En La Misma Onda

Our favorite altrockers Café Tacuba lead the nominations for the 9th Latin Grammys with 6 nods, including Record and Song of the Year. Juanes and Gustavo Santaolalla have 5 nominations each. Some of the surprises are the New Artist nominees, who for once are truly undiscovered talents, and the 2 nominations for rapper Tego Calderón in the urban category. Here's the full list, if you have a few minutes time! The Latin Grammys will be awarded Nov. 13th in Houston.

The Complete 78s is a collection of classic 78 RPM recordings of Tito Puente and his Orchestra and Quartet from 1949 to 1955, remastered and never before released on CD. Part I is already in stores, with Part II coming up soon in November. His close friend Joe Conzo selected 160 tracks of the King of Mambo for this series. Wanna feel the magic of his old days again, and don't have a rare LP lying around? More info on this great collection here.

Tropicalidad informs us that the legendary Buena Vista Social Club concert at Carnegie Hall, New York in 1998 is finally available on CD. The concert was prominently featured in the 1999 documentary film by Wim Wenders that sparked an Afro-Cuban revival throughout the world. Check out the funny album cover (quality photoshopping, since Ibrahim Ferrer sadly died in 2005) and a free mp3 of "De Camino a Vereda"!

Fat Planet breaks the silence for an excellent post about the load of nueva cumbia releases in the last few weeks. ZZK Records brings us mixtapes from El Remolón, Fauna and Chancha Vía Circuito (the last being my favorite). And El Hijo De La Cumbia released Freestyle de Ritmos on Soot Records. But for all the info, background and mp3s, head over here!

And may I point you again to our two favorite sources of latin indie, pop and alternative music? Ritmo Latino did another great podcast with Monareta, Señor Coconut and Sonidero Nacional among many others. And Club Fonograma keeps delivering quality CD reviews in an [onnavolgbaar] tempo. Juana Molina, Jovenes y Sexys (also below!), Coconot and Vicente Fernandez all got really high ratings recently, be sure to check out their albums!

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Crossing Over: Beyoncé, Shakira, Alejandro Fernandez, Don Omar, Rell, Zion, Akon, Daddy Yankee, Fergie

Sometimes we just have to give in to the acts being pushed by the music business. And a lot of crossing-over is going on between the Anglo and Latino industry lately. An overview:

R&B meets Pop Latino

Beyoncé is pretty serious about marketing herself into the latino audience (as we reported earlier). Not only has she recorded a (stale and uninspired) r&b song with that other pop queen of the moment, Shakira - it's called "Beautiful Liar", check out the videos below. She also realized that, if you're an artist that wants to get to the heart of latin pop culture, there's only one thing to do: record a theme song to a telenovela. On "Amor Gitano" she joins Mexican pop idol Alejandro Fernandez on a gypsy/flamenco influenced ballad. I'd say her accent is improving (however, ayayayayaaaay sounds the same in every language). The novela is about Zorro, by the way :)

Reggaeton meets Hiphop

Don Omar is announcing his breakthrough into the English-language market. For the 10th time, that is. "Calm My Nerves" is still mainly in Spanish, but at least he's is trying. The Jamaican dancehall influence is undeniable on this song, another move to appeal to a more international public? Anyway, both El Don and guest rapper Rell do a really good job rhyming over the (suprisingly fast) reggaeton beat. A dancefloor topper, and sure to stick on the radio too:

Baila como diosa sobre la luna
Y en una bola, vuelta tu cabeza

Baby-faced reggaetonero Zion is dropping his first album without companion Lennox soon, it will be called "The Perfect Melody". That's right, in English! He's even got a track with the Anglo r&b star of the moment, Akon. "The Way She Moves" is smooth and overproduced like any other r&b song, but Zion was part of my former favorite reggaeton duo so I'll cut him some slack ;)

And last but not least - here's the first single of Daddy Yankee's 8th album El Cartel. "Impacto" features Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas, and I must say I like how it sounds, even though I can't stand either one of them. Maybe it's the excellent work of reknowed producer Scott Storch?

(PS: Watch this blog closely the next few days... a special feature is coming up very soon!)

Don Omar ft. Rell - Calm My Nerves mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon
Daddy Yankee ft. Fergie - Impacto mp3
Beyoncé & Alejandro Fernandez - Amor Gitano mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon
Beyonce & Shakira - Beautiful Liar:

Beyonce - Bello Embustero (Beautiful Liar Solo Spanish Version):

Beyonce & Alejandro Fernandez - Amor Gitano:

Don Omar ft. Rell - Calm My Nerves

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iTunes Latino

Apple dedicated a special section of their iTunes Music Store to latinos this week. Check out iTunes Latino! It features latin music (duh), special podcasts & videos, and soon latin TV shows too.

