D.I.Y. CONSPIRACY VOL.2

 

Sometimes with the comps I don't know if it's better to just go: "here. it's a comp. the tracks generally fall into ____ genre. enjoy?" or if I should dissect the shit track by track. It's even harder with collections that aren't genre specific because the dissection can get really pedantic and I feel like I'm gonna lose you...and I don't want to lose you. So anyway....here's a compilation. I've posted a few of these Covid-era collections previously and I'm pleased to say that reaching for a 'new' volume still gives me those good shivvers because I know I'm about to bump a bunch of tracks I've never heard from bands Ive never heard of. This second volume is more about the catchy almost-garage shits, and listeners would be forgiven if they mentioned SOVIETTES and./or REATARDS when referring to bands like GULG BEACH and LA VASE, but then there are some rippers on the flip from GHETTO GOSPEL and SKARA and there are some primitive blackened punk/metal shits from UDDA so maybe there isn't any kind of theme at all. Maybe the intent was just to collect a bunch of good ass bands from all over this flat-ass planet and present them in one place for you to listen to. If so? Success.

DIY CONSPIRACY VOL.2

FUTUR INCIERTO

 

If you feel like spending time with melodic '90s punk bands from Peru, then might I suggest starting with Lima's FUTUR INCIERTO? I know what you're thinking here, you're thinking "You just handed me my ass with that IMPALERS tape yesterday, I don't think I'm ready to be further disconnected from my body." Or maybe you're thinking "I don't really need any more melodic '90s Peruvian punk in my life." And either of thoughts are forgivable....until you look at this fool's glasses. Resistance is futile, my friends.

...TAN LEJOS

ANFO

 

If you were digging through crates in the early '00s, then you came across ANFO records. The La Sangre.... EP seemed to be in every bin for a while, the split with D.F.C. was my first exposure to the Brazilian thrashers (who I'd finally get to see ten years later) and there  and I feel like there's probably a CD (or two) sitting on my CD shelf (ok - shelves)....but naturally, it's the tapes. There are a couple of splits that predate LatinoAmerica Resiste, and this first full length length harnesses all of that power and then some. Throaty, churning political crust punk - emphasis on punk, you know? I wonder what would happen if a band like this dropped in 2023, but I know what happened the first time I heard ANFO: I got chills. Shit is real. 

LATINOAMERICA RESISTE

****

EL FUTURO ES NUESTRO

 

A beautiful time capsule from the turn of the century featuring twenty five DIY hardcore and punk bands from Latin America (and the Latin American diaspora in the United States). For those who were in the mix in real time, you'll recognize ACCION DIRETA, AUTONOMIA, FUERZA X, KONTRAATTAQUE, ABUSO SONORO and perhaps a few more. Lurking just out of the range of most North American ears were bands like PERSONAL CHOICE, LUCHAR POR VIVIR, POLIKARPA Y SUS VICIOSAS, ANFO, PIREXIA, and LLOKALLA FEO. Then there ar the bands that were new discoveries altogether: 7'31, LA SANTA INQUISICIÓN, PUTREFACCIÓN, NUESTRAS SEÑORA VIOLENCIA. The 'first world" punk blinders do such a terrible disservice to punks, so start digging.

EL FUTURO ES NUESTRO: 25 BANDAS LATINAS

LAS RATAPUNKS

 

Came across LAS RATAPUNKS somewhat by chance, and now I can't fukkn stop listening to Ishguin. Instantly hits like Colombia's DEAD HERO with a penchant for bouncy aggressive punk...and addictive, also addictive. Yk's lead vocals are piercing and insistent, punctuated by powerful femme choruses and driven by a swarm of guitar that saws through riffs instead of simply delivering them. It's rare to find a band that sounds this....real - LAS RATAPUNKS embody the fierce determination that can only come with optimism - they fucking mean it and you can fucking feel it when you listen. 

ISHGUIN

SOLIDARIDAD CON VOZ Y RUIDO

 

I want more compilations. Region specific. Ideologically focused. Benefits comps. Killer bands on the same comp just because they are killer bands. Compilations curated by someone who wants other people to hear the bands that the curator likes. Compilations designed to give a voice to bands and/or issues that get overlooked. All of them. Solidaridad Con Voz y Ruido is some of many of the above - released in Puerto Rico around the turn of the century and reissued on cassette in Mexico shortly after, there are twenty three doses of femme focused hardcore punk from all over Europe and Central/South America. Melodic hardcore/punk, abrasive hardcore, raw punk, clenched fist protest punk, throw your arm around your comrade's shoulder and sing every word out loud punk...and it all means something. I want more compilations. 

