By José Gandue @Gandour
Amidst all the uncertainty surrounding us these days, the opportunities to speak our minds and act are strengthened. Perhaps these are the precise moments to confirm what we have always privately believed: This continent deserves to move forward together towards common solutions and a closer and more consolidated sense of community. The first to understand this are almost always the artists. And the plans that develop from these kinds of ideas often emerge from the most unexpected places. On this occasion, the trio of DJs and producers based in Asunción LPZ, They have digitally published a compilation of eleven recordings from Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia and Paraguay, of sound IDM jungle, electro, house and techno, With this album, they attempt to explain and provide a soundtrack to the current atmosphere in Latin America. Having made this material available to the public just this week on music platforms, we took the opportunity to interview them. Cosmo Lopez, a member of LPZ, to tell us more about this project.
What is Alt Lat 2020 about?
Alt Lat started as an idea a year ago when Amanda Mussi invited me to play in São Paulo, and I met several Latin American producers at that time thanks to her. Amanda is a friend who's very involved with LPZ, which is doing very well. Then Zomvic, a DJ, producer, and event promoter from Buenos Aires, showed me some tracks she was working on, and I liked the idea of compiling several tracks from Latin American artists since we have many friends who are always sending us music. Little by little, things came together, and we ended up with the compilation that was released today, the 11th. tracks of different musical styles, all created on this side of the continent. In total, artists from Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, and our country of birth, Paraguay, participated. A wonderful experience that yielded a result we are very proud of.
Okay, before we go into detail about the compilation, tell me what LPZ is all about.
We are three friends who have been making music together in some capacity for 20 years. We started making drum n bass, then instrumental hip hop, boogie, disco, and about 7-8 years ago we started with house and techno.
Paraguay isn't exactly a popular spot in the world for electronic music. What's the scene like there?
There's a bit of everything. In Asunción, techno has been predominant lately, but the audience seems to crave something more than just that. In Ciudad del Este and Encarnación, the two most populous cities after Asunción, the scene leans more towards house, micro house, and lately, electro. There are many DJs and artists, a large audience, and it's constantly growing. I think the scene here is undoubtedly at its peak.
I imagine that doing these kinds of projects gives them more visibility in the rest of the continent, right?
I imagine so. The idea was to connect different parts of Latin America to create a symbiosis between artists and producers. To represent the continent in some way, since there's so much talent, but perhaps because of the distance, we don't know each other very well.
How was this work curated?
I was in charge of selecting my favorite tracks from those sent to us and then passing them on to the other guys at LPZ for final approval, the same with the artwork and everything else. It's worth noting that Amanda Mussi connected us with many artists we didn't know, so a lot of this is thanks to her.
How would you describe the final result?
It's a compilation with a lot of music that sounds very fresh and well-informed. I think every track on the compilation would fit into a set, and as a whole, they're a very good representation of what's happening in Latin America. I also hope this release opens doors for us to do something similar regularly. There's so much good music out there that deserves to be heard, and we hope to provide a platform for listening through the label.
So, are more compilations like this coming?
Let's hope so, hopefully there will be many more of the same kind.
