A two-disc release from La Casa and López that shares nothing overtly in common.

La Casa has been, for a good quarter century now, one of the finer, most imaginative creators working with field recordings, often concentrating on urban environments, especially the quotidian sounds encountered routinely but rarely listened to closely. Here, he presents two tracks, 'Everyday Unknown 6' and 'Everyday Unknown 7', where the sounds fluctuate between the seemingly unfiltered and the (possibly) transmogrified. The first opens with some overlaid rhythmic patterns unusual for La Casa — one wonders momentarily if he's shifting gears. But after a few minutes, things settle down into a series of electric tones, as if from some overworked generator, echoing traffic, vaguely heard human speech and more, creating a pulsing fabric that envelops the listener. The final few minutes settle into a sequence of sparse, quiet taps, gurgles and scrapes. A lovely, immersive work. The second begins a bit more removed, industrial but muffled, as if partially heard from the other side of a wall, perhaps underground (La Casa, previously, has made frequent use of large parking lots). Again, there are more elements in play than might be immediately apparent, something one picks up whenever listening to an urban space. It remains in a similar territory throughout, fluctuating a bit here and there but, generally, possessing a more contemplative aspect. Both are welcome additions to La Casa's oeuvre.

López has been in the game even longer, some forty years, with uncounted releases; this one is 'untitled #446', to give some idea. A single piece, almost 50 minutes in length, its sources also appear to be industrial and/or electronic, with a certain amount of iteration in effect, often on the surface, other times buried. Much of the middle of the work is fairly quiet, sometimes almost inaudible; the sense of being in a subterranean environment with distant, muted mechanical activity taking place. The last third returns to the series of rhythmic, industrial-based overlays before subsiding into emptiness. It's an effective piece overall, though I might have wished for less of a concentration on iterative patterns and more on a looser ambience, but it works well enough on its own terms.

I imagine there are López completists out there (a formidable task!) and from this listener's knowledge of his work, 'untitled #446' fits right in, but to these ears, it's the pair of La Casa compositions that are invaluable.