Tango Trends don't stop:
"Electrolatino tango" or "tango electrofusion".
Electroacústica tanguera orchestra, the house of electro with precise handling of beats per minute and manipulation of realtime images.
In 1997 Latin Rock pioneer Gustavo Santaolalla created Surco, the first Latin regional label dedicated to Hispanic Alternative music and the home of Molotov, Juanes, Orishas, Bersuit, El Otro Yo, La Vela Puerca, Arbol, and Erica Garcia.
Millions of units and a handful of Grammys later, Surco takes its next step by launching Vibra, a new division which taps into the world of Electronica while never loosing touch with its Latin identity. Vibra's first in a string of Electrolatino releases is BTC: Bajofondo Tangoclub - a collective of artists and musicians who team up to create an array of music based on the fusion of diverse electronic genres (house, trance, trip hop, dub, drum n' bass, etc) with the traditional sounds of Tango.
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The collection brings together some of South America's top names in both the electronic and tango world creating an eclectic blend that represents a contemporary view of urban life in the "Rio de la Plata". Without having been released yet, Bajofondo Tango Club is already causing a stir in Argentina's underground and is the newest vehicle for Santaolalla to demonstrate his tremendous creativity as an artist and producer.
Gustavo Santaolalla (Producer, Mezcla, Keyboards, Programming, Vocals, Guitar, Percussion)
Gustavo Santaolalla's professional music career started in 1967 at the age of 16, when he founded the group Arco Iris making history as the pioneer in the fusion of rock and Latin American folk. He has since become the most important name in Latin Alternative music having won Grammys for his work with Cafe Tacuba and Juanes and has also produced critical and commercial successes for million-selling Mexican group Molotov, as well as Julieta Venegas, Maldita Vencindad, Caifanes, Leon Gieco, Los Prisioneros and Divididos among others. In 1997, he founded Surco and has also played a major role in producing music for his label's roster of artists including Bersuit, Erica Garcia, Arbol and La Vela Puerca among others. Most recently, Gustavo has entered into the world of film music by scoring the music for the Oscar nominated film Amores Perros and producing it's soundtrack, and will once again team up with Amores Perros producer Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu to work on his upcoming film. Proving once again that he is not only a master in the world of rock, Santaolalla just completed production of the new release "Nuevo" for the classical string quartet Kronos which pays homage to the rich musical styles of Mexico.
Luciano Supervielle (Keyboards)
Today he is most recognized for being the keyboard player for singer-songwriter Jorge Drexler. He is the youngest member of Bajofondo Tango Club.
Supervielle started his professional career in his native country, Uruguay with the hip hop group Platano Macho. The plantain or platano macho is a banana, musa paradisiaca, which is eaten cooked rather than raw. Plantain are eaten in most tropical countries, including Mexico. Mariquitas are lightly salted, sweeter-than-bananas plantain chips.
Supervielle: From my 16 years, I interfered with the language of the electronics. It had keyboards that were allowing to compose music for layers: it was putting a battery line, one of down and above of it it had space to orchestrate. It is super important in my music, because though he is born of the piano, this instrument does not have a participation soloist, but it is one more element one orchestration. To the work with samples often it removes itself value because it uses material that was already done earlier by another person, but it forces to do a very important work of sound combination, which is something very nearby to the orchestration.
Was he interested in the tango before being summoned for Bajofondo Tango Club?
- not in a direct way. I always liked much the tango of Piazzolla, that he is other of the musicians who more influenced me, both for the rhythmic thing and for the melodic thing. Obviously, when we started being employed at this project there was a specific approach towards the tango that made me discover the style. I was never tanguero, I never did tango, and when we met in Bajofondo the premise of mixing it with our electronic language, it made me investigate it and to know more the style.
- this approach almost of laboratory: does not it leave it out of many elements of the tango?
- the fact is that I do hip hop. The things that serve me as the tango are those that I can associate with my genre. As in all work of experimentation, there are things that stay of side. But the tango and the hip hop share a dance origin, then there are many things that one knows that it can associate. Anyhow, if I do a contribution to some evolution it is to that of the hip hop or of the electronic music, not to that of the tango. The new tango is going to arise from a type that is tanguero, that it dedicates ten hours per day to doing tango. And if it approaches the electronic music, it will do it from the tango. I am of another side.
