Lucius Works Here

From its operational bases settled down between the Barcelonan districts of the Raval and Poble Sec, Dj Shakira - well-known by the good hand of her sessions of lounge and downtempo- adopts the alter-ego of Lucius Works Here to weave patchwork covered with the memory and nostalgia of emotions lived in the past recent on the city. A diaphanous mosaic that expands by avenues, boulevards, streets, places, stations and parks illuminating each of its spaces with inheriting electronics of the best moments signed by labels like Morr Music or Warp. A completely urban disc that rejects the use of the compass and invites to follow the coordinates marked by each of its numerous cuts course the turns of the geography of the soul. Another overflowing debut of beauty that it still heightens more the prestige of that small factory of dreams that is the Foehn label and that gives a good one shake to all those that they have stopped believing in the national electronics. Matias Bosch - GO

Everybody knows the Colombian Shakira, and the other one is known by people who live in Barcelona and go to Wah Wah to see her or to buy vinyls or perhaps have danced in one of her dj sessions. You will get better know now through her own music: Lucius Works Here. With the title " A map of the soul" , the intention of the author is clear; to create a musical diary from her own personal experience. The time and the atmosphere are intimate and reflective, and between rhythms of abstract hiphop and layers of samples with environmental inflections that make use of electronics, folk and chamber pop, appear shinning melodies between the IDM (the song that opens the disc that remembers best Orbital moments) and pop, little by little prints optimism on somewhat melancholic compositions. The music is already evocative in itself, but the titles also help to glimpse chapters of that existential voyage: " Traveling in your innerself" , " Traditional Russian song in line 2 transfer" , "Sure I need you" , "A walk by Illa de Canet" and " One night in bicycle by the Ramblas" , which is actually a field recording. To emphasize rap of Max Turner in " Memory stick". It's all it's own world. Esteve Farrés - Rock de Lux

The analog and the digital unite seamlessly in the 1st album by Shakira Benavides, aka Lucius Works Here. After her 1st EP "Un camino escondido" (A hidden path), one of the founders of the mythic record shop in Barcelona, Wah Wah Discos, offers us a warm, cozy, organic album that mixes past, present and future.
Benavides vision of electronic music is like the album cover of her debut: nice, tender and with a intimate vintage touch. The 19 tracks of "Un mapa del alma" (A map of the soul) include interludes of recordings of daily life in the city and country. It's exactly these interludes which give this album a warm feeling, far from any other electronic works you may have heard. It is music to ponder and to relax with. It is miles away from the vulgarity that a lot of downtempo rhythms have fallen into.
Benavides composes a surprising soundtrack that transmits sensations of all kinds, although most of them bring us to tranquility. The excellent track "Memory stick" which includes a rap by Max Turner of Puppetmastaz, doesn't break the tranquil mood, neither does the uneasy tone of "Seguro que te necesito" (Sure I need you) which could have been written by Angelo Badalamenti for "Twin peaks".
To sum it up, the 1st album by Lucius Works Here is a good option for fans of relaxing music that usually detest the world of cheesy chill-out mixes, and want to submerge into a universe of sound that builds a map of those sensitive souls. Julio Vallejo - Freek Magazine