Jannis Carbotta and Cristian Subirà first crossed paths in 2018,
but the story of this album truly begins six years later, in March 2024.
Cristian was passing through Köln during a small tour and reached out to Jannis with an unexpected proposal:
while in town, they could grab some microphones, do a bit of field recording, and see what might come of it.
With no expectations— just curiosity —they dove in.
And when being humble and free of thought things are happening on their own.The fortuitous encounter with a huge, long metal pipe found on the riverbank of the Rhine — and its subsequent exploration — several conclusions surfaced: they should approach studio recording using tools typically reserved for fieldwork and this collaboration, still undefined, should continue in person — whenever and wherever that might be. By a twist of fate, Cristian was invited for another concert in a timely manner and on the way both met again, several months later to continue their intuition: recording percussion using hydrophones inside various containers filled with water, with a range of diverse materials interacting and once again, the unexpected played a crucial role. They agreed to meet one more time, in February 2025 — this time in Barcelona, where the album came to completion in a different setting.

Unexpected Percussion reveals an intermittent project born from a need to mature creative processes—free from the pressure of immediacy or the back-and-forth of constant messaging. A space where boundaries are not fixed but fluid, allowing for a dynamic interplay of concepts and elements. Where the unfinished converses with the resolved. Where the bonds forged through the process matter most. And where, even in uncertainty, fertile ground for discovery can be found.

The cover was painted by Jens Braun
under the influence of the music