S&C1 // Sueños
03 July, 2012It’s always nice to have a concept behind any new project, so when I was choosing the tracks for this new compilation of music from across South America I decided that Sueños (translating as “dreams”) seemed like a good place to start. The fact that this then evolved into a compilation that includes pop, hip-hop beats, ambience, electronica, folk music and post rock is beyond me. Ultimately, the threads that hold these songs together is that they use psychedelic swirls, transcendent melodies, repetition and layer after layer of sound to create songs that make me feel woozy and warm at the same time, making them the perfect Sueños whether you are daydreaming in the park or lost in nocturnal bliss.
The other common thread amongst these tracks is that they are all new (from 2011 and 2012 except for one that is from 2010) and represent music from many countries in South America (apologies to Peru, Paraguay and Bolivia for their omission – this was not intentional!).
1. Fred Lorca – Animal Bueno
2. MKRNI – Señorita Robinson
3. Planes – Lonelli
4. Helado Negro – 2º Dia
5. Dolli – SPF50 (Anarquía Tropical)
6. Karakoram-Mekong – Historias Suicidas
7. Romperayo – El Clavado de la Reina (Botellas de Cianuro Para un Pueblo Minero)
8. Rios – Voy y Vengo
9. Tinitus y Sofi Casanova – Mucho Mejor
10. Fernando Trz – Ribeirinhos
11. Páramo feat. Soema Montenegro – Camino Al Tembrao
12. Coyote Beatz – Namadrugada
13. Tan Frío el Verano – Sensenia
Fred Lorca (Argentina)
“Animal Bueno” is taken from Cuchita Club, an album of playful pop and electronica that Lorca released last year. It’s a song that never grows tiresome, and we couldn’t be happier that Fred agreed to let us use this song in our compilation.
fredlorca.bandcamp.com
Makaroni (Chile)
If you can find a more addictive song than “Señorita Robinson” I will gladly eat my sombrero. This song dips into the same feel-good 80s vibe that Tom Tom Club and ESG were so good at, bringing it up-to-date for a little magic that wouldn’t be out of place on DFA Records. Why this song is not a hit the world over is beyond me.
mkrni.com
Planes (Colombia)
Planes are a new band from Bogotá. In truth we know very little about these guys other than “Lonelli” is one pretty special track. Potentially the band’s next single, it’s clearly influenced by British and American indie-pop but then takes it to a new level, largely thanks to a barrage of hooks and melodies that see the band carving out their own unique sound.
soundcloud.com/estudiosuniversales
Helado Negro (Ecuador)
A resident of New York, it’s possible that Helado Negro has more ties with scenes in the US than South America (he has collaborated with the likes of Prefuse73 and Paul Duncan, amonst others). Yet within his slow-burning meditations and electronic experiments it’s clear that this is an artist on a personal journey, one that references his Ecuadorean heritage and Latin roots within the confines of his own musical universe. “2º Dia” is the perfect example of this. The track is taken from Canta Lechuza, released on Asthmatic Kitty Records.
heladonegro.bandcamp.com
Dolli (Venezuela)
Dolli is an electronic artist we’ve featured a lot on Sounds and Colours. His compositions are full of surprises, fine detail and beatific sounds. Continually his work portrays the great natural landscapes of Venezuela along with the complexity of life in it’s urban centres. “SPF50 (Anarquía Tropical)” is one of the highlights from his recent Un Amigo De Un Amigo Que No Soy Yo album.
dolli.bandcamp.com
Karakoram-Mekong (Chile)
Andrés Nusser is currently achieving a whole world of fame thanks to his Astro band, making waves in North America right now. Karakoram-Mekong is the name he has given to his solo project. Musically it follows a similar path to the glossy electro-pop of Astro, though lyrically it is often a slightly heavier affair. “Historias Suicidas” is taken from the recent Mekong EP.
soundcloud.com/karakoram-mekong
Romperayo (Colombia)
As drummer for Frente Cumbiero, Los Pirañas and Ondatropica, Pedro Ojeda has proved himself as something of a master of the sticks. With Romperayo it’s his compositional skills that take the spotlight. “El Clavado de la Reina (Botellas de Cianuro Para un Pueblo Minero)” is just one of many unreleased tunes that takes Colombia’s musical heritage on a fractured journey into new territory.
soundcloud.com/romperayo
Rios (Argentina)
Rios are the kind of group that treasure the sound of silence and nature as much as melody. On “Voy y Vengo” they combine all of these elements to stunning effect.
riosmusica.bandcamp.com
Tinitus y Sofi Casanova (Uruguay)
Taken from an album called Comer y Dormir Vol. 1 it was only after choosing the track that I realised this is the first part of an audiovisual project about dreams, called Sueños. Surely that is serendipity at work. “Mucho Mejor” is a piece of intrigue with beats and samples restlessly splaying over a groove that manages, remarkably, to stay funky as hell throughout. Comer y Dormir Vol. 1 was released by Phonocake.
phonocake.org/release.php?release_id=149%E2%8C%A9=2
Fernando Trz (Brazil)
Fernando TRZ is a musician, remixer and music producer, and member of Lavoura, Cérebro Eletrônico and Flavião e o Retrofuturismo. “Ribeirinhos” is the result of a children’s workshop in São Paulo, with Fernando’s productions and synths augmented by a group of children playing flutes, casio keyboards and toy instruments (along with the direction of Tatá Aeroplano). The result is a sophisticated slice of trip hop that belies the age of those involved.
soundcloud.com/fernandotrz
Páramo feat. Soema Montenegro (Argentina)
Páramo started of as a Federico Falcon solo project before the numbers increased to form a fully-fledged band comprising vocals, guitar, cello and percussion. “Camino Al Tembrao” features a special guest in Soema Montenegro who adds to this modern folk song from the heart of Argentina.
paramomusica.bandcamp.com
Coyote Beatz (Brazil)
The Belo Horizonte-based Coyote Beatz is involved heavily in the skater scene of Brazil’s third biggest city. “Namadrugada” is a track taken from Coynstrumentals Vol. 1, a collection of hip-hop and trip hop beats that were (partly) composed to accompany skate videos. The melody in “Namadrugada” suggests that this is an artist capable of accompanying more than just ollies and grinds.
soundcloud.com/coyotebeatz
Tan Frío el Verano (Venezuela)
It’s never easy to stand out in the world of post rock but somehow Venezuela’s Tan Frío el Verano achieve this feat, thanks to songs that always sound personal, full of emotion and occasional set their controls for the heart of the sun, as is the case with “Sensenia”, a pallet-cleanser of a final track to this compilation.
tanfrioelverano.com
Huge thanks to all the artists and labels who agreed to let us use their music.
Artwork based on an image by José Manuel Ríos Valiente
If you missed the download link above, here it is again: mediafire.com?3fxjmorxqo4mkc4
Stay tuned for S&C2, coming later this year…
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