Listen / buy on BANDCAMP with digital booklet!

https://martatopferova.bandcamp.com/

CREDITS:

Marta Topferova - vocals, cuatro, guitar, shaker

Alejandro Soto Lacoste - guitars, piano, Rhodes, keyboards, accordion, bass, vocals

Antonio Restucci - mandola

Gabo Naas - charango

Luis Barrueto - drums & percussion

Romina González & Alfonso Pérez - background vocals on Son pandémico

Musical producer - Alejandro Soto Lacoste

Recorded between June 2022 and March 2024 at Icalma studios in Torgelow, Germany

The mandola & charango were recorded by Gabo Naas in Berlin, Germany

The drums & percussion were recorded by David Hagen in Berlin, Germany

Mixed & mastered by Alfonso Pérez, Madreselva studios, Santiago, Chile

All songs by Marta Topferova

except "Tus ojos" music: Marta Topferova, lyrics: Marta Topferova & Rúben Máximo Farah
"Tambores de la noche" music: Marta Topferova & Alejandro Soto Lacoste, lyrics: Marta Topferova

Album cover design: Marta Topferova
Photos: portrait by Marta Topferova, birds & trees by Sami Güner

ABOUT THE ALBUM:

Marta Topferova’s tenth album “Sombras” (Shadows) features nine original songs which were written between the years 2020-2022 while she lived in Berlin. The styles encompass diverse Latin American rhythms such as the huayno, cueca, zamba, danza, pasaje, bolero-son, son and cumbia, all of which have been a part of Marta’s musical landscape for nearly four decades.

The production was born out of Marta’s long-time musical collaboration with Chilean singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Alejandro Soto Lacoste. In addition to recording Marta’s voice, cuatro, and guitar accompaniment, Alejandro tracked himself playing guitar, piano, Rhodes, various keyboards, accordion, an acoustic "guitarrón" bass, as well as background vocals. The mandola was played by the Chilean mandolinist and composer Antonio Restucci. The charango was played by Argentinean multi-instrumentalist, Gabo Naas. The drums and percussion were played by Chilean percussionist Luis Barrueto. The background vocals on "Son pandémico" were recorded by Romina González and Alfonso Pérez. The album was primarily recorded at Icalma studio between June 2022 and March 2024 in Torgelow, Germany, as well as two home studios in Berlin. The album was mixed and mastered by Alfonso Pérez at Madreselva Studios in Santiago, Chile. The album’s musical producer was Alejandro Soto Lacoste.

The songs are rich in melody, harmony and rhythm. In many ways, they evoke another era and transport the listener to different landscapes. At the same, Marta’s life in multicultural cities such as New York, Prague and Berlin continue to shape her music. The lyrics are in Spanish, embracing various themes, contemplating life, our current surroundings, fate, the meaning of existence. Some of the lyrics also speak about the unique time of the pandemic, while others were inspired by deep love, as a source of much beauty but also of uncertainty and longing. The title “Sombras” represents this time in Marta’s life, where she lived in a small, ground floor apartment in Berlin without direct sunlight and without being able to see the sky, and where she wrote all the songs for the album. On “Sombras”, Marta honours her great musical love, the music of Latin America, which in many ways continues to be her spiritual home.

The album was released on Bandcamp on May 31st, 2024, along with a digital booklet.

Label: Moravia Publishing, ASCAP

UPC code: 198500880045