Transdutor

Transdutor came together in Porto, Portugal, in the late 1990s. The band had four members: Hugo Costa on vocals and guitar, João Ralha on bass, Pedro Carvalho on drums, and Tiago Carvalho handling keyboards and electronics. They worked in a minimalist, experimental style that fell somewhere between alternative rock and something more abstract.

Their most recognizable track is "Música da Sardinha," which appeared on their 1999 debut EP of the same name. The song became something of a signature for them, especially after a festival performance in 2001 where they wore sardine costumes and used plastic forks as props. That show, at Paredes de Coura, drew a mix of confusion and appreciation, which fit how people generally responded to their music.

They put out a few more records after that, including the albums "Canções do Prazer da Ralha" in 2001, "A Mutação dos Texugos" in 2004, and "A Catedral" in 2007. Their sound shifted a bit over those releases, moving between atmospheric experiments and more melodic turns, but they kept a consistent, somewhat cryptic approach that gathered a small, dedicated audience in Portugal's underground scene.