Venezuelan producer Arca is the mastermind behind some of the most forward-thinking, boundary-pushing moments in electronica this side of the decade.
The 24-year-old was handpicked by Kanye West to produce beats on his anti-pop opus, Yeezus, which saw Arca’s futuristic touch directly involved in moulding the experimental production of the tracks ‘Hold My Liquor’, ‘Bloody On The Leaves’, ‘Send It Up’ and ‘I’m In It’.
Arca has also worked closely with British auteur FKA twigs, producing some of her early EP cuts as well as some of the standouts on her acclaimed debut album, LP1 (‘Lights On’, ‘Give Up’, ‘Hours’).
While Arca has built a reputation for his influence behind the scenes, now the enigmatic figure is stepping out from the shadows with the release of his highly anticipated debut album, Xen, and ‘Thievery’ is our first glimpse of it.
A claustrophobic slice of Arca’s probing, extraterrestial electronica, ‘Thievery’ travels on a flickering hip hop beat whilst glass-like synths puncture through a thick, smoggy atmosphere in a series of jagged, knife-sharp stabs set to an off-kilter rhythm.
Sounds bounce off each other in dizzying echoes, creating moments of piercing cacophonous noise deliberately designed to be intrusive, unfamiliar and uncomfortable.
When the dust finally settles, only one thing is certain: Arca must be alien.
Xen is out November 4 on Mute.
