Contentor’s fourth album, Canto das Sereias, offers a captivating exploration of our dreaming condition as human beings. Released exclusively on Bandcamp, this album invites listeners into a world of ethereal soundscapes and introspective themes, masterfully produced by Adriano Lanhoso.

Project Goals:

The album revolves around a common theme of a call for action, a dreaming and dystopic future. To capture this, it needed psychedelic and otherworldly textures. On the track “Subsídio de Perdão,” saturated vocals create a speech-like feel, while emotional layers, synths, and delay emphasize the dreaming condition, with in-your-face drums calling for action.

Your Role:

I recorded and played keys on tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8 at Deer Hipster Studios. Additionally, I recorded all the vocals except on track 10. I also mixed and mastered the entire album at Deer Hipster Studios.

Technical Details:

I mixed the album on a Midas F32 and used the Eventide Space Reverb to create dreamy soundscapes, particularly on tracks like “Dream On.” For the song “Dream On,” Adriano recorded the Kalimba, which had a dreamy feel. I added a nostalgic chord progression, slightly saturated to enhance the nostalgic feeling, and laid it underneath the Kalimba to emphasize the theme of the song.

Outcome:

The band was very satisfied with the outcome, as it was our first project together. The collaboration resulted in a cohesive album that truly captured the intended themes.

Personal Insights:

During the production, I faced challenges like a computer breakdown, which led to the loss of processing on my parts. I recreated textures close to the originals, although not identical. The lack of access to separate drum tracks required a change in the mixing approach to maintain sonic consistency. This project was also challenging due to some of material had already a certain tone. However, the talented musicians’ skills attracted me to work with them, aiming to help them create a cohesive sound, and with adaptation, flexibility and trust, I believe we nailed it.