Longtime friend of the blog Hector Javier Ayala collaborates with saxophonist Christophe Rieger to produce a slow, languid jazz album which has reference points in spaghetti western soundtracks and bossa nova, as well a touch of music from Mexico.
Tag: Mexico
Los Camperos de Valles are Huastecan musicians and are considered to be national treasures in their native Mexico. This album, released by Smithsonian-Folkways, serves as a great introduction to the sound of son huasteco.
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Ophtalmologist – Julius Vernus Explorator
It’s quite a rare thing for music titles, especially instrumental tracks, to actually match the music produced. A case in point was a four-album noise release whose name I happily forgot trying to reference a classic of literature. No need to embarrass the artist or the writer, but it seemed that the choice of subject wasn’t appropriate for the music (at least to my humble ears). This is not such a case. Ophtalmologist is the artistic name of Theodoros Hernandez, a Greek-Mexican composer who might be working out of France. He specializes in what I would assume is ambient drone, but it’s a rather vigorous and seaworthy. Yes, you read that right!
The title of the album references one of my favorite writers of my childhood, the ever-magnificent Jules Verne. I wasn’t quite sure of what to expect, but after playing the track Meridiani Planum, I felt the immediate need to go 20,000 leagues under the sea. The album as a whole is filled with fine drone, but it is not run-of-the-mill. Something special is happening, at least in the first half, of this album. It becomes more comfortable and familiar after track 3, but this is not to say I lost interest. It is a solid listen all the way through, and that magnificent beginning hooked my attention for the rest of the album.
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Yamila – Visions
Mexican composer Yamila produces music similar to Rock-In-Opposition legends like Art Zoyd, Univers Zéro and fellow countrymen Decibel. The music is heavy, brooding, and dense. From her label, Umor Rex’s Bandcamp site:
“Her voice and music –sometimes torn and others buoyant– could resemble the score for a biblical passage (ie. visions of the Apocalypse), for they are overflowing with physical ecstasy and sounds that one can touch. Visions is composed of different forms and rhythms. Pieces like “Visions V” evolve intensely with sharp and systematized hits ––powerful layers that bring us closer to Alessando Cortini’s Forse era. “Visions II”, for its part, shares intensity and power with flamenco ritual patterns, as if it were an old Andalusian scene dripping with oscillations and electric shocks. Yet there are luminous vocal pieces such as “Visions I” (featuring Rafael Anton Irisarri), inspired by Manuel de Falla’s Suite Española composed in 1922. Here, an aural chiaroscuro with beautiful voices and choirs is deeply fused with daring drones. And it is in the ensemble of moments of Visions where Yamila’s conceptual axis is rendered solid. Pain and glory, lacerating religiosity, feminism cauterized by power, and hallucinations as a source (or pretext/tool) to be heard.
In honor of Cinco de Mayo, we present you a new post-rock band out of Mexico City called A Shelter In The Desert. The band’s sound incorporates a lot of shoegaze sounds and has a cinematic vibe to it. Impressive, and worth exploring.
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H.J. Ayala – Le Corps Sacré
This is the second guitar-based album we’ve had the pleasure of reviewing this week. This one comes from Mexican-French guitarist Hector (H.J.) Ayala who works out of Strasbourg, France.
The album is a gentle, twangy, pleasantly meandering collection of tones which belong to a film which has not yet been made. Ayala continues to develop his mastery of the guitar and the ambience he brings to his compositions. Another solid release.
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Muva – Yum Cháak
Mexico’s new music scene is criminally underrated, which is a shame considering the immense talent hidden there. Yes, of course, we love boleros, the folk songs out of Veracruz and Yucatan, and the insanely good psychedelic music of the 1960s and 1970s, the Rock-In-Opposition of bands like Nazca, Decibel and Banda Elástica, all worthy listening.
Let us introduce you to a new group called Muva. They evoke a cinematic aesthetic which combines atmospheres of many national cultures (think Scotland, Mali and Israel) surrounded by elements of rock, electronic, classical, tribal music and jazz improvisations. It’s not quite any genre, but perhaps they are forging a unique path, because, outside of a rare few bands and labels, I rarely encounter such sounds.
¡Demasiado kosmiche…! Two absolute legends in electronic music grace these pages with a combination whose name cracks me up, but whose music entinces. Ramón Amezcua is best known under his nom de plume Bostich and is known as the godfather of the Nortec scene which combines hard electronic music with Norteño music and banda into a radically different form of the sort of electronica produced either Stateside or in Europe. Harald Grosskopf played drums for progressive rock bands like Wallenstein, Ashra and appeared on quite a few albums by Klaus Schulze, as well as releasing Synthesist, which is today considered a classic in electronic music. Decades on, both composers are still at the height of their compositional powers, though I must admit to liking the slightly nostalgic feel of some of these tracks. It’s definitely music for the 21st century, but the old Kraut (and Norteño) in me can’t help but reminisce at how good these musicians have been for so very long.
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Secret Agent – Mata Hari EP
Combining surf rock, garage rock, touches of psych and having a generally lo-fi vibe to it, Mexico City’s Secret Agent combine a couple of cool instrumentals with two sung tracks, including the title track, Mata Hari, featuring Vince Montes Rivera, which you can listen to below: