Melbourne’s Left Ear Records continue their near-peerless voyage of musical excavation and restoration – this time broadening their reissue catalogue to Uruguay and the experimental music of Mariana Ingold. Compilation Cara A Cara expertly curates this visionary artist’s seven year journey into her nation’s traditional music.

Label boss Chris Bonato explains: “In 1986, Uruguayan vocalist and musician Mariana Ingold took the advice of a storied Uruguayan composer and musicologist and recorded her first album (Todo Depende) for the now legendary label Ayuí/Tacuabé. In the early ’80s, the introduction of the synthesizer fostered an experimental new approach to traditional Candombe rhythms. Ingold’s influence on the scene looms large. Pairing elegant vocals and majestic harmonies with complex arrangements, she pushed the Montevideo-specific sound — loosely termed Candombe fusion — in new directions and thrived working collaboratively with artists including Eduardo Mateo, Jaime Roos, and Hugo Fattoruso.

“With the assistance of Chris J. Morris, we have extracted a collection of tracks that encapsulate this period between 1986-1991, lifting from her albums Todo Depende, Cambio de Clima, and Haace Calor.”