Limited 99 copies boxset with Via Lactea T-Shirt and the 24 page LP-sized booklet which came with the Mexican Cassette Culture Recordings 1977-1982. "Recordings 1977-1982" is a deluxe 3LP box set released by Vinyl-On-Demand, presenting a comprehensive anthology of the pioneering works of Vía Láctea. Spanning the years 1977 to 1982, this collection captures the essence of the band’s experimental sound, blending elements of early electronic, ambient, and avant-garde music. The history of electronic music is riddled with gaps – brilliant creators who worked in isolation, releasing music in tiny editions that vanished almost immediately upon their appearance. Few cases are as compelling as Vía Láctea, the cosmic music project whose complete recorded output from 1977-1982 now emerges for the first time as a comprehensive survey, thanks to the archaeological efforts of Vinyl-on-demand.

Recordings 1977-1982, spanning three full LPs, represents nothing short of a revelation. Founded in the 1970s by Carlos Alvarado and Miguel Angel Nava, Vía Láctea carved out a unique space within the cosmic music movement – one that drew from the spacey synthesizer excursions of Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze while pursuing a more restrained, ambient-focused approach that incorporated subtle ethnic and pre-Hispanic influences. This chronological presentation reveals the project's fascinating evolution. The early collaborative work between Alvarado and Nava established the group's distinctive sound – quieter and more contemplative than their German contemporaries, with an almost meditative quality that suggested vast desert landscapes and ancient civilizations. When Nava departed after the first album, synthesist Alvarado continued as the sole member, occasionally collaborating with fellow experimentalists Jorge Reyes, Arturo Meza, and others who shared his vision of electronic music as spiritual journey.

What distinguishes Vía Láctea from the broader cosmic music movement is this integration of indigenous musical elements with state-of-the-art synthesizer technology. Where European cosmic music often looked toward the stars, Alvarado's vision remained rooted in earthbound mysticism – the meeting point between futuristic synthesis and ancestral memory. This approach predates by decades the "fourth world" concepts that would later gain widespread recognition. The 1977 material displays an almost primitive approach to electronic sound generation, yet there's an intuitive understanding of space and ritual that immediately sets this work apart. By 1982, Alvarado had developed these ideas into complex, multi-layered compositions that create immersive sonic environments – music designed less for active listening than for psychic transportation.

Vinyl-on-demand's commitment to preserving these overlooked artifacts has yielded one of their most important releases. The label's meticulous approach to remastering ensures that these recordings, many of which existed only as deteriorating private pressings, now receive the sonic treatment they've always deserved. The cosmic music scene of the 1970s and early 1980s was truly international, yet certain regional voices remained localized, never reaching the networks that might have preserved them for posterity. Recordings 1977-1982 offers a crucial window into this overlooked branch of the movement – a reminder that cosmic consciousness was being explored in Mexico with the same dedication and vision as in the celebrated studios of Berlin and Düsseldorf.

For collectors of cosmic and ambient electronic music, this release represents a holy grail finally made accessible. Each of these three LPs contains enough ideas to fuel multiple careers, documenting Alvarado's progression from collaborative cosmic explorer to master of solitary synthesizer meditation.