NAZCA

Nazca is the name of an 80`s RIO Mexican band, which sadly only released 2 studio albums (produced by themselves), their name is because of the ancient peruvian culture (The Lines of Nazca).

Sadly here in Mexico progressive rock is not well - known, now im my country i cant find any radio station which plays some prog, only pop and commercial songs , but deep im progressive rock neither, so here in Prog Archives i want to promote some of my country`s prog rock. Nazca is (was) a five members band, which tried to create an original sound, influenced by older RIO artists like Art Zoyd or Univers Zero, also i think King Crimson were in their minds and ears in that era, but believe me, is not the same, is not simply another band, i say this because they used besides classic instruments such as piano or violin, a fagot, which here particularly remind me to our ancient cultures, the sound created in some passages is like if you are in prehispanic times, surrounded by pyramids in an obscure but beautiful place, showing me that culture and history is not dead.

In some songs is evident that they had at the time much imagination to create music, the first song "De Oir Te Duele La Boca" is a clear example of the direction of this album, great arrangements, about 7 minutes of pure obscured and challenging Avant - Garde, and since that firt song we can perceive the talent of the band. "Sueño Tras la Ventana" is a short but nice song, created to breath deeply and feel the beauty of te music. "El Viaje de los Muertos" is a great song, with nice drums always in the perfect time, the piano and oboe are great evoking a strange atmosphere. "Lladotropogato", i dont have idea of what the name means, in fact i havent listened to that "word/name" again, and like the weird name the music is weird, this is the largest track, believe me, it is totally great, again violin and piano making excellent music. "La Rebelion de los Colgados" is a song plenty of Fagot and dark - ancient atmospheres, that repetitive piano freaks me when i listen to it. "Paguro del Dia Gris" is the shortest song, and maybe my less favorite, is not bad, but is the song which less imagination, here we can appreciate the exquisite sound of violin and cello. "Nazca" is the last song, i dont know if it is somthing like a hidden track , because in the album`s book says that here are only 6 songs, but when i put the cd i listen to 7, this song is a nice end, not the best song o f the album, but because of it`s slow tempo makes it great.

After all, this innovatie (in Mexico) style of music has not been a point of attention between my fellows, there are only a few who really appreciate and enjoy this bands and albums, talking about Nazca, i think they dissapeared for becoming another band, that was not bad because it was another prog band, but not with the same Nazca`s sound. I Highly recommend this album for everyone who want to dig some of mexican prog, and for those RIO lovers. It is great, but not a masterpiece, 4 stars is good for it.!

To make chamber-rock music in a prog context is already quite bold, but a gigantic boldness it is to write and perform chamber-rock in a musical scene that unabashedly favors easy-listening pop. This is what the adventurous Mexican quintet Nazca did in the 80s. Their 1985 debut album, titled after the band themselves, placed them in a dangerous yet interesting position: to perform dark, abstract music in an attitude of breaking down the barriers between experimental rock and contemporary chamber, with a notable prominence of classical woodwind and string instruments. The featured presence of bassoon/oboe guarantees mystery; the recurrent violin flourishes (at times, augmented by the bassist shifted to the viola and the pianist shifted to the cello) guarantee tension - mystery and tension to the nth potency is what, in a nutshell, Nazca is all about. This album reveals the solid influence that 1979-81 Univers Zero and early Art Zoud had inspired in this band: traces of "Western Culture"-era Henry Cow's dynamics are also added, as well as some slight colors of folkloric origin. 'De Oír Le Duele la Boca' (Spanish for 'So Much Hearing Makes His Mouth Hurt'. go figure!) kicks off the album with somber, polished bassoon lines, as if introducing a creepy moment that is waiting to happen. The piano pulsations that later emerge build the piece's core, while the violin struggles to assume a starring role until it eventually conquers the whole sonic display. The last portion's serenity anticipates the deceitfully peaceful contemplation portrayed in the next number 'Sueño tras la Ventana'. This piece is somewhat playful on a subtle level, but its languid frame takes over the listening experience. 'El Viaje de los Mueros' explores funerary moods with a vivacious solemnity: the abundant dissonant overflows on strings and oboe are crucial to this end. The percussive ornaments pertinently fill the few empty spaces left by the other instruments while they provide a creepy cadence that emulates bones hitting each other. The last 35 seconds provide a very Stravinkyan martial fanfare. 'Lladotropogato' is a pure exercise on Univers Zero-style RIO: after a brief violin solo, captivating as it is terrifying, its main body consists of a motif cleverly developed into a constrained crescendo. The coda is led by the piano-bass pulsations. 'La Rebelión de los Colgados' preserves the coherence in the album's mood with an extra dose of colorfulness, bearing a playful twist to this overall somber album. 'Paguros del Día Gris' fills the official repertoire's last 2 minutes, and it is intensely sinister. "Nazca" is a must for all genuine avant-prog collectors, world-class chamber-rock from Latin America.

I've never been a huge Chamber Music guy but I do appreciate that style and enjoy listening to it once in a while. NAZCA released this gem in 1985 and it is their debut. Apparently UNIVERS ZERO's "1313" was a big influence on them at this time and it shows, although they certainly bring their own unique flavour to the table. Mexico has this strong and healthy Rio / Avant movement and this album is a great example of it. By the way Alejandro Sanchez who plays violin also played with DECIBEL in the seventies.

"De Oir Le Duele La Boca" sounds pretty cool with sparse percussion and bassoon. Piano and cymbals join in then the piano takes over 2 minutes in and it picks up with bassoon and other sounds. Excellent ! Violin after 3 minutes then a calm arrives before 4 minutes along with percussion and piano in a haunting atmosphere. Aboe follows then another calm after 5 1/2 minutes arrives. It's building again then it settles down one last time as it blends into "Sueno Tras La Ventana" where the sparse sounds continue. "El Viaje De Los Muertos" is relaxed with bassoon to open but it kicks in quickly with piano and drums then settles right back down again.Violin and viola take over before 2 minutes.

"Lladotropogato" continues with the strings then bassoon, piano and a rhythm take over. A calm a minute in. Piano and percussion 3 minutes in with other sounds. It's building. So good ! It settles back before 5 minutes then starts to build again 6 1/2 minutes in.This is dark. A calm before 7 1/2 minutes then piano and drums kick in a minute later, bassoon follows. "La Rebelion De Los Colgados" is dark with aboe and piano as the drums shuffle in and out. It's a little dissonant 2 1/2 minutes in. Piano, drums and violin follow then bassoon. It picks up to end it. "Paguros Del Dia Gris" is a short piece led by bassoon, strings and other sounds. "Nazca" opens with acoustic sounds and cymbals. Keys take over with percussion and strings.The tempo starts to pick up before 3 minutes. Bass and bassoon help out as well.

If your into this style this is a must. I didn't expect to like this as much as I do.

When it comes to avant-chamber prog it's usually the French speaking world of Belgium and France that comes immediately to mind, but that doesn't mean other disparate nations of the world haven't had their share of fans and managed to record their own take on the likes of Univers Zero, Art Zoyd and Henry Cow. Well, Mexico hardly seems like the place where you would encounter such lugubrious complexity in music since most Latin oriented music is rather upbeat and downright cheerful but way back in 1979 this group formed and then released their eponymous debut in 1985. The band consisted of five guys who went by the name of NAZCA released this debut album which is predominantly inspired by the works of Univers Zero's earliest album such as "1313" and "Heresie" with the dynamic edge of Henry Cow. The instruments include the usual early RIO suspects which incorporate the use of violin, oboe, bassoon, bass, viola, piano, cello and percussion to create one spectacular downer of a musical listening experience.

While the RIO influences are the primary forces at play, the compositions owe a lot to bands like King Crimson with their zigzag approach of musical meandering with time signatures that match the greats of progressive rock while creating a classical comparison of suspense in the compositions as heard by the greats such as Stravinsky. While Univers Zero and Art Zoyd excelled in creating soundtracks to the apocalypse, NAZCA are generally more playful and feel less end-of-the-wordish than just plain melancholic. While instrumentally the seven tracks could be mistaken for one of the Belgian bands, there's just something unlike those bands that's hard to put a finger on. However, Mexico or Latin America would hardly come to mind when listening to this dirge driven theatrical bombast that ranges from soft passages to fully fueled sonic outbursts of chaotic ebullitions. As with most chamber rock, this too exclusively lies in the realms of instrumental music and therefore without any traces of linguistics attached adds that extra layer of alienation to the mix.

While it would be hard by any stretch of the imagination to call NAZCA even remotely original as every note seems to have derived from a European force of the past, somehow NAZCA delivers a compelling debut album that although a little over a half an hour in length delivers some powerfully emotional tracks that pack a powerful punch of heart-string pulls of emotional prowess and proof that such chamber music can be dished out in virtually any corner of the globe long before the internet made such cross-pollination an every day event. Excellent musicianship and strong compositional creativity makes NAZCA a highly entertaining debut. The band would release one more album the following year and then disappear until 2001's "En Vivo." Other Mexican avant-prog with a similar vision and even some of the members of NAZCA include Culto Sin Nombre and Decibel.