Juan Garcìa Esquivel
Space-Age Bachelor Pad

This collection, published in 1994 by Bar/None, can well be considered a useful resource both for getting to know the Mexican composer Esquivel, a noble father of space-age pop as well as a refined arranger and pianist, and for understanding the genre from which this compilation takes its title. We are at the end of the '50s, the United States is brimming with optimism and reaping successes in various fields, including space engineering. The genre in question somewhat reflects these elements by often presenting light, sometimes sugary tracks with smooth, clean sounds and arrangements. But there's also the use of electronics that began to surface precisely in those years, which adds a certain quirkiness to tracks that would otherwise sound too standard.

The music you will find here, conceived for relaxing house parties and long aperitifs, touches on all the genres popular at the time: big band jazz, exotica, mambo, and chachacha, but there are also surprises, such as Lazy Bones, a piece à la Spike Jones, or Whatchamacallit, which features truly interesting dynamics. Not to mention masterpieces like Latin-esque, or the dreamy version of the famous Harlem Nocturne.

I highly recommend this listen, it might be the inspiration for organizing some aperitifs at your home.