Hugo Esquinca’s work is a multi-layered crust, intentionally obfuscated through excess, deliberately hard to peel. Scraping off layers of obfuscation in this dense network of transductive interactions gets you nowhere, cause those layers are precisely what Hugo uses in order to expose you (and himself) to a sort of sensory overload. Well beyond aesthetic judgements, more akin to the mind lock scene in THX 1138 than to an average listening experience. Yet Hugo’s mind lock is not only intended for the human listener – the chain of events and processes involved in his music are also being subjected to a quasi-seizure, brought to its very limits. In fact, a good portion of Hugo’s work relies and revolves on the exploration of those fuzzy boundaries. Whether by testing the listener’s ability to process sonic density and amplitude, or by pushing down on the functional event horizon of whatever system he utilises (from computers to trusty cardioid microphones), Hugo’s live recordings, site-specific installations and recorded pieces are a constant celebration of that in-between, dream-like grey area, and the collapse that comes with it.

Ràdio Web MACBA talks to Hugo about his work and its ties to his upbringing – or how growing up in the hyperchaos of Mexico City relates to this fascination with speed, overabundance and syncretism.

Music by Hugo Esquinca, produced and conceived for this purpose. Co-produced by Lighthouse (Brighton).