The magic of how this song came to be is out of a fairy tale, including edible forests, revolution & revolutionaries, majestic condors soaring, murder, bonfires under the full moon, dancing barefoot in the earth, planting trees, singing, rapping eco-warrior street kids and of course, our spider dog Pooms. TLC Music is proud to present the wondrous Singing Eco-Warrior Sacha...
Our dog Pooms is not normal. Her nickname after we rescued her in the 'hood' was 'spider-dog' - she loves to climb things; so keeping her entertained was no small feat. We were missing nature and decided to have an adventure along the river looking for a wilderness for Pooms to thrive, give us some peace and relax from the city's bustle. So off we went. Drew drove along the motorway and took the first exit; & heading towards a green puff like moths to a flame, we found a forest next to the river in La Cuidad Universitaria. We parked up. As we were about to go into the unknown, a blue-eyed glowing elf-like human popped his beautiful head through the dense green holding a tree, smiling "Are you here to help?", this creature was Sacha, one of the founders of this magic green paradise.
And so began our adventure in La Viccu/Velatropa. It turns out we had stumbled upon an edible forest filled with medicinal plants, indigenous fruits, lemons, grapefruits, blackberries, revolutionaries, architects, babies, courses... It was a true abundant paradise. 'La Velatropa' was an abandoned plot, where part of the University was meant to be built. The skeletons of the foundations and pillars still lay there, but the genocidal dictatorship stopped the build and made a few teachers and students 'disappear'. Their faces hang in the entrance to the Design & Science building next door.
Students and professors of the university had rehabilitated this plot in the early 2000s. It had become a rubbish dump filled with unsavoury darkness. They cleaned it up, using the old tyres there to make raised beds on the concrete foundations, planting healing plants, and even began to rehabilitate the people who lived there.
They built cob houses for resident students & a cultural center where classes on sustainability and permaculture were held; tree houses connected with rope bridges; live music permeated the space after magical events planting indigenous trees; rescue dogs and cats ran happy and were well looked after, just like the land, by all the glorious volunteers getting their hands and hearts filled with goodness.
There were all sorts of eccentric creatures that resided in this paradise. As you walked through you would see little tents, vans and cob houses dotted in the forest. The Viking, aptly named due to his appearance, was a rebel who rejected the corrupt affluence of his family to live a more meaningful life. He has a heart of gold for anything with four legs, and his sweet daughter who would visit him often.
One day by a bonfire we heard a kid rapping about the earth & how to care for it. A talented soul who was rehabilitated from the streets, the forest was now his home. We met babies who were born there, architect students who lived there to lower their living costs, freegans, engineers, street dancers and interns volunteering from all over the world.
It was our refuge from the madness of BA, a place to be free, and meet earthed people looking for the same peace. We learned, laughed and loved, taught tango, planted trees, learned of all things earth friendly. On many evenings a fire would be made and bonds would deepen, sharing songs and stories. Sadly the Velatropa was shut down at the G20 summit, with the excuse that it was a security risk for none other than Trump. The residents who lived there were made homeless, the animals adopted. We don't know if it will ever return to the hands of the marvelous people who ran this place, but I certainly hope so.
Sacha mentioned his Ecological reserve in Cordoba, and we had to go pay a visit. Our little VW Golf struggled in the remote terrain to reach him, but we got there in the end. An alien landscape with indigenous trees, palms and fruit. You would open the door to a blast of ancient herbal smells you couldn't recognize, but your senses knew they were good for you. It was a unique place as it is a flat plateau surrounded by mountains. Very little infiltrated through during the Spanish invasion, so most of the original fauna remains, and it's better suited to the extreme hot, cold and dry conditions of the area. Sacha forages for indigenous wild herbs on his land, drying them in his cob home; sleeping there is like aromatherapy. As Sacha walks through the land he goes eating exquisite morsels explaining all the abundance that surrounds him. He is respectful of the land & its creatures. The Majestic Condors sore above like dark mystical angels.
Sacha's family protected this endangered species on their land in dark times - only 1000 were left. But they prevailed thanks to people like Sacha, though it was not easy. Sacha's stepfather was shot and killed by locals for protecting these peaceful giants. They mate for life; if their partner dies they will starve themselves to death if another Condor couple don't adopt them into their family. They don't hunt, only eating carrion, but are accused of hunting live stock - sheer ignorance of European descendants. The indigenous consider the Condor the highest of spiritual beings, the reincarnation of our ancestors. They are sacred, which is probably why they were nearly killed off.
And so, in these magical times, we got to know Sacha's music, the words, his peaceful observations of how the world of man is not respecting the world we call home. His songs articulate these stories eloquently, and Drew recorded him the first chance he got. At the time we only had the phone and plenty of creativity. But now that we have the investment of marvelous recording equipment, we will be recording Sacha with all his might. Please follow TLC Music Co-op on Bandcamp to find out when we release Sacha's song reedited!
Credits:
Songwriter: Sacha Laniado
Singer: Sacha Laniado
Main Guitar: Sacha Laniado
Production: Drew Walker - Bass, Guitar, Backing Vocals, Watering Can/Percussion, Melodica
Recording: Drew Walker, all recording with the phone (before we got kitted up properly)
Video Footage: Luis Geronimo Rollinson
Video Edit: Luis Geronimo Rollinson
Location: Viccu, Velatropa, La Cuidad Universitaria, Buenos Aires.