Chris Portka – Wildlife (2023)
In 2020, US-based Chris Portka released his instrumental EP Soundtracks I with piano and bass duets, electric guitar quartets, and a particularly intriguing track called ‘Falling Black Piano Keys’ – we should have known then. Skip ahead three years and Portka proves to be a genre-defying artist finding the delicate but intoxicating balance between classical and contemporary in his melodies. This is my introduction to the musician, but he is already reaching audiences across the globe from the UK to Mexico. Featuring on Music For All, Underground N Proud, Loudness Blog, Parket Channel, Rmas, Metal Junk Box and various others, Chris Portka is making waves with his eclectic sound.
Gaining a reputation for placing harsh trash with glitch rock and electronic beats, Portka can be discomforting but also delightful. In an interview with Loudness Blog, he shared that this experimental approach is at his core and just needed to be released – “…a lifetime enveloped in sound. I worked in tech as a software engineer/designer/manager, so I’m used to staring at screens all day in a meditative, drooly, trance-like state. I tried to capture this feeling at times – difficult but with a certain pleasure at gazing into the LCD abyss”. The latest addition to his discography is the single ‘Wildlife’.
Taken off his upcoming album trash music, the single is his first release since 2021. Released in two parts – an instrumental and a single mix. Heavier and harder than his previous work, trash music promises “a deeper exploration into the realm of dreams…to embark on a journey to challenge perceptions of what is gross, beautiful, chaotic and graceful…” ‘Wildlife’ embraces the sonic chaos.
Filled with an insane distortion of hard-hitting guitars and pounding drums, the single mix is perfect for any punk-inspired setting. From the first chord, you are thrown into a mire of madness without any chance to breathe; in fact, the overall ambience is so powerful it leaves you gasping for breath. Finding the balance between distorted discomfort and a joyful frenzy, ‘Wildlife’ captures the essence of insanity in just over one minute.
Full-bodied, ferocious, fiery and frenzied, Chris Portka’s new single ‘Wildlife’ does just that, it adds wildness to your life in a brutal way bringing out your inner animal.
For more from Chris Portka, check out his official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
