Xochimoki

The music of Xochimoki - American ethnomusicologist Jim Berenholtz and Aztec wisdom-keeper / descendant Mazatl Galindo - traverses millenia. The material found here on Temple Of The New Sun was for all intents and purposes recorded in New Mexico in the early 1980’s, but in reality it traces a lineage back thousands of years. Galindo and Berenholtz employ reproductions of indigenous instrumentation such as ocarinas, pelt drums and bone flutes, and passages of early Mesoamerican language to create what they describe as (and, indeed, named their 1984 album as) “new music, ancient sources”. The music itself is not old - a mere few decades at the time of this reissue - but the heritage, and the cultural expression, are ancient.​

Galindo and Berenholtz began playing together in 1984. Their story starts with a long drive, coming into the United States from Mexico, in a pickup truck crammed full of indigenous musical instruments. Over the border, in El Paso, Texas, the pair spent the last of their money on gas and a bottle of orange juice to share, and with that minimal fuel they made it to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where their life as Xochimoki began. It may come as a surprise that, in the early days of the band, much of Xochimoki’s touring experience mirrored the DIY scene, crashing on floors and playing gigs for gas money. A strange contrast to the transcendental music they were creating.