A Lisbon artist with São Toméan roots now living in London, XEXA caused a calm but powerful stir out here among more alert minds with her self-released ‘Calendário Sonoro’. One of the 12 artists invited to the Príncipe label's 10 year anniversary celebration on NTS radio, XEXA stood out with a mix made of ambient pulses which left us anticipating her debut record on the Lisbon based label. A hybrid of synths, field recordings, processed vocals and ethereal beats that echo african traditions, XEXA projects a very particular approach to ambient, one where suspended sound occupies a physical and emotional space without resorting to gimmickry and overt melodrama, instead relying on suggestion and mystery to make itself come through.[XEXA is an artist of the SHAPE+ platform for innovative music and interdisciplinary art, co-funded by the European Union.]Photo: Renato Miranda Chorão