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usof is a musician, visual artist, DJ, promoter of events primarily focused on ambient and immersive music, and one of the cofounders of Rotten \ Fresh, a label internationally recognized as a Portuguese reference for contemporary and experimental music of the last half-decade.

During this residency in Castro Marim, for which the artist was selected via the Open Call launched at the beginning of this year, usof produced and presented original compositions inspired by the history, landscape and folklore of the territory, as well as field recordings and sounds found on the terrain. The artist resorted to various techniques common in ambient music, such as granular synthesis and spatialization, to create a multi-channel soundscape in constant change that evokes the feeling of isolation and solitude that characterizes the history of the municipality, as well as the natural beauty of Castro Marim, its architecture and the increasing trend for development and progress in friction with the necessity to preserve its heritage.

These compositions were presented in a multimedia concert with quadraphonic sound, at the auditorium of Castro Marim’s Biblioteca Municipal, on the 20th of July.

We had the chance to talk to usof about the relationship between sound and image in his compositions, the use of quadraphonic sound, and the theme of contraband.

On the 8th of November, at 6pm, the Castro Marim Municipal Library will host an event which will take us on a journey through the sonic heritage of the region. 

The Castro Marim Sound Archive is the result of a collaborative, year-long effort between the Particular Universal project, the local municipality and several institutions and citizens. This collection of “sound portraits” was assembled by artist Carlos Norton, between January 2022 and March 2023, and also includes contributions from Portuguese and international artists who developed artistic residencies in Castro Marim.

The Castro Marim Sound Archive lives on as tangible legacy from the Particular Universal project (which, between 2021 and 2023, produced around twenty artistic residencies in the region), but it’s more than a collection or a catalog of sounds - it’s also, and foremost, an immersive tool into the historical, social, environmental and cultural dimensions of Castro Marim. 

This archive will be freely available online (in both Portuguese and English language), at www.arquivosonorocastromarim.pt, starting the day after its public presentation. With more than 1500 minutes of sound recordings, encompassing a wide range of activities such as salt extraction, fish-farming, basketry or the rich birdlife in the nature reserve, this sound archive reflects the living and diverse life of Castro Marim.

Uniting the past and the present through the listening experience, the Castro Marim Sound Archive is a tribute to the rich and unique identity of this community and territory, preserving it for generations to come.

Selected via the open call launched earlier this year, the collaborative project from singer-songwriter chica and bá alvares, double-bass player and key figure of some of the most fertile and diverse musical scenes in Lisbon, seeks to grapple, in Castro Marim, the problematics of “society’s undesirables”, an expression utilized by the Estado Novo to define punishment by exile over decades of repression in the not so distant past.

Following previous research work and interviews focused on this historical question along with Teresa Serra Nunes, who joined the group for this interview, chica and bá alvares developed new songs and lyrics based on the resources generated from this investigation - creating a dialogue with past and present lives, in a sharing of ‘despair’, which, as is often said, is “the essence of protest songs”. These songs of sorrow were presented live at Velho Cavalinho - Taberna Medieval, on the afternoon of the 24th of June.

This Saturday (September 9th), Teatro do Vestido presents its latest itinerant creation in Castro Marim. The journey will have a duration of approximately 5 hours and includes a meal.

The show will incorporate routes on foot and by bus, allowing participants to explore different facets of the city. The meeting point will be at Praça 1º de Maio, in Castro Marim. The audience is encouraged to bring comfortable footwear, bottled water and outerwear.

Free entry.

To guarantee your participation in this event, reservations can be made through the e-mail geral@teatrodovestido.pt, or through the Posto de Turismo de Castro Marim.