Following up their recent EP, Quilotoa return with the single 'This Line Terminates Here'. A thoughtful piece which evokes the bittersweet nostalgia in leaving one part of life behind, and the hope of what the next part could bring. Frenetic melodies interlace ambient found sounds, mimicking a solitary traveller's journey through an oblivious, static landscape, and the irrelevance of the individual experience in the face of passing time.

Out now on Latimer Records. Available on Bandcamp and through the usual streaming platforms.

This Line Terminates Here

LTO and KEPLR return as Quilotoa with the first of 4 releases planned for early 2023, ‘Osedax’ - a hypnotic, deep house exploration of the ocean deep.

Both have a keen interest in nature, LTO through his love of exploring the great wildernesses of the world, and KEPLR in his other life, working in conservation and climate change. In this song, the pair make that connection using washy textures, eerie aquatic drones that arrive cooly from the depths, and placing the listener in the centre of this adventure with a hypnotic, repetitive beat of a Roland CR78 drum machine. The song resolves with comforting melodic organs, that bring the listener to the surface, satisfied with their brief moment exploring the depths of an alien world at home.

“When we met, as well as realising that we have a lot in common musically, we were also really lucky to be in one of the most ecologically and environmentally diverse places on earth (Ecuador). We realised early on that we’re also both interested in nature and environment; and we were fortunate to be able to see and experience these places first hand. It was fun to explore that and create a song that connects with the ocean in particular. It’s a place we’re fundamentally attached to and yet it is mysterious and secretive. We feel this song exposes some of those secrets if only for a brief look to see what might be going on down there!”

Osedax

LTO and KEPLR return as Quilotoa for their second release of 2023, ‘Sanggol’ - a warm, soulful, lofi track, with a touch of the west coast. An organ rotates lazily around slow breaks, accompanied by bluesy, melodic flutes that evoke an easy, carefree and childlike view of the world.

Whilst writing this song, both were transitioning from responsibility-free adults to parenthood. As young fathers, ego steps back and you become a container for your child’s emotions, providing the language for them to understand themselves and the world. You’re no longer the main subject in the documentary that’s your life; it’s all about empathy, compassion and understanding. This is in contrast to being a musician and producer, which can be inherently egotistical pursuits!

“We wanted to mark the change to our lives. This song signifies not only a simpler state of being - nonchalant day dreaming from one self-involved experience to the next, but also the lightness of mind and wonderment of how a child sees the world; and how one must end for the other to flourish. It’s a beautiful transition that can be sad when viewed from the lens of ego, but when accepted with self compassion, it is ultimately full of the richer stuff of life. It’s taken us time to realise this and I’m sure as we embark on our lives with our separate families, it will be a theme we likely revisit as time goes on.”

Sanggól

Quilotoa return with ‘Sell Them Gold’, marking the pair’s first release while living in separate places, with KEPLR back in London and LTO in Bristol. 

They’ve always had a strong connection with both cities, with LTO’s infamous collaboration project, ‘Old Apparatus’ gaining notoriety on the Deep Medi label in 2011; and KEPLR’s formative years in the west country, escaping to Bristol to surround himself with the music of the city. This isn’t lost on Sell Them Gold, which has heavy influences from old-school Bristol trip hop and south London’s post dubstep era. 

Heavily compressed drums are paired with sparse melodic synths, found sounds and an eerie vocal. This marks the most coherent blend of the pair’s work to date, something which living in separate locations will not hinder in future works. 

“We’re aware that we won’t be able to work together as easily as we have in the past, but we’re still very tight, having shared so many great experiences since we first met in South America, and the 10 years following in Bristol. We became parents pretty much at the same time too and although that adds to the difficulty in finding time to make music, there’s so much we still share and a lot of enjoyment we get from creating something together as friends. It’s a really great way to spend time with each other catching up while doing something constructive.”

Sell Them Gold

Buy here: hyperurl.co/4274iy

Quilotoa is the collaboration of Bristol-based producers LTO (@lto-oa) and Keplr, who met in 2013 trekking the Ecuadorian crater lake of the same name. Having remained friends, Quilotoa is their first collaboration.

Through their writing process the producers reminisce about the challenges they experienced whilst climbing the volcano Cotopaxi, the strange effects of altitude on the mind and the elation of the pair reaching the summit. Packed with heavily textured samples and soaring synths, their music mimics the vast Andean landscape; and the energy and euphoria of two friends on an adventure in the unknown.

LTO first made waves as part of mysterious electronic collective @OldApparatus, releasing on Mala's @deep-medi-musik label. As a solo producer, he has since attracted attention with his LPs on @injazerorecords and @Denovali Records as well as his collaboration with producer @edapollo as @Hirola.

El Ascenso

The 2nd single from the new collaboration between @lto-oa and Keplr. Available on Bandcamp and the usual platforms via this link: hyperurl.co/4274iy

Through writing together, the two producers have reminisced about the challenges experienced whilst climbing the Ecuadorian volcano Cotopaxi together, the strange effects of altitude on the mind and the elation reaching the summit.

La Cumbre

The 3rd single from the new collaboration between @lto-oa and Keplr was inspired by their shared fascination with the ancient traditions and practices of the Andean and Amazonian people that they encountered on their travels across South America. 

Available on Bandcamp and the usual platforms via this link: hyperurl.co/4274iy

El Ritual

Our 4th Single 'El Paisaje' concludes our debut EP. Inspired by the overwhelming panoramas witnessed on our travels across the Andes that gave us a renewed and humbling appreciation for our place in this world.

Available on Bandcamp and the usual streaming platforms: hyperurl.co/4274iy

El Paisaje

Quilotoa is the collaboration of Bristol-based producers LTO (@lto-oa) and Keplr, who met in 2013 trekking the Ecuadorian crater lake of the same name. Having remained friends, Quilotoa is their first collaboration.

Through their writing process the producers reminisce about the challenges they experienced whilst climbing the volcano Cotopaxi, the strange effects of altitude on the mind and the elation of the pair reaching the summit. Packed with heavily textured samples and soaring synths, their music mimics the vast Andean landscape; and the energy and euphoria of two friends on an adventure in the unknown.

LTO first made waves as part of mysterious electronic collective @OldApparatus, releasing on Mala's @deep-medi-musik label. As a solo producer, he has since attracted attention with his LPs on @InjazeroRecords and @Denovali Records as well as his collaboration with producer @edapollo as @Hirola.

QUILOTOA

Popular tracks