MARINA HERLOP
We are pleased to present the 16th episode of Kuboraum’s Digital Sound Residency in collaboration with Catalan pianist, vocalist, and producer Marina Herlop. Crafting multifaceted worlds to spur and feed the imagination, Marina unveils ‘alas’, a nexus of unpredictable vocal melodies, digital synthesis, and phantasmagoria.
Marina’s musical journey began with classical training at an early age, but it wasn’t until her 20s—while immersed in music studies at the Conservatory—that she truly began to experiment with harmony and melody, culminating with the release of her debut album Nanook (Instrumental Records, 2016).
Her second album, Babasha (Aloud Music Ltd, 2018), marked the beginning of her integration of synths and electronic sounds, expanding her sonic palette toward a more cybernetic sound. With Pripyat (2022), her debut on the cult label PAN, Marina made an irrevocable shift into electronic music, weaving hypnotic rhythms, layers of processed vocals, and organic textures to craft new, brooding dimensions.
Her latest release, Nekkuja (PAN, 2023), continues the experimental touches of Pripyat, but with an unexpected lightness and positivity—an uplifting contrast in a scene often captivated by darkness and melancholy. Loosely themed around the metaphor of gardening, Nekkuja’s peaks and valleys invite an active, reflective listening experience.
In contrast to the view that an artist is an isolated genius or an idol to be worshipped, Herlop believes that the garden helps us see the process as closer to devotion or perseverance. A gardener brings order to the wild chaos of the outdoors, collaborating with nature to arrange something vibrant and enduring. Blending familiar sounds with fanciful concepts, Herlop traces an imaginary garden, imploring us to wander and wonder.
On July 12th 2024, Marina performed live in Berlin in the context of Gaswerk Music Days wearing a custom Innerraum head piece in Silver.