Asceta is technically an act we haven’t covered before on the blog but the man behind it is well-known to us. Bernardo Alvarado Rojas is the guitarist and producer for Kalmo, a neoclassical collective who we featured a few times in 2020. Asceta is his new project, celebrating the pre-Hispanic music of his homeland, Mexico.

By Graeme Smith

Feature artwork by Damián Siqueiros

I was originally drawn to Asceta through the music, but there’s an incredibly interesting story behind Bernando’s journey to compiling his new album Peregrinaje al Cosmos. He worked with ethnomusicologists and anthropologists to dive deep into a past that was all but wiped out by Spanish colonisation. It’s this culture that he brings back to the world’s attention in this project.

Purificación is the fifth track on the album. Beautifully ambient and atmospheric, it opens with the sound of crashing waves and indigenous instruments. Once the scene has been set, electronic elements and piano join in, as does groovy percussion. It’s a piece that always keeps you guessing what is to come next and feels beautifully unique.

You can listen to Purificación below. The album Peregrinaje al Cosmos is out now.