Posts Tagged ‘Latino’
Each week we find a track from an artist or a band we’ve been enjoying and bring it to you, for free, as our Canción de la Semana. Observers of Latin music may recognize Alejo Aponte as the musical director and songwriter for the multiplatinum artist Fonseca. Aponte’s album Gente is largely inspired by the rhythms of the African diaspora manifest in music from Bogota to Brooklyn. “Me Voy” pulses with congas and timbales — a funk bassline burbles like a soothing brook. Midway through, the drums peel away as a sole electric guitar cries its lonely song. It’s music for a borderless new world.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Each week we find a track from an artist or a band we’ve been enjoying and bring it to you, for free, as our Canción de la Semana. It makes sense that the six-man Mexico City collective Dapuntobeat has shared stages with Hot Chip and Fatboy Slim, because they share a common electro/techno genealogy. It’s impossible to not wiggle a bit to “0 (dospuntocero),” a song so densely layered that Hank Shocklee would have to give it props. First they lay down a thumpin’ drum track reminiscent of Salt-n-Pepa’s “Push It,” blend in pitch altered and chopped vocals, as a faintly tropical hook keeps the vibe decidedly Latin.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Wind your hips and let you hair fall where it may – prolific alt-dance maestro Quantic teams with an eclectic group of musicians to give us “Un Canto a Mi Tierra.” The uplifiting sound fusion mixes jazzy horns; Columbia-rooted rhytms; and the rich, raw vocals of Nidai Gongora.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Savvy listeners can learn a lot about rappers just by studying their vocal delivery. In the case of Aíd, whose well-metered flows unfurl in lisp-tinged Castilian and Galician, it’s clear this Spanish female emcee is the real deal — not the result of a get-rich-quick marketing scheme. On swinging “Boogie Vigo,” the former graffiti writer rides a funk-tinged, minimal beat and lets you know all about her boundless passion. If you like the track, check out the album.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Last week we showed our appreciation for the efforts of Natalie LaFourcade when we spotlighted her new work with Los Amigos Invisbles. This week, we take our new love a little bit further and spotlight a track from her new album, Hu Hu Hu. “Ella Es Bonita” is a bright slice of sunshine pop where Ms. LaFourcade comes across like a nouveau folk-singer with a penchant for horns and organic disco-pop. In a perfect world, we would spend our weekends in the forest frolicking to music like this.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Robert Avellanet spent his youth as a member of Menudo in the late ’80s, and honed his rock skills throughout the ’90s as a part of bands like Euphoria, El Reencuentro, and Los Ultimos Heroes. Now he’s back as RoBA and with a new album, Jet Privado. “Laberinto” is a smooth pop track on the surface, but it rocks with gusto – a blazing guitar kicks the tune off which helps bring RoBA into a new level of rock ‘n’ roll sincerity. If you like the track, check out the album.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
This Colombian group released its first album in 2007, mixing the electronic sounds boom out of the clubs with more traditional cumbia rhythms. Its newest album, Blow-Up, expands on that idea by integrating champeta and bullerengue sounds into the mix and adding more live percussionists to bring the rhythms to the forefront. This new electofolklorico sound is taken to a high point on “Fuego,” where vocalist Liliana Saumet lures in the listener with her charismatic energy.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Argentine singer/songwriter Federico Aubele has given us two albums of genre-hopping pop – mixing up ambient grooves with tango and hip-hop with bolero. “Otra Vez” is a track from his third album that squeezes in some exquisitelyplayed acoustic guitar against the moody and luscious electronic backbeat. Assistance on the vocal side comes from Brazilian Girls vocalist, Sabina Sciubba.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
With her former band, Los Abandoned, Pilar Diaz was the center of tracks that dipped into new wave party rock and riff-driven power pop. On her own, she’s freer to create something more dizzying. With her ukulele never too far behind her, Diaz makes quirky, mournful pop songs with an ethereal air – and on “Tu y Yo” she adds a solid, uptempo hip-hop beat.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Polbo’s self-titled debut was nominated for a Latin GRAMMY in 2006. The album was a refreshingly hard-rocking effort that alternated between 60′s rock riffs and good-time jangling roots-rock. Now Polbo’s back with Liminada, and the hooks are pushed even farther out in front. “Te Quiero Much” is a riotous singalong that keeps the British Invasion influences on the band’s sleeves, but also shows a quirky angularity that gives Polbo a sound that’s hard to define yet easy to remember.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
