LOS LICHIS - The Giant Lichis

2015 release. "This deep into the internet era its unusual to discover a weird ass band whove been active and recording since the 1990s without ever appearing as a blip on any known radar screen. Yet, here are Los Lichis: a Mexican music/art collective whose recording history goes back 18 years and whose sound is as powerful and strange as any combo around. Some might suggest that Mexico is not known for its underground sonic emanations, but many dig artists like Loch Ness, Chac Mool, Lorelle Meets The Obsolete, Los Llamarada and various improv types heard about from folks who tour down there. Some of Mexicos punk and metal bands have their moments as well. But none of them on the scale of Los Lichis. Los Lichis were formed in 1996 in Mexico City by three visual artists-¢‚Ǩ‚ÄùManuel Mathar, José Luis ROjas and Gerardo Monsivais. They had met a year earlier and their social collaborations on drawings, collages and actions eventually morphed into musical experimentation. They ended up recording quite a bit of improvised psychedelic material using a variety of instruments they approached with more enthusiasm than knowledge. In Paris in 2000 for an exhibition of their work, Mathar and Monsivais met the French sound artist Jean-Baptiste Favory, who was excited by the cassettes they played him. Favory became the fourth member, visiting Mexico once a year to play live and record with Los Lichis, and to help in processing the resultant material. Soon after their French sojourn, a slightly different version of the group, featuring a couple of Mexican musicians, began playing and recording under the name The Cacaflies. Various CD-Rs and cassettes were released by the core group using both names, but the details are vague. Largely these recordings seem to have been distributed free at live shows. Several are also available online." - Byron Coley, The Wire.