The good people at Soundfriend a blog dedicated to sharing what music leaders are listening to – asked me what I was currently listening to and this is what I told them:

This is what I’m listening to right now out of a small independent net label from Argentina that releases music from South America called Pakapi Records. Pakapi is a Quechua word meaning “occult” or “hidden.” 

I’ve been craving to hear sounds directly from places, directly from my peers and what excites them right now where they live rather than through filters who merely can afford the access to these sounds and who stand to benefit the most from this sort of cultural tourism. Not saying there isn’t important sharing going on but nonetheless, I’m searching for source — to hear the voice of my peers who live in South America directly. We have the tools to do that now, so why not seek it out? 

It’s a never ending search and exciting to get clued in and connected with cultural workers like Pakapi’s Guillermo Cerredo, who I’m always happy to discover, are just as mutant and influenced by as many things as I am! I learned about these guys when they selected past client Efrain Rozas of the psychedelic salsa band out of NYC via Lima, La Mecanica Popular for a great compilation you should hear.