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Nuestro Himno

The Hispanic Community in the US is speaking up, and not everyone seems to like it. On May 1st, hispanic immigrant workers paralyzed the country with a nationwide strike, in protest of new immigration laws. The same day Nuestro Himno, a Spanish version of the US national anthem, was released by latin label UBO. After a week, it's getting huge airplay on Latin radio stations, not only because of the all-star cast (Olga Tañon, Gloria Trevi, N'Klabe, Ivy Queen, Pitbull,... even Wyclef Jean) but also because of the political statement attached to the song.

The hymn is causing a lot of controversy: president Bush has already condemned the song, saying:

I'm not a supporter of boycots[...] I think people who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English and they ought to learn to sing the national anthem in English.

Even other hispanic artists (like Los Tigres Del Norte) have criticized Nuestro Himno, and rival record labels called it "a promotional stunt" for UBO's upcoming cd 'Somos Americanos' (We Are Americans). UBO reacts, stating they donate most of their profits to pro-immigrant organisations.

So if you want to hear what the fuss is about: here you can listen to the song and read the (altered) lyrics. My personal opinion: I think conservative America should realise that without immigrant workers, their highly valued economy will crumble down to pieces. They should respect immigrants, legal and illegal. And the Belgian national anthem is written in two languages, so why would a Spanish version of the US anthem be so wrong?

Source: Reuters, Yahoo, National Public Radio

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Benefit Concerts

Colombian popstar Juanes performed at a very special location last week: the European Parliament in Brussels. He did a three-song concert to support the EU campaign against landmines, being one of the international faces of the Colombia Sin Minas campaign (together with Shakira). You can watch concert fragments (preceded by long speeches in Spanish) here.

Also, on May 24 Juanes will host a special LA concert to benefit Colombia Sin Minas, with Alejandro Sanz, Ana Gabriel and Carlos Vives performing as well.

His compatriota Shakira will also perform at a unique event: the Soccer World Cup final in Berlin. She'll sing her latest hit Hips Don't Lie together with Wyclef Jean (the song is still featured on the playlist on your right), before the final match kicks off.

And last but not least, she's also planning a big benefit concert, a "latin american Live Aid", for 2007. She says international aid is too focused on Africa and Asia, and empoverished Latin America needs help too.

Compleet naast de kwestie wil ik hier ook even de aandacht vestigen op de Hip-Hop & Reggaeton Expo in Bergen komende vrijdag (28 april). Onder andere Papi Sanchez, Master Joe & OG Black en Nederlanders Ghetto Flow en KLibre zullen er optreden. Tickets 29€ vvk, 40€ add.

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Concertnieuws: Pleasure Paas Party

Zondag 16 april organiseert Pleasure Caribbean & Latin Magazine zijn jaarlijkse Pleasure Paas Party, het grootste caribbean event in Nederland. In vier zalen treden een paar hele grote namen van de latinomuziek op:

• Don Omar, de koning van de reggaeton, treedt voor de eerste keer op in Nederland (en laat hopelijk een paar nummers van zijn nieuwe CD horen)
• Gilberto Santa Rosa, de immens populaire puertoricaanse salsero
• Willy Panamá belooft high energy hot salsa te brengen
• No Game, de populairste Antilliaanse band van het moment

en nog vele anderen. Het volledige programma vind je hier. Place to be is De Uithof in Den Haag, van 20 tot 04 uur.

Er vallen zelfs prijzen te winnen: een reis naar de Antillen of een meet & greet met Don Omar.

Tickets kosten 35€ in voorverkoop (+servicekosten), 40€ aan de deur.

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Pio Leyva Deceased

A short tribute to Pio Leyva, who died wednesday night of a heart attack at the blessed age of 88. Leyva was part of the world famous Buena Vista Social Club, the Cuban son and guajira band consisting of legendary musicians like Ibrahim Ferrer, Rubén Gonzales and Compay Segundo, who also died during the last few years. If you haven't seen the Wim Wenders biopic about the band, you've missed an essential part of Cuban music history (and a good movie too).

Leyva didn't make a solo album after his Buena Vista success, so in memoriam here's a duet with Compay Segundo, "La Juma De Ayer" (link dead).
You can buy CDs of most Buena Vista Social Club members through iTunes: Buena Vista Social Club, Ibrahim Ferrer, Compay Segundo, Omara Portuondo, Manuel Guajiro Mirabal and Eliades Ochoa.

