This Week On Alt.Latino: Chilean Folk, Cumbia And Celtic Music With A Latin Twist
Natalia Contesse. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Natalia Contesse.
Courtesy of the artistEnglish / Spanish
One of my favorite tracks on this week's show belongs to Senegalese-American DJ Zakee Kuduro's new record Assimilations. I love the song "Dark Crystal" because it features Brazilian poet Vinicius de Moraes reading "O Mergulhador" (The Diver). The murky, thick beats are appropriate for the undersea adventure De Moraes and Kuduro take us on.
I like to think of Alt.Latino as a deep-sea diving expedition: Every week we plunge into the Latin world and search its coves and caves to bring you the finest new music.
This week we dove into Chile, Argentina, Brazil and beyond to catch some amazing releases. The deep-sea reference is also appropriate because so many of these artists are plunging into old genres to expand their own repertoire, from the stylings of Natalia Contesse, which are anchored in the Chilean folk tradition, to the remixed take on tango by New York's Jose Conde.
In his poem, de Moraes compares diving into the ocean to interacting with a lover, and many of the songs in this show has the same lyrical intensity. Contesse has described her "Ay Que Si, Ay Que No" ("Oh Yes, Oh No") as a photograph of a moment in a woman's life who loves someone she cannot have. Argentina's Pablo Montiel tells of a man who travelled to the edge of the sea and asked for three wishes; all three were for him and his lover to be together.
If you aren't feeling the oceanic romance, don't worry. We've also got some more lighthearted tunes, from Brazil's irreverent Daniel Peixoto to Venezuela's Mr. Pauer.
We hope you enjoy the treasures we've found for you this week.
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English / Spanish
Esta Semana En Alt.Latino: Nuevas Canciones, Desde Argentina a Venezuela
Una de mis canciones favoritas del show de esta semana es "Dark Crystal", del nuevo album Assimilations, por el DJ senagalés Zakee Kuduro. Me encanta esta canción por varias razones, principalmente porque usa audio del poeta brasilero Vinicius de Moraes, leyendo su obra "O Mergulhador" ("El Buceador"). El ritmo denso y oscuro que le aplica Kuduro a la poesía es completamente apropiado para la aventura subaquática a la cual nos invita De Moraes.
Me gusta pensar que Alt.Latino es como una especie de expedición bajo el mar: todas las semanas nos zambullimos en el mundo de la música Latina y buscamos en sus profundidades para traerles los mejores estrenos musicales.
Esta semana nos fuimos hasta Chile, Argentina y Brasil para atrapar música fascinante. La metáfora de las profundidades marítimas también es apropiada porque muchos de estos músicos exploran géneros antiguos para expandir sus propios repertorios, desde el éstilo de Natalia Contesse, anclado en la tradición folclórica chilena, e incluyendo el tango remix del neoyorquino Jose Conde.
En su poema, de Moraes compara el lanzarse a las profundidades del mar con tocar a su amante. Muchas de las canciones del show de esta semana tienen la misma intensidad lírica. Contesse ha dicho que la canción "Ay Que Si, Ay Que No" es como una fotografía de una mujer que ama a alguien que no puede tener. Y el argentino Pablo Montiel nos cuenta sobre un hombre que viajó hasta el eje del mar y pidió tres deseos; los tres fueron que el y su amante puedan finalmente estar juntos.
Los romances en alta mar no son para todos, pero no se preocupen: también tenemos canciones divertidas, como el irreverente Daniel Peixoto de Brasil y Mr. Pauer de Venezuela.
¡Espero que disfruten de los tesoros que tenemos para ustedes esta semana!
This Week On Alt.Latino:
Ay Que Si, Ay Que No
- from Puñado De Tierra
- by Natalia Contesse
Sounds like: Ani Di Franco mixed with Chilean folk.
Coming at you from: Chile
Madre Del Mundo
- from Entrega Tu Espiritu
- by Fother Muckers
Sounds like: The band Boston — with a religious twist.
Coming at you from: Chile
El Eje Del Mar
- from El Eje Del Mar
- by Pablo Montiel
Sounds like: Celtic music with a Latin folk twist
Coming at you from: Argentina
El Vestido [Le Katz Remix] [the Dress]
- from Jose Conde
- by Jose Conde
Sounds like: Tripping on tango; Bajofondo, Gotan Project.
Coming at you from: Miami
Dark Crystal
- from Assimilations
- by ZAKEE
Sounds like: A deep sea diving expedition while listening to Bonobo; Peter Gabriel during his So era.
Coming at you from: Senegal/Philadelphia
Maybe Always
- from Soundtrack
- by Mr. Pauer
Sounds like: Super Mario Brothers playing cumbia.
Coming at you from: Venezuela
So Paro Se Cair
- from Shine
- by Daniel Peixoto
Sounds like: That cheesy '90s techno song you secretly love.
Coming at you from: Brazil