Music Various – América Invertida LP Clearance

Synth ambiences, acoustic landscapes, deep songwriting and subtle candombe percussions combine in most of the musical output released in Uruguay during the 80s. A very unique sound was developed within the narrow boundaries of Montevideo, the country’s capital city, by just a small group of very talented artists. These sounds reverberated in singer-songwriting (Eduardo Darnauchans, Fernando Cabrera, Estela Magnone), jazz fusion approximations (Hugo Fattoruso’s La Escuelita), experimental music (Leo Maslíah, Hugo Jasa) and the work of musicians at the intersections of these worlds (Jaime Roos, Mariana Ingold).

In “América Invertida”, ethereal vocal arrangements and acoustic guitars cohabit with synthesizers and drum machines; Candombe and Latin American music form a fellowship with new wave and dream pop.

However, the overwhelming musical harvest produced by giant neighbours, Brazil and Argentina, shadowed any attempt for this scene to transcend beyond the local market. It’s only now, a few decades later, when some of those records have achieved cult status among a discreet group of collectors that try hard to get hold of those titles, pressed in only tiny numbers at the time. No wonder, the timeless beauty of these songs remains in full effect while retaining the uniqueness of a sound resulting from multiple cultural encounters on the streets of Montevideo.

This compilation, “América Invertida”, reveals part of this hidden world. It veers towards the most experimental side of Uruguayan singer-songwriting of the 80s, both from an acoustic and electronic point of view (with artists who moved between both universes) as well as towards instrumental fusion.

Compiled by Spanish DJ and collector Javi Bayo. Extensive liner notes by Uruguayan journalist and music expert Andrés Torrón.

 Tracklist:

1. Desencanto
2. Tras Tus Ojos
3. De Los Relojeros
4. Kabumba
5. El Chi-Li-Ban-Dan
6. En Este Momento
7. Capitulos
8. Llamada Insolita
9. Y El Tiempo Pasa
10. Bombinhas
11. A Ustedes