By the Zonagirante.com team @spinning zone
It's always good to receive positive news from the electronic music scene in the Americas, especially when it involves new music that brings a breath of fresh air to the landscape and surprises avid fans who are always looking to update their recording collections. The team at Bestiary Collective, resident in Lima, has compiled a collection of productions and remixes made exclusively with Peruvian talent, which, to be honest, is quite pleasing to the ear, even for those who aren't used to delving into the arts of techno music and similar genres. The collection of tracks is called Aeon Wave: Neo Synth and Dance Tracks from Lima's Underground, and it sounds somewhere between ethereal, darkwave and synthwave, Its composition features synthesizers, original vocal arrangements, theremins, percussion, ethnic sounds, and other very distinctive elements. Its roster of artists includes Blue Velvet, Theremyn 4, Server y Fem/Bot, And now, when it's time for the remixes, the guests are... Alejandro Cuestas, zpectrum, Seb, Qosmiqu, Monoperpol and Tuff Soul. To mark the release of this compilation, we spoke with Sebastian Carty, from Bestiary, for more details on the subject.
What is it about? Aeon Wave?
The idea for the compilation arose from the need to diversify Lima's music scene. Many electronic music enthusiasts here listen to a limited range of genres or styles, mostly those for parties or dancing, and we wanted to offer something different. So we looked among the projects we knew in the city and chose those with a classic vibe, meaning they don't go out of style. In fact, we also tried to avoid commercialism, as we consider the projects involved to be quite unique and they make their music with love and passion. Once we had the original tracks from the first four duos, we searched among producers/DJs with a more "party" vibe. We chose one for each genre. underground that we've heard around here, so that the compilation is also a representation of the scene. .
How would you describe the sound of the compilation for those who aren't too involved in the electronic music scene?
The first part of Aeon Wave consists of six tracks from four projects, each with a synthwave and darkwave feel. The synthwave, in our opinion, takes us back a few years, evoking sounds similar to those of old video games and a fun sonic aesthetic from the '80s and '90s. The darkwave projects have a more ethereal and sensual vibe, brimming with emotion.
For the second part, we have six more tracks and one bonus track, These are more danceable remixes of the previous tracks. They showcase three different styles of house music (the predominant style in the scene): a smooth and emotional one by Monoperpol, a much faster and dirtier one by Tuff Soul, and finally two (including the bonus trackAlejandro Cuestas delivered a "funny house" remix with off-beat elements and a more danceable feel. Next, zpectrum created a fast-paced acid techno remix, and with his other project, Qosmiqu, a global club remix with more ethnic sounds. Finally, Seb brought us the last genre of the scene with a new beat remix. The first synthwave projects were Server and Theremyn_4. The latter combined Andean ethnic sounds with the genre. Then, for darkwave, Blue Velvet and Fem/Bot participated.
It's difficult to define the sound of the compilation in general, but in summary, it consists of synthwave and darkwave tracks with dance remixes of the different styles that are heard in Lima.
How do you feel the level of Peruvian electronic music compares to what is seen in the rest of the world?
Talent and creativity abound! There are many unique projects with incredible musical skill. The big problem is that the scene hasn't developed compared to Latin America and the rest of the world. In Lima, for example, we don't even have a single club anymore. underground (Even before the pandemic) and it's difficult to find venues to host small events. Specializing in and making a living from electronic music without going commercial is extremely difficult, so we opted for other ways to generate income. I think the electronic music scene is overshadowed because many people aren't willing to listen to something new at parties, much less "non-club" electronic music. That's why it's so important to release a variety of music to reach a wider audience.
Do you plan to make new compilations?
Yes! We're working on scheduling releases across different genres. Bestiary means a compilation of beasts; for us, each style is a beast, an ephemeral sonic creature that exists in our minds since sound isn't tangible. We don't want to be pigeonholed into a single style, so we have several series on our accounts based on energy and emotion. For example, we have content and will continue releasing mixes and tracks of Hard Dance (like techno, hardcore, gabber, jungle), Soft Dance (different styles of house, disco, and global club), electronic music for listening (like ambient and downtempo), and some more experimental tracks. We want to support the local scene but also showcase unique projects from abroad, collaborating with everyone.
Do you have plans for Latin America?
We'd like to focus our content first on Latin America and then expand gradually. It would be great to organize launches and events here with international artists, initially highlighting our Latin roots. But it's also important to include more international artists so we can all gain more exposure in the future.