Various – LA CONTRA OLA Synth Wave & Post Punk from Spain 1980-86 2LP

Is your collection of Spanish music lagging behind that of many other European nations? It’s definitely not because of a national deficit of creativity, but a major dickhead of history named General Francisco Franco. 

Did you know the Gipsy Kings, the world’s most famous pop-flamenco group actually formed in France for the very same reason! That’s history for you. 

Fill that gap with ‘LA CONTRA OLA: Synth Wave & Post Punk from Spain 1980-86’, a compelling compilation of post-Franco regime creativity flourishing. As someone who feel a sense of cringe from the term “synth wave”, due to both the abundance of average reissues and smouldering contemporary retro acts that’d fit right into a roadhouse scene in Twin Peaks: The Return, this is a record I can get behind cien por ciento! 

Sounds range from across a spectrum of art-damaged disorder to new wave pop, with high points sometimes capturing both poles at once. I hear much urgency, the ability to create is not taken for granted. Plenty of bombastic monosyth exploration and drum machines hit hard like the best of early Hip Hop (of the non-disco rap variety).

If you’ve got titles from the artists or labels such as Portion Control, Chris & Cosey, Robert Rental, Ze Records, Severed Heads, Nihilistic Orbs, Heaven 17, Ilitch or Macca’s ‘Temporary Secretary’, consider adding this one to your listening library! – Nic