Penhas Douradas is the latest project by London musician João Chaves at Emotional Software. Created at the end of the pandemic, Música de Ambiente reflects Chaves’ need to slow down and reconnect with home and nature. Inspired by a road trip with old friends through the snow-capped mountains of his native Portugal, Música de Ambiente invites you to explore through this series of expansive soundscapes.

Clareza – Opening the EP, Clareza muses on ethereal sounds that allow you to drift slowly. Let yourself be guided by the bass, while you are met with contemplative percussion and curious synth sounds, with deeper textures thanks to field recordings straight from nature.

We have had the pleasure of interviewing Penhas, and this has been the result.

What was the reason behind creating a new moniker?

I thought of the name before even having any music . I always loved the name and wanted to use it for something but nothing ever made sense. After a trip with some friends to the region of Penhas Douradas in Portugal and while going for hikes in the mountains something came to me and the idea for the sound just sort of came into my head naturally.
How would you say this sound differs to your previous work under João Chaves?
In all honesty is not that dissimilar, I like to think of it more like an evolution. I still feel it’s me and there are elements of past work but I believe it is  a more mature and introspective sound.

Where did the initial inspiration come from for ‘Musica de Ambiente’?
It really all came to me in that trip to the mountains with my friends. Being with nature separate from everyone with some white snow surrounding us sort of set the landscape for these compositions.
How was the creative process when writing these tracks?
Clareza had a different approach from Beleza and Tristeza. Beleza starts really soon after that trip and I wanted to use some field recordings from that journey and borrow elements from that specific day. As things progressed it felt like I was creating a photo album but with different snippets of sound. This composition is a collage of different samples and some recorded melodies that encapsulate that trip. Beleza and Tristeza were different as it was pretty much done in one take. I came back from a long period living in my hometown Viseu, Portugal and just got to London on a sublet of my friend Rapazote. I didn’t have anything with me at the time except a synth and a laptop. I was feeling really nostalgic and vulnerable so just started layering sheets of sound in Ableton. I didn’t have a soundcard with me so was just using software instruments. It was quite a limited and humbling process.
Can you run us through the studio set up when working on this project?
Clareza was quite different as I had my full studio setup but still pretty simple. I had a Korg Monologue and a Korg Volca Sample connected to a Audient ID4 to a Mac running Ableton. I use IK Multimedia iLoud monitors to hear things in the space but mostly use the Beyerdynamic DT770 to record and roughly mix. I recorded some guitars as well on a Squier JMascis Jazzmaster (very modified at this point) through a Marshall Class 5. I usually use a SM57 for guitars but this time I just used a load box.
The other two I used a Moog Grandmother as a midi keyboard and Ableton with some Arturia Plugins, pretty simple. I later added some Moog textures once I had the rest of the setup with me again.
Where would be the ideal place to listen to the collection?
I don’t have a specific answer to that what I can say is I hope it transports you to that place you want to explore. Slow it down and connect with your body.
Can we expect more from Penhaus Douradas this year?
I am working on more as we speak. I don’t want to promise anything but the wheels are in motion.