(Original: Tuve la suerte de que mi padre se compró una computadora y entonces desde los 16 años me involucré con el lenguaje de la electrónica. Tenía teclados que permitían componer música por capas: ponía una línea de batería, una de bajo y arriba de eso tenía espacio para orquestar. Eso es súper importante en mi música, porque si bien nace del piano, ese instrumento no tiene una participación solista, sino que es un elemento más de una orquestación. Al trabajo con samples muchas veces se le quita valor porque utiliza material que ya fue hecho antes por otra persona, pero obliga a hacer un trabajo muy importante de combinación de sonidos, que es algo muy cercano a la orquestación.
¿Le interesaba el tango antes de ser convocado para Bajofondo Tango Club?
–No de modo directo. Siempre me gustó mucho el tango de Piazzolla, que es otro de los músicos que más influyeron en mí, tanto por lo rítmico como por lo melódico. Obviamente, cuando nos pusimos a trabajar en este proyecto hubo un acercamiento específico hacia el tango que me hizo descubrir el estilo. Nunca fui tanguero, nunca hice tango, y cuando nos reunimos en Bajofondo con la premisa de mezclarlo con nuestro lenguaje electrónico, eso me hizo investigar y conocer más el estilo.
–Ese acercamiento casi de laboratorio, ¿no lo deja afuera de muchos elementos del tango?
–Es que yo hago hip hop. Las cosas que me sirven del tango son las que puedo asociar a mi género. Como en todo trabajo de experimentación, hay cosas que quedan de lado. Pero el tango y el hip hop comparten un origen bailable, entonces hay muchas cosas que uno sabe que puede asociar. De todos modos, si hago un aporte a alguna evolución es a la del hip hop o de la música electrónica, no a la del tango. El nuevo tango va a surgir de un tipo que sea tanguero, que dedique diez horas por día a hacer tango. Y si se acerca a la música electrónica, lo hará desde el tango. Yo estoy del otro lado.)
Juan Campodonico (Co-Producer)
Campodonico's first encounter with Santaolalla was as the guitarist for the Uruguayan rock group Peyote Asesino, which was signed to Surco in 1997 and whose release was produced by Santaolalla himself. A strong bond was built between the two men and even when the members of Peyote parted ways, Santaolalla and Juan continued to work with each other. In the past year, Campodonico built a name for himself as a producer having worked on the debut release for Latin Grammy nominated Jorge Drexler, a singer-songwriter who currently is enjoying success in Spain, Argentina, and Uruguay. Once the idea of Bajofondo Tango Club was clear in Santaolalla's mind he knew that Campodonico would be the perfect partner and for the past year, the team has converged in Buenos Aires, Montevideo and Los Angeles to create this new adventurous project.
Emilio Kauderer (Keyboards, Programming, Producer)
Among the eclectic list of Argentine-born composer Emilio Kauderer's accomplishments are works as varied as scoring the Oscar nominated film "A Place In The World", composing music for a multimedia project commissioned by New York's Museum of Tolerance and the Internet-only movie "Quantum" directed by Oscar - winning set designer Eugenio Zanetti, to name a few. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Kauderer continues to keep busy scoring for film and television and now has joined forces with Vibra to participate in Bajofondo Tango Club.
Juan Blas (Producer)
One of the hottest producers in Argentina today, Juan Blas is responsible for producing the debut record of El Sindicato Argentino Del Hip Hop, who took home the Latin Grammy for best Latin Hip Hop album in 2001. He lends his unique Urban flavor to Bajofondo Tango Club.
Adriana Valera (Vocals)
Valera is currently one of the female Tango voices with the most critical and commercial acclaim. She is considered a disciple of the great Tango artist Roberto "Polaco" Goyeneche - his sampled voice also appears in the Bajofondo Tango Club track "Mi Corazon" - who embraced her in the last few years for his life as his protege.
Didi Gutman (Keyboards, Programming, Producer)
Argentine composer Didi Gutman currently can be found as the musical director for Bebel Gilberto's tour and is also composing songs for Gilberto's upcoming release, which he will also produce. Additionally he just completed recording the first album for his group Me and the Other Guy called "In The Madness". In the past he has also performed as a musician with artists such as Roy Ayers, Spinetta, Lebon and produced the albums for Azul Violeta, Poncho Kingz and El General.
