Smoking the Century Away

Smoking The Century Away is a psychedelic band from Mexico. It was conceived by Jorge Beltran and Victor Basurto as a special project that would detach from the sound of previous bands they had played and recorded with in the past, namely Loch Ness, Humus, Frolic Froth, and Semefo.

All these bands had achieved critical acclaim in many underground quarters, since their releases were distributed from inception in the late 1980s in Europe, USA, and as far as New Zealand. So STCA became an experimental band, using instruments that were never featured, or had little prominence in the other bands, but most distinctively, the total lack of electric guitars and standard drum sets. Heavily relying on keyboards and varied percussion, and bass as a leading improvisational force, the band released first eponymous album in 1996. They succeeded in sounding totally different from previous recordings, creating original atmospheres and landscapes with an acoustic twist. Though some fans felt that Beltran and Basurto had lost direction, the album did gain them a new following. At the same time Humus and Frolic Froth continued active with the preparation of follow up albums for both bands, in their own unique psychedelic and heavy styles. It was during a European tour of Humus in 1997 that Victor Basurto settled in the Netherlands, but that wasn't and hasn't been an impediment for both musicians to continue collaborating, recording and releasing albums, with the constant mail-exchange of tapes. It was through this fashion that all their records since then have been produced, including a second album by STCA recorded in 1999 named Animated Weigtlessness (released 2002), which went even farther than the first in the difficult task of trying to categorize it. The album got rave reviews in yet new international quarters, many of them not even linking STCA to Beltran and Basurto's other "established" acts. Animated Weightlessness was released in own independent label Nuggetphase.

The name of the band was inspired by the song "Smoking the day away" by May Blitz, though some purists hated the fact that this formation had little or non resemblance to the May Blitz sound.

Originally, the band was conceived to release records only until the end of the 20th century, but since their second album was released in the 21st, there might be a new release in the future.

As of February 2005, the two founding members continue with their never ending exchange of tapes.