A tremendous project from the scene in Uruguay at the start of the 70s – a magical moment of musical creation, put together by the legendary Eduardo Mateo and some of the key artists of his generation! As with Mateo's music, there's an approach here that's both sophisticated and down to earth at the same time – some qualities that resonate strongly with the best Brazilian work of the time, but which have that special bent that was taking place amidst the struggles that were facing Uruguay at this difficult time in their history. Instrumentation is a great blend of acoustic and electric elements, and the shifting voices really help keep things interesting – on titles that include "Pippo" by Urbano & El Kinto, "Principe Azul" by Mateo & El Kinto, "Si Te Vas De Mi Pueblo" by Mateo & Reinaldo, "Mejor Me Voy" by Diane Denoir & Mateo, "Musicasion III" by Urbano, "Muy Lejos Te Vas" by El Kinto, "Sueno De Una Noche De Mermelada" by Horacio, and "Margaritas Rojas" by Mateo, Federico, & Figares. 2LP version features new mastering – and a massive 18 tracks from the same generation, most unreleased! LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible collection of work by El Kinto – a short-lived but crucially important group in the Uruguay rock scene of the late 60s – finally given their due in this overstuffed deluxe CD package! El Kinto were a seminal link between the beat group sounds of the earlier South American scene, and some of the headier, tripper work to come in the psychedelic years – and their music was an unusual blend of local roots and more ambitious rock – served up in styles that were somewhat different than the candombe music of other artists on the scene. Core rock instrumentation was often augmented by a bit of Latin percussion – used in a way that created a nicely earthy feel at the bottom of most of the tunes, which was in contrast to the cleaner, but also somewhat spare use of guitars on the top. There's a criss-crossing sensibility here that's not unlike Brazilian Tropicalia at times – although clearly not as politically motivated, nor as culturally radical – and what really blows us away about these tunes is the overall sense of sound – a simple, but extremely effective placement of all the simplest elements, to create music without easy comparison (even though we've been trying for the last few lines!) Group members include percussionist Ruben Rada and South American rock legend Eduardo Mateo – and the package features 16 tracks by El Kinto – plus 6 more by related artists The Knights, Aldo Y Daniel, and Roberta Lee. The whole thing's done in beautiful Soul Jazz-style packaging – with a huge extra booklet inside a slipcase alongside the CD. Titles include "Jose", "Mejor Me Voy", "Estoy Sin Ti", "Muy Lejos Te Vas", "Esa Tristeza", "Don Pascual", "Damelo", "Pippo", "Yo Volvere Por Ti", "Como El Brillo Del Sol", "La Felicita", and "Penas De Sal". CD

Two rare Argentine albums from Vera Sienra – back to back on a single CD, with great notes too! Nuestra Soledad is a tremendous debut, and unlike anything that we can easily put into words – fado in style, but carried off in a way that's more bossa nova overall – yet done with a fuller sense of feeling that almost echoes European singers of the decade before! Vera's vocals are incredibly deep – not baritone, but filled with a sense of melancholy that hardly matches the image on the front cover – and the arrangements and guitar are done by Eduardo Mateo, who you might know from other excellent work of this nature from the Buenos Aires scene. Titles include "La Flor", "Si Tiene Final", "Aquel", "El Caminante", "Calle Triste", and "Junto Al Cristal". Vera is a slightly different album from a few years later – a record with some fuller backings, and an even more emotive approach overall – yet still done with that amazing vocal approach, and nicely restrained in ways that really underscore the sense of sadness in the tunes. Titles include "Uno Mas", "No Me Dejes Ir", "Cancio Para El Tiempo", "La Gaviota", "Y Porque Nos Conocimos", and "La Inconformidad". CD