Juan Ramos - Last Of The Natives / Enemy Of Enemy Is Friend

Juan Ramos lives on planet Earth but channels voices from the aether. This is his first offering for the ESP Institute. On side A, 'Last Of The Natives' shows us just what we’re dealing with, a master manipulator of sound and consciousness. Juan culls the toughest kick drums and thickest latex bass slaps from a deep burial in our psyche and peppers them with alien chants and fleeting electronic flutes—a combustible sense of spontaneity that may at first appear chaotic but after fully immersed in Juan’s demented world, we find ourselves willfully under his control. On side B, 'Enemy Of Enemy Is Friend' also sets off from a disorienting place where a slow progression of acid, shakers and toms takes a good minute to allow us some footing around the groove. Once settled into his sophisticated rhythm, Juan opens the door to a glorious combination of chords, clanking guitars, shakers that scrub back and forth and the occasional smear of paranormal synth. We at the ESP Institute are enamored by Juan’s seemingly infinite skill for crafting mood and extracting optimism from darkness, but seriously, what color Speedo™ should she wear this summer?