptos distintos, tal es el caso de STOMAGO SAGRADO, SMOKING THE CENTURY AWAY, FROLIC FROTH, SEMEFO y LOCH NESS. Es en Europa donde han grabado sus discos y donde han tenido más éxito, inclusive han hecho giras por varios países para promover su trabajo, cosa que en México no ha sucedido. Actualmente Jorge vive en México y Víctor en Holanda por lo que en los últimos años han sido pocas sus producciones que han sido publicadas, aunque se sabe que gracias a la tecnología moderna han podido grabar temas a distancia. Sus trabajos son difíciles de conseguir, debido sobre todo a la escasa distribución de los discos, algunos de ellos sólo han sido editados en Europa. “Cuatro grados” (ó “4º”) es su cuarto disco de 1997 y contiene sólo dos temas, el primero de 35 minutos y el otro de 8.

Mich

Y vamos con algùn comentario en inglés:

Malleus Crease is Humus' third album, released in 1996, by Smogless Records in Compact Disc format. The recordings took place from 1994 throughout 1995. The album displays the playing of no less than 13 musicians, (including a dog which contributed with some barking in one of the tracks) in contrast with the previous album, called simply Humus (1994), where the performances were reduced to a four piece band, And also with the first album, Tus Oidos Mienten(1992), which actually was recorded, produced and mixed in its entirety by founder member Jorge Beltran.
In spite of these facts, the band had become the brainchild of both Jorge Beltran and Victor Basurto, who became the bass player since 1993, and has designed the covers of all Humus releases even before he was a fullfledged member. as well as the other bands Beltran and Basurto collaborate with.
The overall sound of Malleus Crease is psychedelic, more progressive and experimental than the previous efforts; it also shows more improvisational passages that mix heaviness, jazz and, at times, some rock in opposition. Originally available on CD, Malleus Crease was issued in Long Play by Italian independent record company W Dabliu (licensed by Nuggetphase, the group's then recently founded independent label) in 1997, in gatefold cover, including three posters, each one portraying the covers of the band's first and second albums, and of the album in question.
The L.P. also contains an extra track, El Aprendiz, not included in the original CD version. Upon release Malleus Crease was regarded as Humus greatest achievement yet by some quarters in the international underground press.

Wikipedia

Once again, I find myself writing reviews in order to contribute with a grain of sand, and support the bands from my country (Mexico) no matter if the band does not exist anymore, their music will always live, so it is a pleasure to help them in some way.
Humus as you can imagine was another (I said was, because I am not really sure if they keep making music, at least, they have not released new albums for quite a long time) Mexican band which offered great progressive rock music, this time their compositions are more oriented to the psychedelic side of prog. This is their fourth album and to be terribly honest, the only one I own, so I cannot compare it to their previous releases, which is why I will focus only on the music here.
This album consists in only two songs, being the first one a complete trip to other galaxy, including several instruments, rhythm changes and different use of instruments, it is a very long composition reaching 35 minutes, so as you can imagine you will find here several changes. "Fatscope" starts with some delicate flute, and then little by little the song is progressing, a strong guitar enters along with drums and some synth effects, making a psychedelic and very fast tripping passage, which will slow down after 4 minutes when the song takes another road, a calmed one where only a soft guitar sound appears. Some minutes later there is a kind of spacey mood made by both guitars and synth, but it last only for some seconds, then It slows down again and create a different ambience. Then it changes again and uses some percussion instruments that give it something like a latin American touch to the music, but again using that guitar which evokes some psychedelic 60's American bands.
In 35 minutes, you will find several changes, so the composition does not have a single structure; you actually don't know what's next because they surprise you with different moments, though the psychedelic touch is what predominates here. Sometimes you will hear calm moments, sometimes faster ones, then middle- tempo ones, and even some moments of silence, every one of them lead to the following one, so it is really a musical trip, let me recall that the guitar is actually very important here, Jorge Beltrán is a great musician and uses his skills here, with this strange, odd but at the same times original composition.
The second song, called "Usa las Tijeras" which is shorter but anyway a relatively long 8- minute song. Let me warn you here, this is a repetitive song which needs to be listened with an appropriate mood, so you can appreciate it and enter to its addictive sound, otherwise you will change the album. A slow tempo song, with that repetitive guitar sound, constant and simple drumming, and some synth as a background. The song continues with the same structure all the time, it only varies in the synth effects and.
This is a nice album, not accessible for anyone, and as I mentioned above, difficult to digest, but anyway showing the talent existent in this side of the globe.
Enjoy it!

Guillermo H. Urdapilleta

HUMUS is Jorge Beltran above all. He seems to be born with a guitar in his arms but is also able to handle some other instruments in the meanwhile. Collaborating with former school friend Victor Basurto (bass) on most of the productions they are offering two songs here where the opener is nearly 36 minutes long. Because integrating five drummers in total for the recordings it looks like they are summing up several parts from different sessions.
Consequently Fatscope sounds structured - not like aimless jamming. The track shows Beltran's complete bandwith on mastering his main instrument. Based on the psychedelic intent you will also find metal like riffing impressions, bluesy parts, (free) jazz moments and ambient soundscapes generated by keyboards/synthesizer. HUMUS offers an epic song which is really successful because diversified, provided with different moods, styles and technics. Nice melancholic floating sections are alternating with heavy crashing parts - intended as a roller coaster of emotions I assume.
When I listen to music I normally can associate it with other bands respectively songs after a while. But this time I fail - the term 'unique' suits here for sure. Usa las tijeras is sounding more like a real jam based on a (simple) loop. Repetitive hypnotic with slight variations and floydy organ in the background. Guitar and bass are acting on their own - but only superficially. This is also interesting for krautrock fans I would say.
Produced for a vinyl release and therefore only made of 44 minutes this album is not for everyone's taste because far away from any mainstream. An ambitious work, recommended to fans of avant-garde prog compositions

Uwe Zickel

Y tendremos más Humus, no se desesperen que además tendremos otras varias cositas como para romperles la cabeza de moog.

Humus