‘U’ by Ap Ducal | Album Premiere

Exclusive album premiere of ‘U’ by Ap Ducal, the solo musical project of Camilo Palma, out today via Weisskalt Records.

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‘U’ is the second full-length album from Ap Ducal on Weisskalt Records. Moody and atmospheric with a nocturnal pulse, ‘U’ is composed of four nostalgic experimental ambient tracks drawn from the deep legacy of post-punk and new wave with the silhouette of jazz and the spirit of free improvisation. Sonically, the music is a direct continuation of Palma’s previous work but with a thematically more personal approach.

Ap Ducal began in 2012 as the independent musical project of Camilo Palma, based on improvised live sessions, atmospheric textures and certain kinds of soundtrack music. Palma has been a band member in Mutrone (Le Rock Psicophonique), Fulin Lawen (ETCS Records) and a live band member in Föllakzoid (Sacred Bones).

Of the instrumentation for ‘U,’ Palma explains, “the instrument setup included a drum machine, the ArturiaDrumBrute, handling the rhythm section with separate layer for each element, snare, kick, tom, and hi-hat, allowing me to work on the unique characteristics of each element individually. Punchy bass lines were played on a Moog Sub 37 synthesizer, while synthesizer textures, LFO, oscillators, cutoff filters, and arpeggios came from a Behringer Monopoly synthesizer. Finally, the Fender Jaguar guitar added the warmer, more organic, and aggressive moments to the album. Most of the tracks were recorded in a single take, maintaining an improvisational character and evolving as the development of the themes progressed.

The album scintillates with elegant inclusions from Chilean musician Sebastián Román (Persona RS) whom Palma worked in collaboration with. These unique details contributed to defining the album’s sound without overcomplicating the musical delivery. The mastering by Nes Rodríguez (BYM Records) brought warmth and analogue texture, giving the music a spectral richness. These additions enhanced the record’s pre-existing nuances.

The finishing touch to the album was the playful but minimal cover art created by Trinidad Davanzo (Still Life Stylist and Set Designer), a collage of objects collected from her joint home with Palma, based in Berlin.

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Ap Ducal Instagram / Bandcamp
Weisskalt Records Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp