AMANECIENDO EN LA CRUZ DEL SUR

Born in 1950 in Buenos Aires, Argentinian guitarist composer Julio Presas became known as one of the main composers and contributors of Materia Gris' Rock Opera ''Ohperra vida de Beto'', released in 1972.Six years later he released his solo debut ''Amaneciendo en la cruz del Sur'', handling the guitar and bass and collaborating with keyboardist Carlos Cutaia from La Máquina de Hacer Pájaros and Alas' drummer Carlos Riganti.Alicia Presas provides female voices in a few tracks and Marcelo Vitale appears on synthesizer in a few others.

An unclassified album, ''Amaneciendo en la cruz del Sur'' is actually a gentle experience on influences coming from Folk, Soft Rock and Classical Music, featuring a pastoral atmosphere similar to the works of ANTHONY PHILLIPS and based on the mellow acoustic and electric guitar of Presas and the intense soundscapes provided by the backing band.It's some sort of guitar-based, all instrumental Art Rock effort, characterized by the careful orchestrations and the tight arrangements.Synthesizers provide somekind of a symphonic nature in specific pieces, while the rest of the tracks are following a folkier vein with slow tempos and cinematic edges.Alicia Presas' wordless voice delivers an exotic atmosphere similar to SAINT JUST, but the music overall is pretty easy-listening with only occasional light interplays and mostly following the guitar lines of Presas.

The album has been reissued by Viajero Inmovil and contains three very short bonus tracks, used as a soundtrack for the 76' short movie ''Lo que pudo Ser''.These follow a slightly more experimental vein with an Avant-Garde atmosphere and a jazzier sound, featuring some percussion, flashy electronics and inventive guitar work.Problem is I've never seen an actual vinyl copy of the album, rising questions if this was ever released in time.

Presas returned to team efforts for some time with the early-80's Pop Rock group La Ley and then developed his own studio and skills as a sound enginner and producer, while remaining involved in music with several collaborations and a pair of other solo releases.

Instrumental mixture of Folk Rock, soft Symphonic Rock and pre-New Age stylings, creating a dreamy and ethereal set of electroacoustic pieces.Recommended.