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

PIREXIA

 

You just can't get away with this shit now, but listen to PIREXIA and you might wonder: why the fukk not?! Because melodic punk doesn't sounds this angry anymore and furious hardcore isn't supposed to have sing along choruses...or is it? Sometimes rules are enforced for a reason - social order, general well being, and so on - but sometimes rules are stupid and/or oppressive. As a general rule, rules should be questioned first and followed when (and only if) appropriate. These kids from Uruguay didn't give a shit about your Northern Hemisphere punk rules when they recorded Castigo... in 1998. Gang background vocals, stop/start erratic hardcore riffs, rap/rock, emo tinged passionate DIY punk - it all works and it's all here. Also, the tape starts to fukk up real bad near the end of the first side but I just let it roll. I don't care about rules either. 

CASTIGO...

DIVISION BURZACO

 

Leave it to a French label to unleash crucial Uruguayan hardcore on the rest of the world. Nine burners clocking in well under a quarter hour, and as good as the whole damn thing is we still need to take a minute to let "No Somos Invencibles, Pero Estamos Unidxs" sink in. Shit sounds like early '90s DIY NYC hardcore (yeah, I'm talking about that band) while drawing from raw '00s fastcore. The simple brutality of that 0:58 song (I think there are six chords total, split between two riffs and a bridge) is a thing of pure beauty. 

DIVISION BURZACO

LUCHAR POR VIVIR

Two tracks from 1997 that would appear on their Inocente Mundo de Sueños demo the following year, Uruguay's LUCHAR POR VIVIR are the kind of thick neck hardcore that only seems to catch on with the punk kids when no one is looking. And this morning...no one is looking. So throw the lid up on that hoodie and put your mean mug on. I don't need this shit often, but when it's time, nothing else will hit the spot. 

ANIVERSARIO '97

MALA INFLUENCIAS

It opens like a ...And Justice For All-era influenced crossover thing, but then it turns into an amalgamation of metallic hardcore, crunchy guitar '90s melodic punk and about five other things that could only have existed on the same recording in that glorious but lost decade of punk when there were no suppositions, no rules, and you just simply liked what you liked and played what you wanted to play. Clean guitar surf break in "Un Dia En La Vida" before breaking into third wave ska? Why the fukk not - and it rules. 

APRENDIENDO A VIVIR

FUZZY // ASUNTO PENDIENTE

No secret that I have a soft spot for the stuff that we all called "melodic hardcore" in 1994, I bought the "Liza & Louise" single just like many of you did, and, even though I purged mine years ago, I'll still tap my toes when I hear it. But what I really like is that kind of music played by DIY punks, because it somehow sounds different and somehow sounds better. That's how ASUNTO PENDIENTE strike me; high energy catchy punk with excessive backing vocals (and whoa-whoas) and that middle ground between pop punk, hardcore, and quality college rock. Countrymen FUZZY skip the high energy hardcore and just go straight for JAWBREAKER styled crooning melodic punk (except on "Pasión," a burner with a driving pogo beat that makes me wonder what else these kids had up their sleeves), and pull it off perfectly without ever sounding like a soulless clone of anything at all. Both bands are from Uruguay and left a limited discography, so enjoy what you get your ears on.

FUZZY // ASUNTO PENDIENTE

CUCSIFAE // PIREXIA

Great split from two South American bands who have stopped by for visits to The Escape in the past. Argentina's CUCSIFAE are shamelessly catchy, hyper energetic punk...this recording has a little more teeth than the 1996 recording I posted here. PIREXIA tracks are way more developed than the two song jammer I shared a while back - bouncy and emotional punk from Uruguay that seems to hit harder when they slow down. This is confusing, because fast punk is better punk....or is it?

SOÑANDO NATURAL PARA NO MORIR RADIACTIVO 

PURPURA

Late '90s straight edge fastcore from Uruguay...think about MOHINDER's off the rails mania with touches of melodic (or dare I say emotional?) delivery. PURPURA are raw, honest and...is it lame if I say pure considering the name of the band? More importantly: do I care? Pure Punk Power - sometimes I still miss the '90s.

XPURPURAX

straight edge es punk // punk es oposición

LUCHAR POR VIVIR

I know that thickneck hardcore probably isn't your thing, but holy shit does this tape totally hit the spot right now. Burly vocals (the growls and the rhythmic barking borrowed from hip hop), endless riffs that young men in basketball jerseys would do that stupid windmill dancing to in the late '90s...kinda makes me want to pull up my hood down real low over my face and look menacing. I'm not very good at it, but I still want to try. A total guilty pleasure here, and the fact that this tape is so primitive (and somewhat out of tune from time to time) might be what keeps me from purging it. I think they were from Uruguay...now Let's Go!!

INOCENTE MUNDO DE SUEÑUS

PIREXIA

A two song banger from Uruguay that came to me wrapped in plastic with no information or artwork. PIREXIA started in in the mid '90s and their emotionally charged sounds are indicative of the driving, forceful hardcore that dominated much of the decade. While this was my first exposure (and it was relatively recent), it led me down a glorious rabbit hole of South American hardcore. 

PIREXIA

AVITACION 101

This tape is an absolute stunner. Uruguays's AVITACION 101 capture the power of '90s personally driven hc/crust and the European bands of the same era that started venturing into chaotic emotional territory (so basically I'm saying it's like AKEPHAL crossed with LOGICAL NONSENSE). The guitars are positively screaming throughout with discordant leads soaring over the top, but the vocals are the focal point of the recording. High end impassioned screams that remind me more than a little bit of Mariam (PERMANENT RUIN, CONDENADA) are backed sporadically with low crust growls, but those lead vocals will pierce you and hold you like a vice. Listening to this will sound like stepping into a time warp for some, but for others it will open a door. 

AVITACION 101

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!

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.