Whether as producer or artist, as BALLA or BULLET, Armando Teixeira’s creative output is driven by a common theme: the exploration of memory. As the world of pop rises to the surface, Teixeira goes deep, probing the innards of his synthesizers, processors, mixers and effects in search of that waveform that, in its day, signalled the future of pop. Phil Spector’s wall-of-sound mixes, Giorgio Moroder’s strategic sequences, the richly woven synthetic textures of John Foxx, the computerized cubism of Kraftwerk — all of these serve as inspiration.

Arqueologia, Teixeira’s sixth release since 2000, along with three albums as BULLET and numerous productions for other artists, is the culmination of a generous body of work that has never strayed far from pop, has always concerned itself with squeezing emotion from machines, and is proud as ever of its own memory. The songs revisit those various themes that make us the conscious beings we are — love, rage, lies, hope and disappointment — in music with a sense of history that never turns its back on the present and the future.

BALLA is joined by special guest singer Rui Reininho of GNR fame. Lead vocalist of the iconic band since 1981, Reininho is a beloved, and often controversial, icon of the Portuguese rock scene. With GNR, Reininho is known for leading provocative concerts, with songs in a language often enriched by the slang of his native Porto that lampoon his city’s characters and stereotypes.