Nicaraguan-Canadian artist Mas Aya tells us how he makes meditative music rooted in complex political history. 'I wanted to shed light on the people’s struggle — that this is actually coming from the people'
’s music never feels pedantic, strained, or overwhelming. He creates expansive, elongated soundscapes, inspired by meditative music. Throughout the project, which came out last month, he shifts the focus of rebellions and resurrections from the context of leaders and oppressors and instead centers his music directly on the people fighting to be heard.
The artist, whose real name is Brandon Valdivia, has played percussion and other instruments for bands in Toronto for years. He’s perhaps best known for his work with his partner, the Colombian-Canadian artist, whom he met in the city’s experimental scene. But Valdivia always made music for himself, and a few years ago, he began working on some compositions for a residency at Toronto’s Aga Khan Museum: “long jams,” he says, “where music stretched out for 10 minutes, nine minutes.
Those ideas of obfuscation and disguise make their way directly into the compositions and arrangements. On songs such as the arresting, flute-driven “Quiescence,” sounds fold gently into one another — light chimes appear and then disappear, a sudden synth flourish emerges and fades out as quickly as it came. The music is effortless but complicated at the same time, and the sonic intricacies act as a mirror of the political and economic quagmires in Nicaragua that can be so hard to unravel.
He deals with such complexities by encouraging listeners to find their own answers through contemplation and staying present. The album’s song titles refer often to staying in the current moment: “Tiempo Ahora,” or “Time Now,” for example, is a stunning track guided by Pimienta’s guest vocals, embodying the spontaneous spirit of the project.
It also speaks to the larger ethos behind Valdivia’s approach to creating music. “There’s an aspect I was thinking about related to how everything is so eternal. I know that’s getting into sort of transcendental talk, but I very much believe that there is an eternity in every moment, and that makes living in the moment and living in the now so important,” he says.
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