Rodrigo Campos at Music Alliance Pact

Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a zip file of the full 18-track compilation through Dropbox here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Fabiana Cantilo y Fer Isella - Viernes 3 AM
In 2009 the Argentine goverment published several declassified official documents produced during the dictatorships that ruled the country from 1962-1982. One of these documents is titled "Songs whose lyrics are considered not fit to be played by broadcast services" and it includes compositions by all kinds of Argentine and foreign artists. Canciones Prohibidas is a compilation with 16 versions of these censured songs. For MAP we selected Viernes 3 AM, originally by Argentine rock living legend Charly Garcia, here recorded by (also legendary singer) Fabiana Cantilo on vocals and producer Fer Isella on piano.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Fresh Kills - The People
At The Drive-In is the first association any rock connoisseur will make with this 90-second post-punk melodrama. It's all energy and emotion without the slightest hint of pretension. The song is chaotic and at times confusing without a single comprehensible lyric (go on, try to figure out what the hell they're saying) but that's exactly the charm of this south Australian band.

BRASIL: Meio Desligado
Rodrigo Campos - Katsumi
Rodrigo Campos, a prolific name in São Paulo's contemporary music scene, has just released his third solo album, Conversas Com Toshiro, which is influenced by Japanese culture. "Katsumi" is a good opening gate to his work.

CANADA: Ride The Tempo
Harrison - Sorry
Toronto producer Harrison beeps and blips his way into a sweet apology with his latest track, Sorry.

CHILE: Super 45
Breaking Forms - Folie A Deux
Breaking Forms is a duo formed by Nicole L'Huillier and Juan Necochea. Although they currently live in the United States, their journey began in Chile under the wings of two emblematic bands, Cóndor Jet and Picnic Kibun. While in the first one, L'Huillier developed a penchant for psychedelia and post-rock; in Picnic Kibun, Necochea explored the multiple facets of dance music. Breaking Forms is, in its own way, the meeting point for both genres. Proof of this is their first single Folie A Deux, a power-pop song spiced up by electronic sequences and noisy synths.

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo
Electric Sasquatch - Hunting Season
The legend of Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, acts as inspiration for this stoner rock band from Cali. They feed on forest myths, adding elements of theater and visuals to their presentations. From their brilliant self-titled album, whose CD version comes in a beautiful wooden box, we present Hunting Season, in which the Sasquatchs show us a more violent and dehumanized side.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Slaughter Beach - ClearInsight
Slaughter Beach are very much a Scandinavian proposition. Hailing from Denmark, they played their debut concert in Gothenburg, Sweden and are signed to Norwegian label Brilliance. MAP exclusive download ClearInsight is taken from their debut EP, Love/Venice, released this month.

ECUADOR: Plan Arteria
Radio Invasor - Magnolia
Radio Invasor is an electronic project blending digital sounds with organic elements of rock, funk, dub and hip hop. From their first EP, released this September, we present Magnolia. It's an epic, experimental track that offers a taste of Radio Invasor's potential.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Littlelute - Berlibur Ke Poznan
Littlelute is an indie-pop outfit from Bandung. Their ukulele player recently visited Poznan and the beauty of the Polish city inspired him to write this cute pop composition (see video).

IRELAND: Hendicott Writing
Owensie - Dramamine
After more than three years tucked away from the eyes of the Irish music scene, dream-pop artist Owensie returns with Dramamine, a trippy ode to a motion sickness drug. The track features Conor O'Brien of Villagers and comes ahead of a third album of the same title that's seemed an extremely long time in the making. One for watching the world drift by outside your window.

ITALY: Polaroid
Port-Royal - Death Of A Manifesto
Port-Royal is a trio from Genova that fuses elements of ambient techno, shoegaze, melodic IDM and post-rock into a dreamy, evocative sound. Active since 2001, they have toured Europe and the United States, and released several records, compilations and remixes. Where Are You Now is their fourth proper album, out on Oakland-based label n5MD. Port-Royal are expanding their palette, and the gorgeous Death Of A Manifesto is one of their more pop-oriented compositions.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
Boogie Idol - Seiteki Na Mimi
The recently released Schau Essen 2 compilation features many talented artists who pull from the glitzy sounds of 1980s Japan, when the economy was roaring and decadence dominated. Producer Boogie Idol offers up one of the best contributions to that set, a shimmering number full of bright synths, sticky bass lines and a slightly uncomfortable growling noise lurking beneath it all.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta
Juno And The Wolf - Dambrose
Born out of the merging of different projects in late 2011, Juno And The Wolf is the culmination of the myriad of influences that inspire its four members - James Azzopardi, Kristian Schembri, Samwel Mallia and Corey Farrugia. The band have developed an experimental ethos, an aim to create a duality with emotion and sound, flowing from heavy, raw numbers to quieter, more introspective ones rather than simply settling for one set genre. Their debut home-recorded self-titled EP was released in September 2014.

MEXICO: RBMA Radio Panamérika
El Muertho TJ - Malandro
El Muertho - a street musician playing romantic delusions with only a Yamaha keyboard, wearing black robes and Kiss wannabe make-up - has emerged from the Tijuana slums to raise a few eyebrows among critics and audiences. But, hey, the best works come from outsiders: Syd Barrett, Daniel Johnston, Tom Waits... add in a little bit of Suicide industrial tremolo and you'll get the perfect treat for Halloween or the Mexican Day of the Dead.

PERU: SoTB
Nave Ascensor - Ciudad Reacción
Ciudad Reacción is the first single from Nave Ascensor's debut album, Hartistas. The Lima trio come with a strong proposal - listen as they rail against the system through rock songs loaded with critical social and visual exercises to help you free your mind.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Benjamim - Tarrafal
Benjamim is an artist formerly known as Walter Benjamin, who had a song on the Music Alliance Pact's April 2012 edition. Tarrafal is a single from his new album, Auto-Rádio, which has won over the Portuguese public and critics. In contrast to his previous guise, Benjamim opts for Portuguese lyrics instead of English. The music continues to be sophisticated pop that will get your feet tapping. Belle & Sebastian fans will love him.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
JR Green - Nigerian Princess
With a modern spin on traditional folk music (accordion and mandolin feature heavily) and a healthy dose of lyrical intrigue, JR Green sound like the happy marriage of Frightened Rabbit and King Creosote. Made up of young brothers Jacob and Rory Green, their debut EP, Bring The Witch Doctor, is being released by Hits The Fan Records - the same label that released Frightened Rabbit's first album. Sign up to JR Green's mailing list for updates and freebies.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Silica Gel - Hrm
Silica Gel is most definitely a band to look out for. They describe their music as neo-psychedelic, experimental, progressive, dream and shoegaze - and they manage to deliver on all counts. A great track to dream away to, Hrm starts out plainly with just a simple guitar loop and some toned-down drums, gradually adds more and more to the mix, before unleashing total bliss a few minutes in.

Pequeno Céu at August's Music Alliance Pact

Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a zip file of the full 17-track compilation through Dropbox here.

 ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Julieta y Los Espíritus - El Látigo (Modex remix)
This is a song from the new project of Julieta Brotsky (aka July Sky). It's not the original version from the album, but a great remix released a couple of weeks ago by post-punk band Modex. Julieta's beautiful voice can also be heard on several tracks by indie-pop band Entre Ríos, and in Varias Artistas, the female ensemble put together by singer-songwriter Lucas Marti.

 AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
These Guy - Coming Around
Brisbane trio These Guy was originally the solo project of singer and multi-instrumentalist Joe Saxby. Latest track Coming Around combines the lofty vocals and downer lyrics of Saxby's earlier work. Along with buoyant pop production, the result is a track that's interesting at every turn. The absence of any kind of rhythm guitar leaves Saxby's vocals and synth-fiddling to carry the melodic weight of the track. Coming Around is a testament to Saxby's ear for off-kilter production and hopefully points to a more experimental/avant-pop future for These Guy.



 BRASIL: Meio Desligado
Pequeno Céu - Quatro
Post-rock six-piece Pequeno Céu started as a solo project some years ago before releasing their first album as a band in 2014. Pequeno Céu differs from other math/post-rock ensembles because of the Brazilian influences and simplicity of their short instrumental songs, such as Quatro. For fans of BADBADNOTGOOD, Hurtmold and Tortoise.

 CANADA: Ride The Tempo
Mauno - Reeling
Experimental shapeshifters Mauno (pronounced mao-no) reel you in with their off-kilter pop tunes. The Halifax group is unafraid to test you with their strange sounds.