SOLIDARIDAD CON VOZ Y RUIDO

INKAQUENAS

 

Peruvian folk circa 1981, rescued from a Nevada junk shop circa 2021. Does the pan flute start to grate a little around "Pirulay Puka Pulie Racha?" Perhaps. But do the strings in "Lago Titicaca" (and especially near the end of "Poco A Poco") more than make up for it? Definitely. 

VOL. III

FESTIVAL FOLKLORICO INSTRUMENTAL

 

Sometimes escapes are more necessary than others. Sometimes escapes are more helpful than others. Sometimes escape is simply the safest path towards survival. Volumen 1 may provide you that escape, as it did me. The things that consume you in this world cannot touch you for the next 35 minutes. It's not ironic, it's beautiful. It's therapeutic. Favorite journeys: WAYKOPAC, LOS MORUNOS and ALVARO LAGOS. 

VARIOS ARTISTAS: FESTIVAL FOLKLORICO INSTRUMENTAL

SOUNDS OF DEFIANCE

 

I should just be able to list the bands and if you weren't already aware of this 1987 comp then you should be salivating. So....DARK AGE (Switzerland, ex-THE DECAY), BAD ATTITUDE (Germany), INSTIGATORS (UK), 16 BLSÂRE UTAN HJÄRNA (Sweden), KRULL (France), UNIFIED FIELD (USA), NO CONTROL (Australia), SCOUNDRELS (Holland), G-3 (Peru), PRESIDENT FETCH (Denmark), R.I.P. (Spain). Not too shabby for a comp put together by some kids from South Dakota, I suppose. More mix tapes, more comp tapes, more international collections. 

SOUNDS OF DEFIANCE

KOLUMNA BURRUTI

This is one of the most primal DBeat projects I've ever come across - pure and unrestrained filth from start to finish. Lima, Peru's KOLUMNA BURRUTI is (was?) a solo project, and I dare say that I hope the band starts and ends with this tape if only to keep from tainting a near perfect discography. Ten tracks of raw and full bodied DBeat hardcore punk in just over nine minutes, the entire focus is on simplicity and power; the darkness and distortion seem to just come naturally....Tapes Nöt Dead is a real one, punks.  

TAPES NÖT DEAD

SOLO SE OYE PUNK

You've seen these comps before...I mean, if you have paid attention to The Escape then you have seen them before. There are four volumes of Solo Se Oye Punk (that I know of), and I might argue that this one is the most crucial (though Volume 1 is pretty fukkn essential) - basically, this is the perfect international hardcore punk mix tape. The one that your friend never made you because your friend didn't have the KORO single and had never heard of RAPPRESAGLIA. It's like internet-era punk making the pre-internet-era tape you wish had helped you change your life instead of listening to DEPECHE MODE until you were 17 and then finally figuring out that Punk Rules and that yes, you do need to listen to ATAQUE FRONTAL to be happy. This one leans heavy on Italy, USA and Sweden (I guess that's fair), but Finland, Japan, Poland, Spain and Peru make notable appearances. File under: Essential. 

HARDCORE

LOS LOCOS

Killer collection of Latin American punk rock and dark punk. Heaps of bands I was unfamiliar with (8 BOLAS, TODOS TUS ROUERTOS, POLO PEPO) and some that most studious punks will be familiar with (INOCENTES, AS MERCENARIAS, LEUZEMIA, ALERTA ROJA). Top tracks: LUXURIA's "Luxuria Insatisfecha" and the hopelessly out of tune untitled creamer from SIZE. First side is punk, and then the flip ventures into the new wave/goth sounds of the '80s...this is why mix tapes (still) rule.

LOS LOCOS - A Latino Punk Mixtape For The Punks

NO MORIR SI!

In short, this is a killer compilation of South American punk and hardcore, nothing short of essential. A lengthier description would include meeting a member of FRACASO in Vancouver a few weeks back and having a great time hanging out and talking about punk and politics and life and then he gave me this tape he made for a friend. That bit of background isn't really all that much longer, but you should be spending your day listening to this tape, not reading my words.

NO MORIR SI!

RATAS RABIÖSAS

Instead of asking why, it might be better to just play this shit at maximum volume. RATAS RABIÖSAS are raw as shit, vocals distorted to oblivion and packed with intensity while the band tupa-tupas their way through fifteen minutes of primal punk rock stripped down to the barest of essentials. Song titles were tough to navigate on this one, so the tracks are merely numbered (notice I've included the band's song titles, so you are welcome to decipher for yourself). This is not pretty.

