Musica Gratis!

All right langostinas, LobsterFest is upon us. I'm sure you're already being bombarded with festival info, so I'll keep this brief.

Make sure you stop by the ACRN booth at LobsterFest, because there will be FREE iTunes download cards for the first 100 fest-goers. The lovely people at Nacional Records provided me with the cards that are wonderful little portals to new Spanish-language music.

This is your opportunity to legally obtain singles from the artists I've blogged about like Manu Chao and Ana Tijoux. More importantly, you can check out artists I haven't covered like Quiero Club and Los Amigos Invisibles. Here's the track list:

1. Pacha Massive - If You Want It (Ga Ga Tech Mix) [feat. Rita Indiana]
2. Cuarto Poder - Solo Tu Tienes La Llave
3. Ana Tijoux - 1977
4. Los Rakas - Lo Mucho Que Te Quiero
5. Hello Seahorse! - Bestia (Julieta Venegas Remix)
6. Choc Quib Town - De Donde Vengo Yo
7. Latin Bitman - Help Me (Feat. Francisca Valenzuela)
8. Mexican Institute of Sound - Yo Digo Baila
9. Tonino Carotone - Amar y Vivir
10. Los Fabulosos Cadillacs - Vamos Ya (Curtis Mayfield Cover)
11. Fidel Nadal - Emocionado
12. Matorralman - El Taxi del Mañana
13. Tom Tom Club - Genius of Love (The Pinker Tones Remix)
14. Manu Chao - Clandestino (Live)
15. Maldita Vecindad - Fut Callejero (Pura Diversion)
16. Banda de Turistas - Lo Comandas
17. La Bien Querida - 9.6
18. Los Amigos Invisibles - Vivire Para Ti (Feat. Natalia Lafourcade)
19. Misterio (feat. Senor Flavio of Los Fabulosos Cadillacs) - La Momia Negra
20. Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich+Fussible – Manuel Santillan, El Leon (Los Fabulosos Cadillacs Cover)
21. Nortec Collective Presents: Clorofila - "BabyRock" Rock
22. Quiero Club - It's All About Dun Dun
23. Furland - Colores Colores Colores

Nos vemos a LobsterFest,
DJ Gringuito

Maluca, Presente!

Maybe springtime is to blame for my recent focus on the opposite sex. Maybe I'm connecting with my inner hermosa. Either way, the trend continues with Maluca!

Coming out of the Dominican Republic by way of NYC, Maluca's self-described "tropical, house, ghettotech" sound is attracting plenty of attention.

Check out this brief interview with the up-and-coming artists whose music is "a hodgepodge of everything that [she loves] about New York."

Find more videos like this on SOCIETY HAE

Maluca's music isn't all Spanish-language, so all listeners can enjoy her fresh new sound. Tracks like the hyper-meregnue "El Tigeraso" already have me convinced that I'll be picking up her mixed tape. Until then, I guess I'll have to settle for following her on Twitter while she tours Europe.

Hasta pronto,

DJ Gringuito

Ven con Venegas

While researching Ana Tijoux, I stumbled upon Julieta Venegas. I first heard about this Mexican cantante during my time in Mérida. But my first exposure left me immediately refusing to listen to her music.

It all started when a friend of mine found Venegas' song "Limon y Sal". It's a cute pop song about Julieta wanting her man "with lemon and salt," just like chelada beer. Oh how fun! But a thousand listens later, I was burnt out and uninterested in the rest of her work.

What a mistake! Her sweet voice could warm even the crankiest curmudgeon's heart (mine after hearing "Limon y Sal" numerous times a day). With an award's list full of Latin Grammys, Latin VMAs and one Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album for Limon y Sal (aaahhh!).

As much as I complain about the catchy song, there are plenty of great tracks on the album. "Eres Para Mi" features the aforementioned emcee Ana Tijoux. When Tijoux couldn't make Venegas' MTV Unplugged show, La Mala Rodriguez filled the role and rocked the mic.

There's more to Venegas than her award-winning voice (and looks. Oh c'mon, I've made it this far without commenting on her natural beauty). Anyhow, prepare yourself for Venegas' squeezing an accordion for "Me Voy." Yes, an accordion! And you thought Feist was quirky!

Slow and simple lyrics make Venegas a great artist for beginning listeners and Spanish-speakers. Even if you don't understand her yet, her voice is sure to coo you to a sense of comfort and relaxation.

Estoy enamorado (otra vez),

DJ Gringuito

Buena Vista!

