Gripper shares new LP, ‘Ondas Horizontales’, under Tambores En Benirras alias

Producer and selector Gripper has returned under his alias Tambores En Benirras to share his new record, ‘Ondas Horizontales’, available via NuNorthern Soul.

The LP is borne out of a personal experience, in which Gripper – who, for much of his musical career, has lived with a visual impairment – further lost his sight following the release of his ‘Orbe Dotado’ album, ultimately becoming registered as blind.

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‘Ondas Horizontales’ and its curation therefore took a different approach in comparison to the previous 2021 Tambores En Benirras release. Inspired by both the embodiment of his Ibiza surroundings and peers’ sets, it draws upon soulful, calming depths of sound.

“The album is a reflection of my circumstances and the difficulty of fitting in after being registered as blind,” Gripper tells Mixmag. “It involved rethinking the music making process I was used to and taking a step back into a more reflective way of working and expressing my emotions.

“Writing most of the tracks in solitude whilst in Ibiza last year certainly influenced and focussed the sound. The results are a deeper, more contemplative album and one that mixes together Balearic, ambient, classical and leftfield influences whilst building on the trademark progressive soundscapes and musicality of the first Tambores LP.”

“After releasing ‘Orbe Dotodo’, which Gripper wrote as Tambores En Benirras at the height of lockdown and was quite dark in its sound, I wanted to do something again with Gripper; something lighter and more positive to reflect the post pandemic period and our hope and relief it was over,” explains labelhead Phil Cooper.

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“As the ‘Ondas Horizontales’ project progressed, Gripper’s eyesight became significantly more impaired. So, I wanted to make sure that we could put something together that would be audio and visually beautiful.”

‘Ondas Horizontales’ by Tambores En Benirras is available now, check it out here.

Niamh Ingram is Mixmag’s Weekend Editor, follow her on Twitter