STA

Dub is rubber. A chewy, sticky dough that gives off a strange aroma when handled. A mixture of frankincense, ganja and grilled meat that stuns, intoxicates, comforts and traps you by adhering to each skin pore, while molding octopus with infinite tentacles. Or maybe you just imagine them, surrounding you, hugging you, and inviting you to stay inside forever. Just as you would like to stay inside “Goma”, the first album by the STA collective for Humo.

Thirty minutes of delicious dub, which could be 60, or seem 90 or other times 10. Time is also elastic under the toxic effluvia of this slimy substance. “Goma” is made with the wisdom of an alchemist, the result of a career that dates back 15 years and whose founding protagonists are two Barcelonians of Argentine origin, Pablo (Pope) and Holy, and a host of restless musicians who have passed through different mutations of Dub Corao, Strandius and now STA. An adventure inspired by the sweet and hypnotic cadence of reggae and its evocative warmth, but also by its eagerness to explore and its overflowing imagination and impudence.

For those who need labels, “Goma” is a dub album, without any doubt and with pride. But it also is an absolutely delicious sensory pleasure, which flows with such naturalness that it seems to require no effort from its creator. There is the greatness of STA, making the difficult easy, so that through a delicate and conscientious work of production, editing and mixing they have given us this musical whim, truffled with details that must be discovered with the addictive eavesdropping. With special mention to the fascinating textural treatment of the guitars, which also refers to a spaghetti western reminiscent of Can’s sonorous amoebas or the sharp edges of PIL. Or maybe it’s the synthesizers. I don’t know, the smell of rubber is clouding my mind …