Pakapi Records is an ambitious Latin American label with a vintage feel. Founded in Buenos Aires in 2013 by Guillermo M Cerredo, it is best known for the ongoing Urbanismo Primitivo series, an uncompromising collection of industrial experimental releases inspired by the legacy of small Spanish labels from the 1980s, such as Toracic Tapes. Curated by Juan José Calarco, the series showcases the minimalist aesthetic and quirky methods of a group of likeminded artists emerging from the fringes of the Argentinian music scene, often sharing interests in field recordings, old equipment and hypnotic repetition.

Ver​ó​nica Cerrotta
“I”
From Urbanismo Primitivo (2021)

Published in September 2021, Urbanismo Primitivo is an ideal introduction to the series and its rough and joyful sound. Calarco describes it as “a collection on the basics; lo-fi, simplistic, flawed, and crude.” Among the most successful contributions are those by the sound artist Verónica Cerrota. ““I” is probably my favourite track of the compilation,” says Calarco. “It uses recordings from the jungle in the state of Rio de Janeiro (São José do Vale do Rio Preto) to create an extremely dark atmosphere, with a strange sound quality reminiscent of a 1940s or 50s film.”

Bloque Del Sur
“Luminiscencia”
From Urbanismo Primitivo (2021)

The compilation includes music by Calarco himself, both under his own name and various monikers such as Basfcont, Panchasila (a duo he formed with Cerredo) and Bloque Del Sur. “Luminescencia” is the longest track in the collection. “It was inspired by the interval signals of African shortwave radios from the 1970s,” says the musician. “I think of it as a Sublime Frequencies–style reinterpretation of industrial music made by bands like Throbbing Gristle or Cabaret Voltaire.”

Wamani
“Yaku”
From Urbanismo Primitivo (2021)

Wamani is a duo made up of Peru’s Fernanda Huamán and Chile’s Julio Lamilla. Calarco loves their modus operandi: “They find vinyl records or cassettes literally in the trash and recycle them, or buy them at The Salvation Army,” he explains. Their music combines echoes of Andean folk songs, post-industrial soundscapes, handmade loops and experiments with sound objects. “Yaku” foreshadows their accomplished self-titled EP, published by Pakapi last year. “When you listen to it,” says Calarco, “it's hard to tell how many recordings are playing at once: it’s raw psychedelia.”

Kristallo
“LSW 005”
From Comunicación Interna (2022)

Pablo Reche is longtime friend of Calarco and a frequent collaborator of the label. His EP Comunicación Interna, published under the moniker Kristallo, nicely condenses his style, and centres around the manipulation of shortwave radio receivers. “What fascinates me is that, in certain conditions, random natural rhythms occur, which one can induce depending on how the receiver is positioned or if certain objects touch the antenna,” he says. The piercing rhythms have a haunting effect and evoke sounds of crunching branches, crickets or frogs. “LSW 005” is a nocturnal landscape of interweaving signals and mysterious presences with a rugged sound.

Stelark
“i_i_oqqtze_​[​t]”
From M​í​nimos Testimonios Sobre Un Vecindario Inexistente (2023)

Stelark’s EP M​í​nimos Testimonios Sobre Un Vecindario Inexistente brings together field recordings, bass and industrial percussion. “The combination worked well because of the origin of the field recordings, which came from a Caribbean neighbourhood in the city of Cartagena,” says producer Stelark. “Percussion is omnipresent there, everything is constantly immersed in rhythm.” Calarco notes “the influence of the British band Zoviet France, and of Stelark’s own Afro heritage, along with his fascination with Africa based labels like Nyege Nyege Tapes”.

Basfcont
“Ladera”
From Cuatro Relieves (2022)

Cuatro Relieves is the fourth entry in the Urbanismo Primitivo series. Published by Calarco under the moniker Basfcont, it was stitched together from mixed sources: lo-fi field recordings, cassette loops and buzzy signals from vintage tech. “I enjoy the complexity of the tapestry of shortwave signals originating from a completely improbable source,” he says, “which, with minimal intervention, just a bit of pitch and layering, possesses a strange musicality.”

Luis Marte
“No Signal – No Output”
From Near Chaos (2023)

Also centred around field recordings, Luis Marte’s Near Chaos is a pugnaciously minimal release, and the most celebrated entry in the series so far. It was recorded with both analogue and digital equipment, including low-frequency oscillators, processors and pedals. The results, according to the Argentinian sound artist, are “glitch textures that border on the rhythmic”. Calarco describes its sound as “the inner life of devices”. “Some patterns are almost pop-like”, Marte interjects. “Not in the strict sense, but you know, I love that repetition that gets stuck in your head.”

Read Alonso Amenara's Unlimited Editions column on Pakapi Records in The Wire 475. Wire subscribers can also read the article online via the digital library.