Stop the presses! I promised last week to elaborate on Ana Tijoux's new sound from Colombia, but this post demands immediate attention.

I finally watched the Buena Vista Social Club documentary. Whoa. Anyone who has the slightest interest in Spanish-language music MUST watch it. I mistakenly wrote about these talented musicians in previous entries, and even dedicated full posts to members Compay Segundo and Ibrahim Ferrer. Now, I apologize to the rest of the collective.

Listening to the album, I always assumed that the major players of the group were the ones I highlighted. I was wrong. From the pianist Rubén González to the bass player Orlando "Cachaíto" López, the documentary showcases each member individually. The documentary essentially proves that Buena Vista Social Club is Ry Cooder's attempt to create a super group of all the Cuban greats who never had the chance to collaborate.

In case this realization wasn't enough to make my weekend, the cinematography of the documentary is incredible. Each shot is slow and winding in order to convey the untouched beauty of our forgotten, forbidden neighbor.

Check it out on YouTube. Advertisements cut in every now and then, and sometimes the video just stops. Simply refresh the page and pick up where you left off.

Siempre aprendiendo,
DJ Gringuito

Nueva Reina de Hiphop?

Do you know what comes from Chile? If you said hip-hop, by golly, you're right! Earlier this week, Chilean hip-hop artist Ana Tijoux's new album 1977 hit the U.S.

I'll save her background info for next week, and keep this post brief. Long story short, Tijoux has already toured the U.S. once, so 1977 is already attracting plenty of attention state-side.

The Austin Chronicle says Tijoux rhymes with, "wicked wordplay and effortless flow." Proving that the U.S. is a black hole for talent, the Los Angeles Times calls Tijoux, "one of South America's best-regarded MCs, male or female."

Until I drop some biographical knowledge on ya, check out her new single "1977." If that's not enough, here's a live performance of it too!

Estoy enamorado,

DJ Gringuito

The Velvety Ones

Los Aterciopelados are not to be considered plush and snugly, as their velvety-name suggests. This electro-punk-indigenous rock duo is focused on making changes to more than just the music scene.

Andrea Echeverri and Hector Buitrago first joined (strictly artistic) forces in 1992. Nearly two decades later, Aterciopelados has produced eight albums, earned several awards and gained international attention.

In fact, the band's first single "Bolero Falaz" was an instant hit. I'm sure the music video's animation sequences (foreshadowing future videos) added to the song's attractiveness. Always astute about music videos, MTV noticed the band and recorded their "Unplugged" set in 1997.

Fast-forward a couple of years, and Aterciopelados is now the Latin Grammy Award-winning Best Rock Group, an honor they received for their fifth studio album, Gozo Poderoso. The Latin Grammys continued when the duo won Best Alternative Album for Oye in 2007.

Oye solidified Aterciopelados' presence in Colombian politics. Tracks like "Don Dinero" have listeners questioning whether money truly is the answer to all of our problems, and the music video fits in the same aisle as Manu Chao's "Me Gustas Tu." Their protest song titled "Cancion Protesta" attracted international attention when Amnesty International gave the band an escopeterra for its awareness efforts. Other artists to receive the symbol of non-violence include Juanes and Manu Chao. Best of all, you can see it in the music video!

Aterciopelados' newest album, Rio, maintains the conscious message backed by ethereal, electro-funk sounds. The title track speaks of the struggle for native Colombians to have the fundamental right to clean-water access. Both members are more than just spokespeople for a problem. While floating down the Bogota River, they actually collected 2 million signatures in order to propel a clean water referendum to the next stage in the lengthy, bureaucratic process. Take that, Bono!

If you're still interested in what these progressive powerhouses sound like, check out these two tracks. One is quintessential fierce Aterciopelados, while the other shows the band's softer (yet equally enjoyable) side.

"Hijos de Tigre"

"Complemento"

Nos vemos en Colombia,

DJ Gringuito

Conscious Colombian Pop

Cocaine and Colombia are perpetually linked. No matter how well the War on Drugs is (or isn't) working, the country cannot shake the stigma. But that's just the most publicized of the country's problems.

If history has taught us anything, it's that music has the power to change the status quo. From John Lennon's "Imagine" to N.W.A.'s "Fuck tha Police," music is always at the forefront of serious issues.

Well, one politically-conscious band has been speaking out against the country's faults for more than a decade. This week Radio Chevere is spotlighting the wild sounds of Aterciopelados. Come back soon for an in-depth look at what has the whole world looking at this dynamic duo.

No usa mota,

DJ Gringuito