What does a formal celebration sound like 100 years into the future? The music of Bolivian producer Funeral may come close. Borrowing elements of pre-colonial South American music and giving them an electronic makeover, Funeral bundles it all into a journey across time on his new single, “Festividad.” It’s a new type of club experience that commemorates ancient tribal traditions while charging forward into a neo-utopia.
“Festividad” blurs the lines between organic and manmade, light and darkness. Striking with a thunderclap, the track leads into a mysterious, contorting synth line; its layered melodies dart around like fast-falling water droplets, but feel too slick to belong to an entirely natural environment. Regardless, the inclement weather only adds to the festivities. Metallic clinks cut in intermittently before signaling a heavy stampede of Andean rhythms halfway through. Instead of drums, there’s the rapid-fire sound of machine parts hammering up the flow of the song. On “Festividad,” Funeral constructs a mechanized rain dance that only moves faster as the sky pours down.
