Follow Plants is the third record by Limalo, the psychedelic beat music duo based in Austin, Texas composed of long-time friends Jesse Darling and Jordan Valdes. After meeting at an alternative school in Fort Worth, Texas with an emphasis on nature, Limalo came into being with their first record Human Bloom in 2013, a melty reel-to-reel saturated ambient beat album which blended warped samples with warbly rhodes and droning synthesizers. Limalo plays on the surreal with samples from things like Alejandro Jodorowky’s “The Holy Mountain” and “Fantastic Planet”.
After relocating to Austin, Texas in 2014, Limalo released their sophomore record Oasis of Days, a blissful expression of relief and renewal through a dreamlike tour of detuned keys, lap steel guitar slides, and boom-bap beats. The track “Viewing Growth” features a collaboration with Austin based local legend Botany, a musical kindred spirit and close friend.
After nearly 7 years, Limalo is back with their third record, Follow Plants.
“Follow Plants is our dedication to the magic of plants, their beauty and their chemistry. We met at a nature-centric school, we’ve been working together in plant nurseries since we were 20, we’ve built greenhouses together and taken trips across the country in search of flora, plants have always been central to our growth as people and our relationship to each other, they’re our muse. So in that way, the words ‘Follow Plants’ are a prescription as well as a dedication. It’s the advice we’ve always followed.” said Jordan of the record.
While the record employs the signature sound of Limalo’s past output with its dreamy synth lines, dirty textures and wonky beats, it marks an energetic shift in heaviness from track to track. While still sprinkled with ambient, oneiric vignettes, Follow Plants strikes harder with thundering percussive layers, booming 808’s and crackling rimshots.
“We wanted to challenge ourselves and make a record that has complexity and layers like our previous work but also hits hard enough that you can put it on and rhythmically tune into it even if you’re not diving in headfirst.” Jesse explains, “Something that gives you the visceral satisfaction of banging hip hop but contains a deeper journey if you want it, just like plants.”
Still, the album stays true to Limalo’s ambient core, capped at both ends by the intro title track Follow Plants, based around an idyllic 70’s flute & guitar cover of Erik Satie, and the final closing track Tap the Caapi, a sacred send-off of overlapping arpeggiations, performed flute and clarinet on top of a traditional Shipibo Icaro.
Although you could listen to Follow Plants anywhere, when asked what the best experience would be for the listener, Jordan and Jesse agreed,
“Clear your schedule and go lay in a field like the one on the album cover, in a bed of wildflowers.”
Finally got to take a listen to this on cd I love the stuff. Every track is unique in its own way. I could fall sleep to this album every night. It’s such a peaceful listen. Really enjoy your work. Jcran
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