De concerten van de Buena Vista Social Club op 17 en 18 mei (zie concertnieuws hieronder) zullen dus zonder Pio Leyva gebeuren.
(source: tropicalidad.be)

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Concertnieuws

Een overzichtje van de latino-concerten die we de komende maanden mogen verwachten in België.

Woensdag 3 mei, Vorst Nationaal
Ricky Martin
De One Night Only tournee stopt ook in Brussel. Benieuwd of zijn iele popliedjes overleven in de betonnen bunker van Vorst.
Tickets: 45€.

Dinsdag 9 mei, Sportpaleis Antwerpen
Santana
De Mexicaanse gitaargod Carlos Santana strijkt neer in Antwerpen. De wereldmuziek heeft hij al een tijdje achter zich gelaten, maar zoals steeds blijft zijn muziek een latino tintje behouden, zeker de collaboraties met latino-artiesten (onlangs ook Shakira). In Antwerpen zal hij zijn beroemde gasten (Sean Paul, Steven Tyler, Joss Stone, Stevie Wonder, ...) waarschijnlijk niet meebrengen, maar Santana kan putten uit een persoonlijk archief van wereldhits sinds de jaren '60. Memorabel wordt het zeker.
Tickets: 42 tot 59 € ngl. plaats.

Woensdag 17 mei, Concertgebouw Brugge
Donderdag 18 mei, Elisabethzaal Antwerpen
Live From Buena Vista: Havana Lounge
Havana Lounge is een samenwerkingsverband van topsterren uit de Cubaanse volksmuziek. Dat betekent: een tiental oude knarren brengen, live en akoestisch, zowel Son-klassiekers (Chan Chan!) als nieuwe nummers. Gegarandeerd een unieke ervaring, dat weet iedereen die wijlen Ibrahim Ferrer of Compay Segundo nog heeft weten optreden.
Tickets Brugge: 22 tot 38€ ngl. plaats.
Tickets Antwerpen: 27 tot 42€ ngl. plaats.

Donderdag 29 juni, Rock Werchter
Manu Chao: Radio Bemba Sound System
Werchter heeft niet meteen de beste reputatie qua wereldmuziek, maar met Manu Chao weten ze (net als in 2001) het beste van de mestizo te strikken. Zijn mix van Franse, Noord-Afrikaanse, Spaanse en Latino-invloeden is uniek en wereldberoemd, en live is het elke keer feest gegarandeerd.
Tickets: 60€ per dag of 132€ voor 4 dagen

Hetzelfde weekend, Couleur Café
Sergent Garcia
De mestizo verovert België eind juni: een luttele 50 km verder in Brussel zal El Sergante met zijn reggaesalsarock ongetwijfeld Thurn & Taxis doen ontploffen. Ook Braziliaanse legende (tevens minister) Gilberto Gil zal aanwezig zijn!
Nog geen tickets beschikbaar

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Antilliaanse Feesten Indoor: Update

Dear users, sometimes you will find posts in Dutch on La Onda Tropical. That's because we also cover the Latino party scene in Belgium and Holland, which is probably of not much interest to you, our international reader!

Update: DJ Eliel, één van de belangrijkste producers in het genre van de reggaeton, is toegevoegd aan de line-up van de Antilliaanse Feesten Indoor (18 maart, Sportpaleis). Hij was vorig jaar al te zien achter de draaitafel bij het concert van Don Omar, nu doet hij het met enkel een MC en wat dansers. Eliel speelt als warming-up voor Elvis Crespo, en zal nadien het festival afsluiten met een explosie van reggaeton-beats.

Meer informatie over het festival in deze post of op de officiële site.

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Premios Lo Nuestro

Last night, the 18th edition of the Lo Nuestro awards took place in Miami. These awards differ from others because only public votes determine the winners (hence "Lo Nuestro" - meaning "Our Own"). Here are some of the winners:

• Pop: Shakira was the big winner here, taking home the Best Album, Best Song and Best Duo awards, for her latest album Fijación Oral and single La Tortura.
• Rock: Sadly all awards went to pop mega-artist Juanes, while promising new rock bands were overlooked...
• Tropical: Merenguera Olga Tañon won Best Merengue, Best Female, Best Song and Best Album; while Marc Anthony took home the Best Salsa and Best Male awards.
• Regional Mexican: four awards for Mexican banda Intocable, while "El Buki" Marco Antonio Solís got Best Male and a Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Urban: Reggaeton producers Luny Tunes won beforehand, since they had a hand in all the songs nominated for Best Song. Daddy Yankee's "Lo Que Pasó, Pasó" won, and El Cangri took home Best Artist as well. "Mas Flow 2" (by Luny Tunes & Baby Ranks) deserves the award for Best Album very much.

You can read an overview (in Spanish) at the Univision website.

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