Heliena - Asalka (2021)

The Canarian artist Heliena introduces Asalka, her debut LP. The place chosen for such a magnificent occasion could not be other than Manitox, the home of German Brigante. Thanks to the good harmony between the Malaga-born artist and the Canary Islander, Heliena returns the trust that the label placed in her, delivering a mature project where the fusion of organic, acoustic and electronic sounds forms the sound palette of the artist.

Looking in retrospective, Heliena's great personality has been heard since the first bars of Vita, her debut EP. Now, in an effort to show us a more complete artist, Heliena decides to go a step further and see that the touches of someone to follow that we perceived in Vita are confirmed with Asalka. The title chosen for the album could not be more appropriate, as the word Asalka means Origin in Somali. In this case, we understand that the origin is nothing more than a point of return to get to know Heliena and move forward with her through the 10 tracks that have been devised to be listened to as if it were a journey.

This sonic journey has been four years in the making, and as with all great dishes, Asalka is made to be enjoyed from the first to the last mouthful. Starting with the song whose title gives the LP its name, we discover an original sound full of freshness. If we continue to go through the tracks one by one, where in addition to the organic sounds, we come across the modular and granular synthesis that gives it personality, tracks like Maji, Tanuka or Tushen, together with Pankaj, are presented to us as outstanding. Continuing with the ethnic proposals, we get tracks like Kina or Dhoruba where, in addition to the classic harmonies in minor mode, Heliena goes a step further and opts for harmonies more associated with peoples such as the Indian. Vulkaan closes this work, where a string instrument gives an epic character to the track and which is excellent as a final point.

In addition to being released both digitally and on vinyl, this album is designed to be presented in live format, as it runs parallel to the evolution that the artist has undergone in the years it has taken her to complete it. Therefore, Asalka is designed to become one more extremity of Heliena as it allows us to get to know the artist through ten magical songs.