Artomatico - Ciclos

​Artomatico

Ciclos
self-released; 2025

TOP ALBUM

By Matt Jensen
​

Artomatico’s CICLOS starts the way a lens slowly comes into focus. Nothing dramatic, just a quiet reorientation until the smallest movements begin to feel magnified. The first thing I notice is how physical the sound is. Not loud or forceful, but tactile, almost as if each tone has been shaped with fingertips. His history as a percussionist is not expressed through showy rhythms. It is expressed through the way every element carries a sense of weight and surface. 

Repetition functions almost like a breathing pattern. Loops come back not to ground the music, but to show how slight variations accumulate meaning over time. Electronic treatments, granular details, and brushed percussion are all tuned to the scale of close attention. CICLOS operates with the patience of something meant to be uncovered slowly and benefits from active listening.

“Principio de esperanza” establishes that approach immediately. Its meditative tone is shaped by soft orchestral colors and glitch leaning fragments orbiting a central synth line. As it progresses, new details surface in ways that feel intentional without being rigid. The title track “Ciclos” channels a sense of movement that hints at Steve Reich’s phasing techniques, but filtered through Artomatico’s more grounded and textural sensibility. It feels fluid, suspended, and quietly absorbing.

“Surcos” pushes things into more kinetic space. It is a gorgeous track, led by drum programming that snaps everything into sharper definition, almost like a lost Aphex Twin sketch bent toward beauty rather than chaos. “Tierra lenta” brings a different gravity, evoking the hum and grind of machinery in motion. The album then contracts with “Diciembre” and “Abrigo de niebla,” two pieces that function as breathers, ambient, minimal, and stripped down to pure atmosphere.

“Desoír huir” is the piece that stands out most for me. It is psychedelic and euphoric, full of motion, almost like stepping into a current that keeps widening. “Big Pseudofiesta” shifts the record’s energy with a swaggering groove that made me think of Tom Waits (I was not expecting that) reimagined through a more electronic lens. “El tiemblo” pairs piano with an arpeggiated synth that glows at the edges, while “Microsilente” zooms in on the vibration of a single string, almost microscopic in its focus. The closer, “Big paideia,” is spacious and cerebral, drifting like a slow expansion into open air.

By the time CICLOS closes, I am struck by how unified the album feels and works really well when listening from beginning to end. It is dynamic, imaginative, and paced with a clear sense of purpose. There is variation in tone and shape, but everything belongs. It is one of those rare records where curiosity and precision work together rather than compete. Highly recommended.

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