N.A.P.A.

The irony here is that this rudimentary bare bones du-pah-du-pah-du-pah early '00s punk from Ecuador is really not that far from the sound that today's kids are trying to pull off. But you can't fake this kind of urgency, you can't manufacture this kind of determination, and N.A.P.A. are hitting these tracks a force that can't be copied. "No Puede Ser" is the perfect example, the awkward 1-2-1-2 giving way to an off the rails attack at the 0:48 mark that clearly pushes the limits of the band's abilities. Vocals struggling under the white hiss guitar distortion that's competing with that washed out hi hat cymbals, just to give way to moments like the drum/vocal break in "Mierda En La Cabeza" - five seconds of sheer raw punk bliss that is easily worth the entire download. As always, you're welcome.

NACIDOS AL PUNK ANARQUISTA

Related sounds, though limited, can be found here.

RUIDO DE ODIO // QÜALGOIST

German shit-fi noisecore meets shit-fi noisecore from Ecuador. RUIDO DE ODIO have a lengthy discography, mostly splits and extremely limited releases, but their 1995 debut release is a 27 track monolith in the world of Sounds That Should Not Be. Nonsensical and incongruous grinding garbage. Germany's QÜALGOIST make even less of an attempt to portray themselves as anything other than pure noise. No structure aside from the banal disco snippets dropped in seemingly at random and the maniacal screams that signify the start of several tracks. You still reading? Then you will eat this shit for lunch. The rest of you....? I would avoid this one, it's for purists.

QÜALGOIST // RUIDO DE IDIO

And yes, I know that's Hitler. 

AGATHOCLES // NOTOKEN

Belgium's mincecore masters were far from passe when this split dropped, just bare bones hc/grind that might've been called powerviolence had they hailed from Cailfornia - too metal for the punks then, and too raw for the hessians. This is, perhaps, the plight of AGATHOCLES, and these recordings are some of the best I've heard from them. Go ahead and dismiss them based solely on the number of split releases and your preconceived notion of what they deliver...your loss. Ecuador's NOTOKEN are more forceful and more straightforward shred, 19 tracks of lo-fi hc/thrash/grind recorded in 1995. I love this shit. 

AGATHOCLES // NOTOKEN

NO MORIR SI!

In short, this is a killer compilation of South American punk and hardcore, nothing short of essential. A lengthier description would include meeting a member of FRACASO in Vancouver a few weeks back and having a great time hanging out and talking about punk and politics and life and then he gave me this tape he made for a friend. That bit of background isn't really all that much longer, but you should be spending your day listening to this tape, not reading my words.

NO MORIR SI!

LATINOCORE

I've toured a lot. I've played shows in places that many people might consider weird or off the beaten path, and I consider myself very lucky to have done so. But FUKK do I want to do an extensive tour in South America, and this tape comp only makes it worse. Well over an hour of raw and uncompromising sounds from Peru (SABOTAJE, AUTONOMIA, DISPAREUNIA, DISLEXIA), Ecuador (INNFELICES, LA DEMENCIA EXTREMA), Colombia (POLIKARPA Y SUS VICIOSAS, EX-KOMBRO, OPOZICIÓN - love the fukkn horns!), Chile (SIN APOYO), Uruguay (BASQUADE INCHALA), Paraguay (200 MUERTOS), Argentina (DISVASTACION, MIGRA VIOLENTA), Venuzuela (APATIA NO, KOLUMPIO BANKITO) and Mexico, Puerto Rico, Chile, Brasil, Bolivia (I am racking my brain trying to remember is PSICOSIS SOCIAL was the band we went to see in La Paz in 2002, but I swear that band played DEEP PURPLE covers and not raw metallic hardcore)....fukk man, this shit is beyond comprehensive. The emphasis is on hardcore punk, and the level of quality is outstanding. 49 songs from 31 bands, fans of international hardcore and the world of underground DIY would be remiss to pass this one up.

LATINOCORE I

LATINOCORE II

In a rare diversion from the cassette-only format, today you also get the CDr comp Latinocore II. More of the same, 48 tracks from 36 bands. Several worthy repeats and some excellent new additions: EX-KUPIDOS (Peru), JUSTICA FINAL (Chile), INSOLENTES (Mexico), SIN PATRIA (Colombia), ATAQUE FRONTAL (Peru), RAMIROS (Panama) and a shitload more. What's even more awesome, all this shit was released by a dude from Slovakia.

ANTITODO // NADA

Back to South America today, with Colombia's ANTITODO and NADA from Ecuador. ANTITODO play 80s UK influenced hardcore punk full of catchy fist in the air choruses, raw delivery and killer double snare hits and I'm hooked. "Largate!!" is a great UK82 burner, and the bouncy rhythm of "Mundo Falso" is totally infectious - these songs were recorded in 2000, but could have just as easily come from 1984 (or from South Central LA circa 2010). NADA are rougher, rawer and offer up eight rudimentary hardcore punk tunes. Plodding 1-2-1-2 beats and gruff vocals buried in the tape hiss, but still songs like "Invasión Yankee" manage to shine. ¿Te usta el Punk?

ANTITODO // NADA