Sintomas De Techno/ Various - Sintomas De Techno (Various Artists)

Vinyl LP pressing. For almost two decades now, Buh Records has been shining a spotlight on the margins of Latin American music both past and present. Label runner Luis Alvarado has worked indefatigably to excavate and release a wealth of experimental music in danger of being lost to time-a project which grew organically out of his ongoing commitment to contemporary scenes in Lima and beyond. The Peru-focused Sounds Essentials collection is a robust example of Buh's archival mission: ranging from the work of electroacoustic pioneers in the '60s and '70s to the gritty punk and noise of '80s and '90s underground movements, the scope of the series shows that Buh isn't just filling holes in the history of Peruvian experimental music, but is actively participating in the creation of such a history. Síntomas de techno, the latest Sounds Essentials volume, covers a period of transition between Peru's rock subterráneo (underground rock) of the mid-'80s and the various local electronic music scenes that consolidated during the '90s. The shadow of rock and punk looms large over this compilation, just as it did over many synth-pop and industrial groups in Europe at the time; in the Peru scene's early days, the post-punk kids and the synth tinkerers all played the same shows.