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Albums Of The Week: Various Artists | Back Up: Mexican Tecno Pop 1980​-​1989

Think the Europeans have a monopoly on robotic techno? Think again, amigo.

THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE:Back Up: Mexican Tecno Pop brings us 10 divergent tracks of Mexican electronics from 1980-1989, full of skittering analog drum boxes and saucy synthesizer hooks. Eight of these songs were culled from the 2005 CD-only compilation Backup: Expediente Tecno Pop. Also included are two previously unreleased cuts. This release marks the first time many of these songs will have appeared on vinyl; it is also the first vinyl compilation of Mexican New Wave and post-punk.

While synth-pop and obscure electronics from Europe and the United States have been extensively documented, much less attention has been paid to such offerings from the periphery. Back Up serves as a vital document of Mexico’s flourishing DIY scene in the 1980’s, surveying a wide range of styles and moods. By using home recording techniques, the bands featured here were able to circumvent relying on the expensive studios of the era. Tracks by Avant Garde, Vandana and Silueta Pálida mine the kind of dreary-but-infectious wave that long-time fans will celebrate. Meanwhile, Volti and Artefacto offer a floor-ready pop sound that has echoes of N.Y. freestyle, with Latin percussion and boxy beats. But darker turns are present as well, with Década 2’s New Beat-inflections and electro experiments of Syntoma and their side project Escuadrón Del Ritmo.

Back Up: Mexican Tecno Pop was remastered by  George Horn at Fantasy Studios. The sleeve is a neon retro-futurist design by Gwenaël Rattke.”

 

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