In 2023, the Mexico City-based duo Pidgins released Refrains of the Day, Vol. 1, with a mission to “transform the oral and rhythmic methods of traditional trance rituals by phasing metric, melodic, and rhetorical phrases”. Furthermore, by using the clichés of corporate jargon as a jumping off point, these tired phrases are implemented as lyrics, upending the dullest and most grating aspects of modern life and fusing them with cascading rhythms, exotic percussion, and a unique blend of instrumentation. As that earlier record indicated, a sequel is now out, and Refrains of the Day, Vol. 2 continues along the same path, with equally startling results.
Consisting of Milo Tamez on percussion and Aaron With on electronics and vocals (often using samples of rare and historic musical instruments), Pidgins construct elaborate musical puzzles and incorporate soulless phrases into the performances, giving them new life by placing them in unexpected, seemingly incongruous contexts.
The result is reminiscent of everything from the primitive outsider art of Moondog to the complex, interlocking instrumentation of Horse Lords. Creeping up on the listener with an exotic warmth, “Getting Things Done” simmers with busy congas, synth beds, and With’s eerie, processed vocals that, like on the rest of the LP, repeat the title, reimagining it and constantly playing with phrasing. “Things to Do” moves along the same path, with a droning, almost Zen-like component.
Elsewhere, “Speculative Fiction” incorporates birdsong and other animal sound reproductions that place the music in even wilder, more far-reaching territory, with the futuristic vocal gymnastics providing a unique counterpoint. The chunky percussion that lays the foundation for “Tax Paradise”, combined with the modern propulsion of With’s keyboards, brings to mind forward-thinking artists like Leverage Models (another group that’s used corporate culture as an artistic implement), Motion Graphics, and many of Orange Milk Records’ multitalented roster.
“Underdeveloped Nations”, “Value Added”, and “Special Economic Zone” are among some of the other titles on Refrains of the Day, Vol. 2, and Tamez’s use of an array of percussion beyond simply traditional Western instruments is one of the project’s most successful gambits. Traditional hand and talking drums, gongs, wood slit drums, guiros, chimes, rattles, and claves are among the many components of his vast arsenal.
The record closes with “Results Oriented”, as upper-register notes introduce the song almost like a corporate clarion call fed through the atmosphere of exotic instrumentation, before the engaging buzz of vocals and percussion melt into the music. Like its predecessor, Pidgins’ Refrains of the Day, Vol. 2 finds a way to make joyful, unique celebratory noise out of the stifling society so many of us are aching to abandon.