For Pakapi’s first release, we’re presented with a collaboration of two relatively unknown psych/freak folk artists with hypnotic results. The South American-centric label launches with this promising disc of blurred psychedelia and damaged electronics. The unfamiliarity of both artists (and the label) adds to the mystery, making the context of the collab that much harder to pin down. The end result comes as Popolus Ajeno, a blurry kaleidoscope of color and sound.
When Ø+yn and GMC work their freak folk roots, the sound could easily be mistaken for genre greats like the Es, Kemialliset Ystävät, or anyone else on the great Fonal roster. Natural melodies and rhythms form out of shapeless jams, forming weightless ragas mixing acoustic, electronic, and electroacoustic elements. “Madusa Mayornia” and the title track channel NNCK at their peak. Two particular standouts come with “Cumbia Masónica” and “Muro De Lenguas.” Ø+yn and GMC take an unexpected turn with amateur sound collage experiments, gorgeously melding elevating space like Broadcast collaborating with Cloudland Canyon at their most kraut-centered focus. It’s a captivating first step for Pakapi.
