Chilean Electronic Trio Estancia La Mar Give Vinyl A Comeback

What do you get when you take three of the most talented electronic musicians in Chile and put them in a studio together? Estancia La Mar. And lucky for us, they recently released a vinyl album called Sesiones de Panamá that is well worth a listen.

Each member of the Chilean electro trio comes from a very different musical background, creating an unconventional mix of styles that results in a unique cross-genre sound. First, there is Pablo Muñoz, a renowned sound engineer working in TV and advertising who also produces music for Chilean alternative pop acts through De Janeiros. Next, there is Mario Martinez, also known as Motivado, who is part of the Discos Pegaos label. He is arguably the most well-established Chilean on the international club scene thanks to his unorthodox take on house music. Finally, Juan Pablo Abalo is a classical music maestro who composes pieces for orchestra ensembles and moonlights as one half of the electro pop duo Los Días Contados.

The three musicians started collaborating with little-to-no prior planning for an impromptu session in Muñoz’s Santiago studio. The end result was Sesiones de Panamá—the name alluding to the tropical seaside vibe the music evokes. Featuring six lengthy, yet distinguishable, tracks, this dream-pop record is decidedly down-tempo, progressive, and atmospheric with Balearic beats and a smidgen of house.

This genre-defying offering has a few standout tracks: “La Casa Del Torrero” with synths, percussion rhythms, and a deep house beat; “Terminos & Condiciones” with its uncomfortable sample of a disgruntled airline passenger abusing a call center employee juxtaposed to a tranquil, nature-inspired soundscape; and “Polaris,” the album’s most uptempo track and its final song.

Produced by distinguished Danish record label Music For Dreams, the record is only available on vinyl and digital download.