The Laborer – Se Vende

This is first release on the new cassette label, Analogue Chat, which is an independent label based in Spain and The Netherlands releasing limited edition cassettes. Artists are invited to record sounds from their own ‘medio ambiente’ (environment) to tell their personal narrative in the form electronic soundscapes or traditional song structures.

The idea behind the album was inspired by a walk with a good friend, Dan Miles, across the de Galvany nature reserve located about 10km south of Alicante in November 2015. Dan is an archaeologist for Historic England and has also lived in the Alicante region and worked for the city’s MARQ museum. What is not so well known is that the reserve was also the site of Republican defensive line during the Spanish Civil War and the area is home to bunkers and trenches from this period. The land was put in danger at the end of the 1970s due to proposed urban development, but public pressure combined with the support of the local council saved it from destruction. However, the area has not been immune to subsequent housing development, particularly in the boom period from 1996 to 2007.

The reserve is flanked by the urbanizations of Gran Alacant to the south and Arenales to the north and is popular with expats and Spanish holidaymakers. As a result of the financial crisis in 2008, many properties remain empty or unsold and there are a number of developments that are half-built and abandoned. It was the idea of destruction through war and destruction through overdevelopment that we discussed as we walked across this landscape. A tale of dreams unfulfilled…