Homem em Catarse
Dream Gaze From Portugal
Do you know Homem em Catarse? The dream gaze/slowcore project from Portugal released a great new album in 2020, which I would like to introduce to you today.
Homem em Catarse means "One man in Catarsis". The musician behind that name is Afonso Dorido, who counts himself to the Portuguese post-rock scene. In his stage shows, he focuses on magnitude and intensity. He says that he wants to "bring the universe into the room".
Alfonso loves Slowdrive and Explosions in the Sky
"Cem Palavras | Sem Palavras" (2020)Musically, he covers a wide range. Influenced by Slowdive, Durutti Column and Explosions in the Sky he always adds some atmospheric nostalgia to his songs.
In Portugal and Spain he has already performed with great artists like Micah P. Hinson, And So I Watch You From Afar, and Death in June. After two LPs ("Guarda Rios" and "Viagem Interior") on the independent label Honeysound, he released "Cem Palavras | Sem Palavras" in 2020.
Alfonso's latest record features ten powerful and emotionally charged instrumental dream gaze songs, which the musician has crafted with the help of a piano and a virtuoso interplay of electronic sounds.
I am especially enthusiastic about the dreamy piano passages. On "Cem Palavras | Sem Palavras", Alfonso skillfully mixes atmospheric post-rock and shoegaze with classical elements. Friends of Nils Frahm, Jónsi, and And So I Watch You From Afar will enjoy the album just as much as Chopin fans. Homem em Catarse delivers music to enjoy - despite the ambient borrowings, however, I don't see it as accompanying melodies, but rather as something in which you, within the sweet moment you engage with it, become completely absorbed. So for me, the artist has clearly achieved his goal of bringing the universe into a room. I hope to be able to experience Homem em Catarse live someday.