We all know the Universals and the Warners and Sonys of the world. But what about the Ban Bangs and the Cosmicas and the Mamushka Dogs? These Latin indie labels are turning out some of the brightest gems in the scene, repping the artists of tomorrow, not necessarily today’s. But we’re all about looking ahead here at Remezcla and finding what our grandkids will be listening to, so when they do listen to it, we can be super snobby and look down on our passe grandchildren’s interests. Luckily, some of the premier indie disqueras of now are willing to partake in the future gang up of our children. -PCG
We’re gonna turn things around here. Heck, we’re gonna get raucous with this one. But before I go any further, I ain’t gonna give you analytical reviews of any fancy fretwork compositions, elaborate chord progressions, or descriptors of jaw-dropping melodies for this sixth installment of El Mix. Instead, I’m gonna embrace my strong likes for the simplicity of three major chord ditties (with distortions!), that purposely omit any technical and ornamental mixolydian scales. So why don’t we talk about tunes with blast beat drumming and boisterous fusions that convey expressions about something other than self-centered shit? — So no conventional personal-problem jams for this one. Let’s go punk!
I’m thrilled to present this curation by this month’s featured indie label, LA’s Punk Outlaw Records! 11 kickass tracks, 9 great underground and emerging punk artists hailing from countries such as Ecuador, Colombia, Uruguay and even Russia, Trinidad & Tobago and more, with crossings in surf, rockabilly and skate. Below of our playlist, you’ll find the track lists of bands in the compilation, what country they’re based, what style of music they play, and links to their sites. I’m sure these tracks speak for themselves. Also read our Q&A below with founder of Punk Outlaw, Robert Rose. Viva la punk!
DOWNLOAD THE SIXTH INSTALLMENT OF EL MIX, DEAD OR ALIVE, CURATED BY PUNK OUTLAW RECORDS.
El Mix Vol. 6: Dead or Alive!
Track list
1) Rudos Wild (Punkabilly) – Uruguay – “Cocktail Hard”
2) Los Suziox (Punk) – Colombia – “Revolución”
3) DMTR (Demeter) (Punk) – Ecuador – “Sin Balas Sin Fronteras”
4) Freddie and The Drillers (Surf) – Russia – “La Curva Peligrosa”
5) Anti-Everything (Punk) – Trinidad & Tobago – “EverydayCitizen”
6) Nueva Once (Skate Punk) – Colombia – “The Other Side of My Mind”
7) Dorados (Rockabilly) – Colombia – “Betty Page”
8) Lokekeda (Punk) – Colombia – “Espinas Asesinas”
9) Rudos Wild – “On the Road”
10) Los Suxioz – “Historia de Tres Amigos”
11) Los Ultraman (Surf) – Uruguay – “Horror Beach”
Q&A with Robert Rose of Punk Outlaw
How did Punk Outlaw Records begin?
It began as a germ of an idea when I was working on my blog punkoutlaw.com and documentary Punktology interviewing bands in Latin America. I was super impressed with the strong punk scenes there and the great music being put out, just for the love of it. I wanted to come up with a way to share this great music with fans in North America and beyond. I officially started the label about a year ago.
You currently have Los Suziox and Rudos Wild on the roster. Is your label now collaborating with the other bands on El Mix?
We began with just two bands because I wanted to make sure I could make this idea work first. I picked two personal favorite artists and went from there. Now we plan to expand the roster and include other related genres like rockabilly, psychobilly, ska, surf, etc. We just recently signed Dorados rockabilly trio from Medellin, Colombia, and we’re working with several bands on a compilation to benefit the punks in Cuba who have no protected freedom of expression. That effort, also called “Punktology” will hopefully be out in late 2011.
You also collaborate with groups in Russia and Trinidad & Tobago. So it’s not exclusively Latin artists?
I don’t believe in geographical borders but I do believe in the power of travel and music, so wherever I hear music that I think needs to be heard, I’m game. Given my professional background in U.S. Hispanic TV and penchant for travel in Latin America, Latin bands are perhaps a natural start and I think represent a unique opportunity. In California for example, punk and the 3 billies are huge and at least half of that audience is Latin. I think they’d really like to hear some good music going on south of the border they’ve probably never heard before. Of course good music transcends language and ethnicity, so I’ll go ahead and be clichéd and say it’s not about anything but the music and the philosophy of that music.
Tell me about your doc Punktology and how that ties into your label?
Punktology the documentary is a labor of love that will take a long time and many passport stamps to produce like I want. The blog and corresponding label all sort of work hand in hand getting out the message that punks the world over have in the meantime.
What are the future plans for Punk Outlaw?
Continue the blog and working on the documentary. Maybe start a punkabilly clothing line someday. And of course sign more bands with more genres of music and hopefully, more success for the bands we currently have. After almost a year living in South America working on this and another project (a travel show) I’m finally making my way to Los Angeles, which is ground zero for what we’re trying to do so I’m really looking forward to spreading the word about these bands in the U.S. of A!