At first glance, you might be tempted to file
Gala Drop's debut eponymous CD under Dub and leave it at that. You'd be wrong, mind you, for the music of this Portuguese trio is something else. Dub it is, sure, to some extent, but to that frame Nelson Gomes, Tiago Miranda, and Afonso Simões have grafted synthesizers that owe more to
Klaus Schulze than to the
Ozric Tentacles, and Motorik beats that fall closer to Krautrock (or even
Heldon!) than to
Lee Perry. The trio also experiments a lot with textures. Add to that a strong world percussion flavor, and you get a heady mix of influences, sounds, and styles. Out of the concoction comes a relentless dancing sound -- not the light and cheerful kind, but the pummeling and ominous kind, although the music still basks in Lisbon's sunlight. The tracks tend to stretch out a bit too long, and a couple of them fall flat, but overall,
Gala Drop provides an enjoyable yet genre-pushing listen. Sadly, due to its cross-stylistical stance, this record might have a hard time finding an audience. Dub fans would do well to lend an ear (expecting something different), but those more likely to get excited are the Krautrock crowd, however strange that may sound. Highlights include "Ital" and "Holy Heads."