Nocturnos is a collection of piano pieces performed by Nicolás Bacal, composed by Argentine musician and producer Ismael Pinkler, known for his work in electronic music. Although not a trained pianist, Pinkler employed digital tools to compose, exploring tonal music and translating ambient sensations into sheet music. In 2021, after hearing some initial sketches of these virtual pianos, composer Ulises Conti encouraged Pinkler to deepen his piano skills through listening sessions and practical exercises, resulting in most of the pieces on Nocturnos.
This collection can be seen as the counterpart to Geografía Mental, Pinkler’s recent album released by the Metamúsica label. While Geografía Mental offers an immersive experience with its rich layers of ambient music, Nocturnos stands out for its subtle tonalities and focus on acoustic minimalism that, though brief, dives deep into the atmosphere of ambient.
Nicolás Bacal, a musician and visual artist who has been a long-time collaborator of Pinkler’s, was invited to perform the pieces. Their shared musical journey and discussions about sound and silence influenced the compositions. Over nearly two years of rehearsals and refinements, he and Pablo Butelman, who was responsible for the transcriptions, perfected the scores, culminating in this album.
From the start, Pinkler was faced with the dilemma of creating an intimate, lo-fi album, recorded on a perhaps slightly worn upright piano in an environment filled with urban sounds that would bring warmth and quotidianness, or opting for a professional studio with a grand piano that would enhance the ambient and spatial qualities of the music. After experimenting in several studios, they decided to record on a grand piano that allowed Bacal to play with subtlety, without sacrificing the warmth of the instrument.
Together with Bacal, Pinkler completed the selection of pieces, choosing those that resonated most with the pianist and showed the greatest potential for growth through performance. Although Bacal avoided suggesting changes that might musically correct some pieces, they worked together to refine compositions that did not allow for fluid performance or featured uninteresting harmonic shifts.
The recording was done by Norberto Villagra, the mixing was done by Pinkler, and the mastering was done by Guillermo Guevara (Bosque Vacío, Kampion) in Mexico City in August 2024. Fort Music, a studio specializing in classical music, is considered to be the only one in Argentina capable of hosting a full orchestra. The piano was recorded with the lid open and eight microphones: four above the strings, two below, and two at a distance to capture the atmosphere of the space. Due to the musical acoustics of the studio, Pinkler decided not to use additional reverb in the mix. All the pieces included on the album are complete takes, with no edits. Nocturnos emerged as an acoustic album recorded live.
The graphic design of Nocturnos was created by Alejandro Ros, recognized for his work with artists such as Babasónicos, Juana Molina, Soda Stereo, Gustavo Cerati and Julieta Venegas, among others.
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