Lucrecia Dalt, Karlstorbahnhof, Heidelberg, Germany, October 7

Up until recently, the Berlin-dwelling electronic artist Lucrecia Dalt had not operated within the Songlines realms. Although Colombian, her homeland’s music had not significantly influenced Dalt’s output over the last decade. Then, in 2022 she released the ¡Ay! album, which is deeply rooted in folkloric Colombian song forms, albeit heavily transmogrified. Here, she’s playing at the Karlstorbahnhof arts venue, which has recently moved from its smaller, older, original location, to this much larger and more modernised space. The gig is part of the five-week-long Enjoy Jazz festival, which always takes advantage of its ‘and more…’ subtitle.

Lately, Dalt has been touring with ¡Ay!’s contents, accompanied by the drummer/percussionist Alex Lázaro, the pair of them brewing up quite an extroverted and humorous show, in contrast to Dalt’s accustomed shadowy and introverted presence. She’s garbed in less formal gear and is singing on most of the numbers, as well as engaging in a japery match with Lázaro, who is even more extroverted, his sparse kit positioned to suit his spidery frame, coaxing him into some very visual congas-bongos playing. Roto-toms and cymbals are suspended extremely high, on spindly poles, while gongs are set behind him, turning the playing into an expressive dance. Dalt uses at least three keyboards, as well as heavily processing her voice.

© Elisabeth Samura

The songs on the album were already sparse, but they’ve now developed even further, into an extremely minimal dark dub, booming then halting, shimmering then stuttering, as waist-high dry ice clouds billow ridiculously around the stage (or marshland). Lázaro complains that he can’t see what he’s doing, and perhaps Dalt suggests that he could try removing his shades. It’s all extremely effective, dramatic and evocative, perfectly poised, but presented with what seems like an unintended hesitance, complete with mild technical malfunctions. The songs are so strong that the duo take any unpredictable situation in their stride. Dalt’s vocals are sometimes heavily filtered, as she chooses between the effects of two microphones, creeping into expansive dub caverns. Will she perhaps remain rooted in this zone for a while longer, or will Dalt be curving off in 2024, producing sounds from another quarter?