“Ia” is the 6th maxi-single from the album 2011 by Utopyk & El Fulminador. This time, remixes are in charge of Hard Ton and Freudenthal, plus the alternate “Golden Touch Mix” by El Fulminador.

The Original Version, track number 4 in the album “2011”, creates a dark, ominous atmosphere that’s faithful to the album stylistic spectrum, following the path of other songs from the same collection such as “Haut”, but using a mid-tempo Disco/House beat at 115 BPM. The lyrics refer to various, fascinating tragedies surrounding the mythological figure of Phrygian King Midas. Ia talks clearly about destruction.

The Golden Touch Mix by El Fulminador brings the song closer to 80s electro-funk, displaying piercing arpeggios that oscillate on a classic Disco beat with solid percussion, building an in crescendo that explodes into funky guitars and vocal glory. This mix also makes use of previously unreleased spoken word vocal takes, offering a deeper glimpse into the duo’s interpretation of the myth.

Next version is in charge of Berlin based Freudenthal, who takes the song on a new path with an almost instrumental Disco approach - electric, unstoppable. The crystalline percussion acts as a vehicle for an everlasting progression, bringing constant waves of ecstatic rage.

As a grand finale for the trip, the Italian duo Hard Ton speeds up to 123 BPM and transforms Ia into an Acid House mayhem. Using old school drumming with rough textures, this remix shows us the way into a concrete basement where we’ll experience the most addictive destruction.


THE MUSIC VIDEO

Ia comes with a music video shot earlier this year on Fuerteventura (Canary Islands, Spain). There, two mysterious characters wander through the desert and merge with each other with their aesthetic.

Watch on the following link:
vimeo.com/606698549

The black & white figures that emerges in the wilderness can be seen as the feminine and masculine form of one unique being, as a reference to the antique Anatolian demon Adgistis, an intersex personification of the mountain itself, closely related to the role of Mother Earth/Cybele, that ultimately brings upon the undoing of its son/lover/cultist Attis - and subsequently Ia’s own destruction.

The references to space and gender/identity construction contained in the video - which also link to the myth of Ia as the tragic bride of the self-castrated Attis, establishing a connection with his non-binary/hermaphroditical ancestry - conformed the basis to include this video in the solo art exhibition “Andrómeda”, organized by Fulmen Records as an installation during the dance and performance festival “Ausufern 2021” in Uferstudios, Berlin in July/August 2021.

The music video was shot in locations such as Corralejo, El Cotillo and Villaverde (Fuerventura Island) and will be released with the EP in November 2021.

For more details about the theorical background behind the concept of this video, read further in “The Myth”.


THE MYTH

“Ia” makes a reinterpretation of different myths from the antique Phrygia, combining many traditions in one text.
On one hand, the song refers to the Greek myth of the great King Midas, who turned everything he touched into gold, even his own daughter Marigold (Spanish: Caléndula). Marigold is saved when the waters of the river Pactolus touch her golden skin.

Midas had another daughter called Ia, whose name serves of course as the EP title. According to this tradition the King’s daughter was to marry the remarkable young man Attis, a demigod who turned out to be the son of the hermaphrodite demon Adgistis. This divine creature fell in love with its own offspring, becoming his lover. During the wedding between Attis and Ia, Adgistis appeared to curse the unauthorazied union, driving all the attendants mad. As a result, Attis mutilated his genitalia, dying instantly. Midas followed suit, cutting his own penis. This settled a precedent for the later cult of the Corybantes, a fraternity of self-castrated dancers who express their devotion to Cybele, a deity closely related to Adgistis, through ecstatic rites. After the events driven by collective psychosis at the ill-fated wedding, Ia took her own life.

The cult of the Corybantes is also comparable to the extreme rituals of the Menades, female whorshipers of the god Dyionisius, feared for the euphoric insanity of their devotion. Mida’s daughters were believed to be part of the Menades in some traditions. The general aversion to them also speaks about the fear of old Greek aristicrats, who whorshipped the Olympic pantheon towards “new” gods such as Dyonisius.

This is not the first time Fulmen releases music inspired by Mythology. In fact, this can and will be a recurrent source of inspiration for past/future works included on the label’s catalogue. As an example, check the EP “Orión y Casiopea” [FULMEN 012] by El Fulminador, released in 2020, which reflects the artist’s personal take on the respective myths referred to in the title. The original tracks also belong to the full lenght album “Galaxias”, where galaxies are interpreted from a mythological point of view.