The Leaf Label

January 12th, 2021

Murcof – The Alias Sessions

We are delighted to welcome Murcof back to the Leaf stable for the first time in thirteen years, with the release of his mammoth and visionary new album, The Alias Sessions. This collection brings together all the elements we’ve come to expect from Fernando Corona – meticulous sound design, ghostly samples, forceful beats, diaphanous atmosphere – but pushes the sound even further in terms of both abstraction and beauty.

Our relationship with Murcof goes back to 2002, and it’s difficult to overstate just how important debut album Martes is for the label. As additional chapters in the Murcof story were written – 2004’s Utopía, 2005’s boldly cinematic Remembranza, and 2007’s epic Cosmos, with its integration of acoustic instruments – Corona continued to expand the parameters of the project while maintaining its unique sonic signature. In the years since, he has moved from Tijuana to Barcelona and produced solo and collaborative work for labels including Infiné and Mundo, composing music for film and television along the way.

The Alias Sessions is the most ambitious and wide-ranging Murcof album to date. Corona began work on this music in April 2017, when he met with choreographer Guilherme Botelho, leader of Geneva-based dance company Alias, about a new performance piece – ‘Contre-Mondes’. Versions of these compositions make up the first half of the album. Corona continued work with the organisation for a 2018 performance entitled ‘Normal.’ which now forms the second part of the record.

Watch the video for first single ‘Underwater Lament’ which features the disembodied limbs of the Alias dance company.

The Alias Sessions will be released April 9th and is available to pre-order now on double CD, and triple vinyl – cut at 45rpm for the best possible sound quality. The vinyl will be packaged in a deluxe spot-varnished gatefold sleeve, with initial pressings including an additional gatefold insert containing extraordinary images from the ‘Contre-Mondes’ performances. An edition of 300 on blood red vinyl will be available exclusively through Norman Records and Bandcamp. A concrete grey vinyl edition of 500 will be available from independent record shops worldwide, as well as a standard black vinyl edition.