Sounds and Colours: 10 Years

I’ve met Mexicans into Spanish oi, Bolivians addicted to Jamaican ska, and Argentinians obsessed with Celtic folk. They produce fanzines, books and blogs, forming tribes across borders. In return, UK audiences mainly get to hear about Brazilian superstars, re-releases of tango classics and the occasional cumbia or psychedelic rock revival. Ten years ago, Russ Slater launched Sounds and Colours to give English-speakers access to Latin America’s flourishing contemporary music and cultural scenes. To celebrate a decade of print publications, web-based reportage and reviews, and novel releases, and to generate funds to survive into the next one, this 25-track compilation draws on a deep, diverse pool of talent.

To offer a sampling, ‘Motivos’ by Argentina’s Cineplexx is a clubby disco-synthpop-neoclassical hybrid, ESDLCP from Chile perform a spacey dance number bearing the very corona title ‘New Normality’, while Pernett, from Colombia, offer up a raw, funky, very urban rap. Or how about a bossa-inflected, Caetano-style acoustic cover of Kraftwerk’s ‘Neon Lights’ by Brazil’s Kassim? Or Paraguayan-Turkish duo Santi & Tuğçe, whose ‘Respira’ melds mellow vocals in the Victor Jara mould with a pulsating retro electronica backing track? All the tracks are new or rare, and for most audiences the artists will be, too, though the exhilarating sequence does include ‘Desdibujando’, a twangy slow cumbia collaboration by Orkesta Mendoza, Mexican Institute of Sound and Calexico. The download costs a tenner. That would be good value even in hyper-inflationary Buenos Aires. Support a valuable cultural cause and have a listen to the newest music from the New World.