Ford Proco & Coil – Expansi贸n Naranja
Alessandro Adriani鈥檚 label has done some excellent reissue work over the past few years, but this release is surely one of the most valuable pieces of archival trawling to feature on Mannequin. It鈥檚 even worth buying a copy of the basis of the back story alone. In the 鈥90s, Mexican industrial band Ford Proco met John Balance and Peter Christopherson from Coil at an Orb gig in LA. Bizarrely, Coil then invited the band to star as extras in an Ice T video, after which these tracks were recorded.
Clearly, the rapper鈥檚 tales from the hood had little impression on the collaborators and instead they used a recording method that the release is named after.聽There is no explanation about what this entails but the end results – written and produced in 1999 – are expansive and drawn out. 鈥淓cuaci贸n De Las Estrellas鈥 is a slow affair, but its atmospheric washes and low frequency bleeps prove hypnotic and the accompanying drums sound like they were recorded deep under the sea, clanging and trashing but sounding blurry and indistinct.
The title track is more energetic, despite starting with fragile chimes. Following this intro a voice, presumably Balance鈥檚, proclaims 鈥榚cho over here鈥 repeatedly before a high paced, dense rhythm kicks in. It also keeps yielding, first to atmospheric breakdowns and then followed by Christopherson鈥檚 squalling sax. Finally, Balance鈥檚 vocals re-appear with the word 鈥榚cho鈥 audible in a high pitched version, followed by a more solemn exhortation to 鈥榙o drugs鈥.
Although the arrangement is structurally all over the place, like 鈥淓cuaci贸n De Las Estrellas鈥 it is held together by an atmospheric glue and sounds remarkably fresh. Mannequin also deserves praise for the time and effort invested into the artwork and mastering, which was carried out by Rude 66 –聽 qualities which combine to make Expansi贸n Naranja聽one of the finest historical musical documents of recent years.
Richard Brophy
Tracklisting:
A. Expansi贸n Naranja
B. Ecuaci贸n De Las Estrellas