RATAS RABIOSÄS

DESTRUYE, HUYE, KREA

The folks at Alta Intensidaz Tapes can seemingly do no wrong. The MIERDA tape rules, SENTENCIA still gets regular spins at TEHQ, and this gem from 2009 is perfectly raw Spanish styled punk, surging forward with the subtlety of a tidal wave. The bass at the start of "Jode Lo Maz Ke Puedaz" personifies the ramshackle descriptor, this is lo-fi punk at it's absolute best.

ODIO TU KUMBIA MODERNA

LATINOCORE

I've toured a lot. I've played shows in places that many people might consider weird or off the beaten path, and I consider myself very lucky to have done so. But FUKK do I want to do an extensive tour in South America, and this tape comp only makes it worse. Well over an hour of raw and uncompromising sounds from Peru (SABOTAJE, AUTONOMIA, DISPAREUNIA, DISLEXIA), Ecuador (INNFELICES, LA DEMENCIA EXTREMA), Colombia (POLIKARPA Y SUS VICIOSAS, EX-KOMBRO, OPOZICIÓN - love the fukkn horns!), Chile (SIN APOYO), Uruguay (BASQUADE INCHALA), Paraguay (200 MUERTOS), Argentina (DISVASTACION, MIGRA VIOLENTA), Venuzuela (APATIA NO, KOLUMPIO BANKITO) and Mexico, Puerto Rico, Chile, Brasil, Bolivia (I am racking my brain trying to remember is PSICOSIS SOCIAL was the band we went to see in La Paz in 2002, but I swear that band played DEEP PURPLE covers and not raw metallic hardcore)....fukk man, this shit is beyond comprehensive. The emphasis is on hardcore punk, and the level of quality is outstanding. 49 songs from 31 bands, fans of international hardcore and the world of underground DIY would be remiss to pass this one up.

LATINOCORE I

LATINOCORE II

In a rare diversion from the cassette-only format, today you also get the CDr comp Latinocore II. More of the same, 48 tracks from 36 bands. Several worthy repeats and some excellent new additions: EX-KUPIDOS (Peru), JUSTICA FINAL (Chile), INSOLENTES (Mexico), SIN PATRIA (Colombia), ATAQUE FRONTAL (Peru), RAMIROS (Panama) and a shitload more. What's even more awesome, all this shit was released by a dude from Slovakia.

SOLO SE OYE PUNK VOL. 1

Wanna know one way to make a scene? Make mix tapes. Wanna know one reason why so many killer bands keep cropping up from the overlooked enclaves of inner Los Angeles? Silenzio Statico. The first volume in the never ending quest to turn Los Angeles into punk utopia featured Mexican and South American heavyweights from the '80s, and I dare say that few people could have done a better job selecting tracks from that era/area. Side 1 is dedicated to Brasil (RATOS DE PORÃO, LOBOTOMIA, CÓLERA, OHLO SECO), while the flip hit Mexico (MASSACRE 68, AGROTOXXXICO), Peru (DESCONTROL, EUTANASIA) and Argentina (LOS VIOLADORES). If you feel like you need an introduction (or a refresher course), then you probably do - and this is where you get it. 

SUDAMERICANO/MEXICANO DE LOS '80s

NO PASARAN!

I skipped over No Pasaran! several times, justifying my bias with the forgettable cover art and the late '80s release date. But pop this baby in the player and watch me eat my shorts, because this is one of the best international compilation tapes I've unearthed at TEHQ. Two ragers from Peru start the tape, PANICO and the recently reissued AUTOPSIA, but as great as these raw punk tunes are, they pale in comparison to Yugoslavia's QUOD MASSACRE - this tape is my first and only exposure to them, but the four tunes included are all classic and dark punk, simultaneously reminiscent of '70s UK and catchy '80s German shits, theirs are by far the best songs on the tape. Several songs from JUVENTUD LA KAIGUA and ERUCTO MALDONADO (both from Peru), France's PARIAPUNK, post-SUBHUMANS band CULTURE SHOCK (they don't really fit on the tape, but they are the reason I have it, so no complaints here), plus G03 and DECONTROL. The raw Peruvian rippers would be worth the whole tape, but throw in the QUOD MASSACRE shit and the French and UK punk? That doesn't make me a tape peddler...that makes me a nice fukkn guy. Now say thank you for the best 60 minutes of your day.

NO PASARAN!