A little undercurrent of Afrobeat in “Tirannia Velata,” the new streaming track from Futuropaco that you can hear below, and that fits with the song’s purported protest ethic. Justin Pinkerton (Glass Parallels, ex-Golden Void, etc.) continues Futuropaco‘s instrumentalist exploration, with synthy flourish surrounding wah guitar and jazzy drums and his new album, Fortezza di Vetro Vol. 1, will be out through respected purveyor El Paraiso Records.

It’s trippy either way, and its linear groove got me hooked into that synth thread, so yeah, I’m posting the preorder link. If you’re feeling adventurous or like something that isn’t just riffs (blessings and peace upon riffs), this might be a way to go. I wouldn’t expect “Tirannia Velata” to speak for the whole of Fortezza di Vetro Vol. 1, let alone any subsequent volumes, but it does represent the open nature of the project well and is immersive besides. You don’t lose out by hearing it, is what I’m saying.

Have at it:

Futuropaco: Fortezza di Vetro Vol. 1

Preorder link: https://elparaisorecords.com/product/futuropaco-fortezza-di-vetro-vol-1/

Catalog number: EPR074
Formats: CD/LP (1000 LPs on black vinyl, includes download card)
Release date: October 13th 2023

First new sounds from Futuropaco in five years. Futuropaco, a.k.a. Justin Pinkerton from Oakland, California creates colourful psychedelic music – a pan-cultural cratedigger’s delight that welcomes in a wide range of elements – from afro-beat and post rock to Italian library music and heavy psych.

The title translates to “The Glass Fortress” and is a reference to the fragility of the superpowers of the world, such as the US: “As we witnessed in the height of the pandemic and its after effects, it doesn’t take much to take down one of these entities that hide behind the facade of power and indestructibility. One tiny crack can trigger an unstoppable catastrophe.” says Pinkerton of the album concept. “Though Futuropaco songs are instrumental I tend to channel my feelings about politics and the world through them. Unfortunately, the world can be a terrible place at times, so there is a sort of dark, at times angry, theme to these songs. But, instead of writing lyrics to convey those feelings, I just let the music do the talking.”

But despite (or perhaps because of) it’s underlying dark inception, Justin’s new album is a terrific ride, from the first notes of earth-shaking opener “Muro Vuoto” to the mysterious and dreamy closer “Omicidio Per Soldi”. Not a second is wasted on this record, every vinyl groove is packed with ideas and sounds that demand attention, whether they originate from Justin’s vintage Moog synthesizers, his Turkish Saz, fuzz guitars or flute layered on top of Pinkerton’s meticulously crafted, yet bone shaking drum fills. You could spend hours analysing what’s going on musically, but that’s beside the point – the nine tracks offered here are simply an invitation to surrender yourself to the head-spinning grooves and mesmerizing timbres. A truly unique psychedelic experience, and this is just volume 1!

LPs limited to 1000.

https://www.facebook.com/futuropaco/
https://futuropaco.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/elparaisorecords
https://www.instagram.com/elparaisorecords/
https://soundcloud.com/elparaiso
https://elparaisorecords.com/

The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Justin Pinkerton of Glass Parallels & Futuropaco

—

How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

I just make music/sounds that I like. I definitely draw heavily from older genres when I’m writing stuff. I try to learn to play as many instruments I can along the way. I started with saxophone, went to guitar, bass, drums, piano, picked up saxophone again, and now I’ve started playing the flute. I even dabbled with turntable scratching for a while but don’t really keep up on that. I can play things well enough to make records with them. As much as I love playing with and collaborating with other musicians I also enjoy making music on my own. Therefore, I’ve had to learn everything that I need to be able to do that with, including recording and mixing. But I’d still like to learn more instruments and I’m constantly trying to improved my engineering abilities. It’s also helpful with my work, making music for ads, to be able to cover as much ground on my own as possible.

Describe your first musical memory.

Probably just the weekends at my house growing up. Friday – Sunday nights were when my parents would listen to music. Classic rock/pop/yacht rock/jazz, etc. Basically music from the ’50s – ’70s.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

Maybe playing Roadburn? That was the last show of Golden Void’s first Euro tour and it was just super fun. I believe you were there? [Edit: I was indeed.]

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

Pretty much every time I work on music for an advertisement for an evil corporation (which is most of them), it’s very tough. Unfortunately, it’s my job. I’m not much of a touring musician, I’ve got kids, so making music for a living by doing ads means working for some terrible people. At least I don’t deal with them directly. But, it still bums me out on a regular basis. I do my best to just focus on the music. Which can also be tough since I’m often composing music that isn’t something I would do I my own.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

Frustration. But I mean that in a good way. Pushing yourself to not just recreate something you’ve already done. Moving forward and not just getting comfortable in one spot. Sometimes that comes easily, other times it’s a mental exercise in patience and and exploration.

How do you define success?

Being happy with what you’ve created, whether other people like it or not.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

Donald Trump as president.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

A film score for an actual film. The Futuropaco record and my synth record were made with sort of imaginary films in mind but I’d like to actually score a film.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

Mental therapy. I believe art is, or should be purely self indulgent, but not in an egotistical sort of way. People make art to satisfy themselves, even if they’re trying to convey something to someone else. If other people like it then great. But there are tons of artists out there that we’ll probably never hear about, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t still creating art. Art is subjective. Just because someone else has an opinion on it doesn’t change the fact that it was the result of creative expression. The odd balance is between making art, and make a living off of using your skills that you use to make your art, to make “art” to sell to someone else. I’m referring to people to make music for ads, like me, or people who make visual art to sell for advertising, etc. It’s a fine, weird, uncomfortable line.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

The next time I make coffee.

http://www.facebook.com/glassparallels
https://soundcloud.com/glass-parallels
https://glassparallels.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/futuropaco/
https://elparaisorecords.com/artists/futuropaco

Glass Parallels, Aisle of Light (2020)