A Presença das Formigas
Viseu, Viseu, Portugal | Established. Jan 01, 2009 | INDIE
Music
Press
“A surprise hit at Portugal’s 2012 Gouveia Festival, The Presence of the Ants (as their name translates into English) take Portuguese traditional music and infuse it with a muscular hint of prog and folk- rock. The instrumentation’s largely acoustic, with plenty of intricate dovetailing and forceful dynamics. Harnessing sparkling melodies and drum-driven marches, the septet’s tunes are laced with ravishing flourishes of recorder, accordion and horns. With a tone occasionally reminiscent of the rustic escapades of gentle Giant or PFM’s bucolic seasonings, the band demonstrate a feather-light, capricious interplay that employs exotic tonal colorings from electric piano, intriguing percussive accents, and truly radiant vocal harmonies. Complex harmonic shifts within tricky time signatures are negotiated with graceful musicianship.” - Sid Smith in Prog Magazine
Discography
Ciclorama (2011)
Ai Que Ricas Orelhinhas - Single (2014)
Pe de Vento (2014)
Photos
Bio
A Presenca das Formigas - winners of Zeca Afonso Prize 2009 - take Portuguese traditional music as source of inspiration to create unique songs and compositions.
Their music recalls fado, peasant songs and traditional dances, while being, at the same time, refined and contemporary. A distinctive mixture of sounds managed with taste and originality!
A Presenca das Formigas' new CD - Pe de Vento - was conceived and recorded during a 7 month artistic residency at Musiberia Center, Portugal, within a project supported by the European Union.
Counting with some very special guests, like Spanish singer Luis Pastor, Portuguese master pianist Joao Paulo Esteves da Silva and singer Joao Afonso, the result is a vivacious work, where the band takes a step forward towards inventiveness, song crafting and musicianship.
Band Members
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