AHLEUCHATISTAS – Erosion

Ahleuchatistas are an American instrumental math rock duo that mix influences of jazz, progressive rock, avant-garde, and experimental to create a unique sound. The band was formed in Asheville, North Carolina in November 2002. Wikipedia

The band’s name, pronounced “AH-LOO-CHA-TEES-TAS”, is a portmanteau of “Ah-Leu-Cha”, the Charlie Parker song, and “Zapatistas”, the Mexican revolutionary movement: “Musical revolution and social revolution combined into a single coinage.”

Ahleuchatistas’ sound is rooted in a wide variety of sonic influences and musical traditions. In addition to being an instrumental rock band, there are elements of noise, African music, ambient/drone, psychedelia, Chinese traditional music, garage rock, minimalism, classical music, and electronica. They employ block-form, thru-composition, and improvisational musical strategies. Sudden tempo changes, amelodic tones, and technically complex motifs are characteristic of much of the band’s recorded output.

Ahleuchatistas have released six albums on different record labels, including Cuneiform Records, Angura Sound, Tzadik Records, and guitarist Shane Perlowin’s independent label Open Letter Records. Their album The Same and the Other was reissued in 2008 on Tzadik Records after the influential avant-garde composer/musician John Zorn took a liking to them.