 CHILE: Super 45
AYEAYE - A Medianoche Me Llevaré Tu Alma
After the dissolution of the duo Mostro, and following the many collaborations with Chilean/German DJ Matias Aguayo, the producer and illustrator Carlos Reinoso decided to embark on AYEAYE, a project influenced by dance music as rhythmic experimentation. A Medianoche Me Llevaré Tu Alma ("At Midnight I Will Take Your Soul) is his first single.

 COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo
Danicattack - Perdónate
A feeling of being home defines Danicattack. This Bogota quintet, led by Daniel Lopez, is always exploring new ideas through lyrics and sounds. Their song Perdónate recalls a world of dreams intermingled with the material reality of bodies, as we can see it in the video.

 DENMARK: All Scandinavian
ONBC - White Trash
Risen from the ashes of Oliver North Boy Choir and comprising members who have been and still are part of Superheroes, Private, The Boombox Hearts and epo-555, ONBC released their dreamy and melancholic indie-pop debut Crash, Burn & Cry back in May. Here's first single White Trash as a MAP exclusive download.

 ECUADOR: Plan Arteria
Pastizales - La Casa y La Nada
Pastizales is the solo project of Bernardo Arevalo, who brings us a refreshing lo-fi folk sound. From his debut six-track EP we proudly present La Casa y La Nada, a single that takes the listener into a deeply relaxing, wonderful environment.

 INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Sajama Cut - Fatamorgana
Fatamorgana is taken from Hobgoblin, the latest album by Jakarta indie-rock outfit Sajama Cut. This song is for every father who never gives up raising their kids with love and compassion in the big city of evil.

 IRELAND: Hendicott Writing
Bitch Falcon - TMJ
TMJ is the third single from highly-rated, grungy Dublin trio Bitch Falcon, who are taking the Irish capital's sticky-floored corners by storm. Named after the temporomandibular joint (which joins the jaw to the rest of the skull), it's poppy and melodic by this particular act's standards, but nevertheless appropriately face-melting. One to pump up the bass on and let their rhythms pummel the base of your soles. Bitch Falcon are one of the most promising rock acts that Ireland has produced this decade.

 JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
Clone - Follow Me
The bulk of Follow Me, from Tokyo bedroom track maker Clone, draws sounds from the Nintendo video game Pikmin. The plant people players guide around to collect treasure are the primary source, the sound of them being thrown and generally squeaking being the go-to for Clone. Yet this is not merely a bit of video game nostalgia, as Clone constructs it all into a fast-paced dance number that blooms into something quite madcap.

 MALTA: Stagedive Malta
Xtruppaw - Iċ-Ċawl Iċul
Five-piece Xtruppaw play a concoction of styles such as punk-rock, ska, 80s metal, 70s disco, Maltese ghana and country and western. The truly distinguishing feature of the band's music is the lyrics. Xtruppaw songs are all, without exception, sung in Maltese about the Maltese lifestyle, zooming into the raw and crude perspective of the mundane, pointing out the absurdities that we all take for granted with a tongue-in-cheek and often irreverent approach. Xtruppaw have recorded and released two full-length albums to date.

 MEXICO: RBMA Radio Panamérika
Turning Torso - Up
Through his landscapist and often acidic compositions, David Sánchez - a young artist from Querétaro creating clever, stirring electronic music under the Turning Torso moniker - is capable of exploring and transmitting a wide variety of complex emotions with his superbly arranged productions. On Up, Turning Torso densely weaves an uplifting yet murky atmosphere whose shape acquires a crooked appearance as the piece progresses. Throwing in some IDM beats that bring to mind the textures of Autechre and his characteristic jazz guitar work which serves as a sort of guide in the middle of the track, Sánchez manifests a robust framework nurtured by a vast intellect.

 PERU: SoTB
Diorama - Travelling
Diorama is a Lima-based instrumental rock band. They released their first EP in 2013, which was met with critical acclaim. Travelling is a song filled with moments of beauty and elegance.

 PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Joana Barra Vaz - Tanto Faz
Tanto Faz is the first single from the new Joana Barra Vaz album, Mergulho Em Loba, due out later this year. Mergulho Em Loba is part of a trilogy started in 2012 with Passeio Pelo Trilho. Joana's music will please fans of the kind of indie-pop started by Leslie Feist.

 SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
The Insomniac Project - In And Out (Of My Head)
This debut single by The Insomniac Project wears its 80s disco influences loud and proud and has all the ingredients of a synth-pop dancefloor classic. With the Glasgow six-piece having teased with a few SoundCloud demo uploads over the past year, it's a privilege to offer In And Out (Of My Head) exclusively via the Music Alliance Pact ahead of its official release on August 31.

  SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Floating Island - Parade
Electronica quartet Floating Island released third single Parade this month. The festive pop number is produced by Floating Island member Flash Flood Darlings (our March 2015 MAP artist) together with main songwriter NoohNooh.

Passo Torto at Music Alliance Pact

Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a zip file of the full 21-track compilation through Dropbox here.

 ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Panda Elliot - Guerrero (AlexPatri remix)
Panda Elliot is three in one: woman, band and producer. A fresh new face in the music scene, she recently launched her second album Forastera, which shows a more confident Panda Elliot, well established in her own style. After the eclectic single Ligerita, she released Guerrero, a rockin' feminine song that forces you to move your head. The track is potent and full of energy on its own, so this remix by AlexPatri extends into the realm of fun, uptempo electronic dance.

 AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Kučka - Divinity
A continuation of Kučka's future R&B leanings hinted at in her previous work, Divinity is a lush, surreal affair. Undulating rhythms sync perfectly with the swirling, cough-syrupy synths and Laura Jane Lowther's vocals, which sound at once sultry and innocent. Think an antipodean Purity Ring.

 BRASIL: Meio Desligado
Passo Torto - Isaurinha
Passo Torto is a quartet formed by renowned musicians from Sao Paulo's contemporary music scene. Isaurinha is taken from their second album, Passo Elétrico, in which they explore guitars and effects on acoustic bass and cavaquinho (sort of a small guitar often associated with samba), with the lack of percussion elements leaving space for harmonic and melodic experiments.

 CANADA: Ride The Tempo
Munroe - Bloodlet
Fans of Lykke Li may enjoy newcomer Kathleen Munroe, who simply goes by Munroe. She makes chilling folk tunes like this one with a tinge of Americana (though I guess this would be Canadiana?). Production-wise, Bloodlet doesn't have too much but it's perfect just the way it is. Her lovely voice is all you need.

 CHILE: Super 45
Patio Solar - Pintura
Guitars are back in Chilean pop and Patio Solar proves this. After a couple of self-produced releases (Patio Solar and Driminsún), these youngsters from a little corner of Santiago offer dreamy lo-fi melodies, sometimes close to shoegaze and psychedelia, on their 2015 debut album Temporada. The single Pintura is taken from the record, released through Piloto.

 COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo
Okraa - Healing
Juan Carlos Torres, the frontman of Bogotá's Globos de Aire, also goes by the pseudonym Okraa, and with this solo alias he makes deeper, more personal work within electronica. Okraa, who has done remixes for Scottish artist Turtle, shows the well-woven sounds that lead us to take a walk in our minds on Healing, from his debut Dreamachine EP.

 DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Virgin Suicide - Virgin Suicide
The quintet Virgin Suicide will release their eponymous debut album on May 18, co-produced and mixed by Sune Rose Wagner (The Raveonettes). Here is first single Virgin Suicide as a MAP exclusive download.

 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Casetera
Behind The Tigers - Behind The Tigers
Behind The Tigers is a new, mysterious project from Santo Domingo. Their name is a literal translation of a colloquial Dominican way of referring to fun-loving guys as "tigres". Their first song, Behind The Tigers, is a breezy electro-pop tune, but as simple as it sounds, the duo claims there's more than meets the eye in their lyrics and wordplay.

 ECUADOR: Plan Arteria
La Orden Del Baile Atrevido - Se Fue El Sistema
Se Fue El Sistema is the first single on the new EP by La Orden Del Baile Atrevido (L.O.B.A.), an electro-rock band with a euphoric style dubbed "rotten glamor". This song mocks the nightmare of Ecuador's paperwork, but it's also a criticism of the system in which we live. L.OB.A.'s debut album, Musica Del Cosmos, will be released this year.

 GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Zebra Tracks - Waves
There's something totally irresistible about Zebra Tracks’ intoxicating third album, Waves. They make thoroughly exciting, perfectly executed music that brims with fresh ideas, shimmery guitars and thundering rhythms, sharp and moving melodies, bleak, brooding but hopeful arrangements. They have wisely retained the elements that worked previously, yet there is a depth of emotion here they have never accessed before. Zebra Tracks have made an impressive stride forward and you'd be mad not to follow them.

 INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Nic Fit - Mimpi Pergi
If you watched a lot of MTV and crowdsurfed at gigs during the 1990s, then you may have the era forever in your heart as one awesome memory where lots of weird-sounding bands emerged and you love them. Nic Fit will bring back those happy feelings.

 IRELAND: Hendicott Writing
No Monster Club - I've Retired
No Monster Club is the solo guise of Bobby Aherne, an ever-present at the heart of some of Dublin indie's more eccentric and memorable moments. I've Retired sees colorfully upbeat verses and bouncing choruses adorned with contrary lyrics: it's themed around a departure from the scene that's clearly not about to happen. What's bound to happen eventually, though, is one of Aherne's acts make a major, major impact. A space worth watching.

 ITALY: Polaroid
Go Dugong - Imagine Me And You
A Love Explosion is the new album by Go Dugong. Spring is approaching here in Italy, so a record full of love and sensuality seems appropriate. There are mellow beats and psychedelic melodies influenced by 60s and 70s Italian soundtracks plus samples from old school Northern Soul hits. The album is free to download via Bandcamp.

 JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
Caro Kissa - Saturday Morning
Indie-pop shall truly never fade out of style. As long as there are young people out there with access to some instruments and a computer to record with, the twee stuff will keep on coming. Caro Kissa have released one of the first great indie-pop EPs of the year in Japan with Perfect Dream, and Saturday Morning is an easy-going highlight, showcasing their skippy tempo and solid singing.

 MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika
Animación Suspendida II - Creepy Groovy Hell
Vapor and sine waves are certainly bubbling under the skin of Animación Suspendida II, a duo comprised of Beto Ben and Mou (formerly of Bam Bam, the space-rock band that delivered Red Bull Panamérika's 2011 album of the year). With an amazing recording process, the pair improvise on iPad music apps, record to tape and then edit the final track. So, no Ableton Live here, just pure Monterrey psy-fi-phuture juice. The video is a must-see.

 PERU: SoTB
The Deep Sea Monster - Like A God
The Deep Sea Monster, who formed in 2012, have emerged from Lima's independent music circuit with a sound encompassing psychedelia and garage rock. Their new self-titled album is a perfect match of experimentation and euphoria. Their challenge is to not limit their music in any way and their full discography is available for free on Bandcamp.

 PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Tape Junk - Thumb Sucking Generation
The Tape Junk, who first appeared on the Music Alliance Pact in October 2013, release their eponymous second album in April. It was produced by another talented Portuguese musician, Luís Nunes (Walter Benjamin), and recorded in a makeshift studio in Alvito, Alentejo. The calmness of the place comes across on the recording and its sound.

 SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Tongues. - Anymore
Tongues. is the electro project of Kill The Waves frontman Tim Kwant, who is wildly succeeding in his mission to create inspiring pop songs that combine raw energy with a delicate touch. Bold synths, deep subs and soaring vocoders have justifiably drawn comparisons to Alt-J, Hot Chip and fellow Glaswegians Chvrches. With around 50,000 plays so far, Colours In The Dark sparked an online stir after being "accidentally" left public on SoundCloud earlier this year. However, MAP exclusive download Anymore is an even more impressive offering, a perfect union of uplifting and emotive.

 SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Flash Flood Darlings - In The City
Seoul-based Flash Flood Darlings, who was raised in Christchurch, New Zealand, describes his music as romantic synth-pop. Debut album Vorab And Tesoro was released in February and is filled with a dreamy blend of genres. In The City has been well chosen as one of the album's two lead tracks, offering a synth line that makes it the perfect soundtrack for a night drive through any city.

 SPAIN: Musikorner
MIWA* - Space Invad*r
MIWA* is the moniker under which Barcelona-based DJ and producer Sergi Miwa releases tracks inspired by avant-garde Japanese pop. His music is an open invitation to a galactic getaway, or a one-way ticket to wherever your imagination takes you.

 UNITED STATES: We Listen For You
Hip Hatchet - Coward's Luck
There are thousands upon thousands of singer-songwriters in the world - and not a single one of them is like Hip Hatchet. His music is highly personal yet also universal. Every lyric packs a punch and every play reminds you just how powerful sound can be.