Cristobal Repetto (Vocals)
In his hometown of Buenos Aires, Repetto has single handedly brought back the traditional voice of the Tango. Although only in his early 20s, to listen to him sing he could easily be confused with the great voices of Tango's past, previously only heard on the old scratchy vinyl's of our grandparents. He leads the pack of the new generation artists breathing life into this genre.
Diego Vainer (Keyboards)
Probably best known as the producer for Argentine Alternative Rock group El Otro Yo, Diego Vainer is also a pioneer in the Latin Electronic genre being the first artist to release a record of this kind in Argentina in the late 80s. His project since then is called "Fantasias Animadas."
Jorge Drexler (Acoustic Guitar)
This Uruguayan singer-songwriter currently resides in Spain and follows in the tradition of great pop stars as Miguel Bose and Alejandro Sanz. His record was produced by Bajofondo co-producer Juan Campodonico and is nominated for a Latin Grammy for Best Pop Male Performance. He can be found touring throughout Spain and South America promoting his Virgin EMI Spain release "Sea".
Adrian Iaies (Piano)
Argentine pianist Adrian Iaies' unique style can best be described as a fusion of traditional Tango and contemporary Jazz. In 2000, he was nominated for a Latin Grammy in the jazz category for his record "Las Tardecitas de Minton's" (Aqua Records). Throughout his impressive career he has toured extensively on both sides of the Atlantic having shared the stage with artists such as Ron Carter, Lee Konitz, Michael Brecker, Dave Holland, John Patitucci, Chucho Valdes, and Dino Saluzzi. In November of 2000, Iaies recorded a new solo record in Barcelona called "Tango Reflections" which was released worldwide in April of 2001.
Pablo Mainetti (Bandoneon)
Born in Buenos Aires, Mainetti is one of the best-known and most respected bandoneon players in the world. He completed his studies in bandoneon, harmony, and composition before specializing in chamber and contemporary music. Throughout the course of his career he has recorded and played with all of the Top Tango artists in Rio De La Plata and has worked under the direction of the masters: Beba Pugliese, Nestor Marconi, Daniel Binelli, Mederos and Rodolfo Alchurron. In 1996, Harmonia Mundi released his tribute recording to Astor Piazzolla entitled "Concerto for Bandoneon".
Javier Casalla (Violin)
Javier Casalla is an Argentine Violinist who lends his talent to both rock and tango. He has toured extensively throughout Europe and visited Japan with the orchestra Colangello.
Electroshock clicks:
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Bajofondo Tango Club lanzará un nuevo disco en mayo del 2005
La fusión del tango con la música electrónica que produce el grupo argentino Bajofondo Tango Club se dejará escuchar el próximo año con nuevas piezas, luego de que el bajista del grupo, Juan Campódico, asegurara que en 2005 l a banda lanzará un nuevo disco.
"Será un disco más conciso, más concentrado, que va mucho más al grano", aseguró Campodónico. Se trata de "decir algo actual con el corazón y la idiosincracia del Río de la Plata", explicó el músico y productor musical.
La receta del grupo, formado por argentinos y uruguayos, es fusionar la música electrónica (house, el trip hop o el drum n'bass) con el tango tradicional.
El grupo surgió a iniciativa de Campodónico y el argentino Gustavo Olalla, productor de rock latino, quienes contactaron con el dj uruguayo Luciano Supervielle, que en aquel momento residía en Francia para que formase parte del proyecto.
La revancha del tango dee jays
Gotan Project es un trío formado en París por un DJ francés, Philippe Cohen Solal; un músico suizo, Christoph H. Müller, y un intérprete argentino de bandoneón y guitarra, Eduardo Makaroff.
En el 2000 publicaron 1.000 copias de su primer single ‘El capitalismo foráneo’, una combinación de tango, jazz y electrónica que ellos denominan ‘Electrauthentica’.
Graban un álbum que titulan ‘La revancha del tango’ (2001), toda una declaración de principios apoyada ‘Chunga’s revenge’, un olvidado tema de Frank Zappa que ellos reinterpretan en el disco, del que llevan vendidos casi un millón de copias.
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