Various Artists – Conversor (PRCBSLP026)

Is a digital music file a less existing work than a vinyl record of the same content? Does bringing digital music into the physical realm make it more real by offering it the tangibility of physical matter? The PERCEBES MÚSICA collective furthers the long term discussion on the relationships between medium and message, truth and illusion, worth and validity.

“Conversor” is a various artist compilation that at first glance feels like a single artist album. The cover does not explicitly state individual authors (only track titles, lengths and BPM are provided), as if to dilute the importance of self and ego, though the listener can attain said information when accessing the download codes inside. It is content from the ether pressed to matter through a Digital-to-Analog conversion process; selected tracks picked from the label’s recent digital catalogue, cleverly edited and placed together onto a record, made to create an introspective – yet physical – electronic soul LP with clear canonical undertones. The trickling down of information from binary code to material existence into a limited edition slab of vinyl.

The offerings range from classic sounding deeper house (by the likes of Daino, Larry Quest, Poko Poko and label head Ka§par) to a wider reaching selection of african riddims (Hélder Russo, Moreno Ácido and Terra Chã), UK Garage (Cyclonix) and even golden age drum’n’bass (Al:X). An exploration of mood and cohesion through variety, the artistic result will resonate with the timeless approach of eclectic labels like the profound Guidance or Peacefrog, the cutting edge Metamorphic, or Reflective or even the widely known WARP or R&S.

The purchase of the physical record allows the owner to download not only the integral digital version of the vinyl LP, but also every full EP release from where each track has been extracted. Each entry has been perfectly timed to retain all valuable dynamic range and definition on either side of the vinyl record, while still creating a timely impact on the dance floor, every track is a strong narrational item of use in a DJ bag for a deep electronic minded soul slinger.