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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Flamenco

After visiting Sevilla last week, I can certainly say this: flamenco lives. Andalucia (the most southern part of Spain) breathes flamenco, being an essential part of the regions tradition and pride. But it doesn't keep to tradition: in cities, flamenco bars and liveshows draw spectators daily, not just tourists but also Spanish youth. If you step into a café, not only will you hear the latest Madonna and Black Eyed Peas song, but you'll hear Spaniards singing along with the latest flamenco-pop hit (often a mix between traditional guitar-only flamenco and electro/pop songs). There are even night clubs where girls in special flamenco dresses dance passionately all night long. (If you want to see for yourself, the last week of april is a very good time, when Sevilla is soothed with flamenco performances during the Feria de Abril.)

Traditional flamenco music involves mostly an acoustic guitar, clapping hands and a gypsy voice lamenting in long hauls. If you're not into Spanish culture, and not impressed by finger-breaking guitar play, traditional songs probably won't appeal to you. Legends Paco de Lucía, Manolo Sanlucar, Camarón de la Isla and many more have free samples at the Spanish iTunes store.

Modern artists add a new dimension to the traditional gyspy music. Niña Pastori, for instance, combines classical guitar with modern pop elements. Her latest album Joyas Prestadas (selling a lot in Spain at this moment) is a collection of pop song covers: Alejandro Sanz, Maná and Juan Luís Guerra are some of the covered artists. Chambao add electronic elements, forming what they call "flamenco chill". "Pokito a Poko" is a nice example of their music: focus on athmosphere, though catchy and well sung. Even though it sometimes sounds a bit cheap (too much echoes), I kinda like the song. Maybe it's the travel memories or the Spanish wine :)

More information about flamenco (both modern and traditional) on these excellent websites: De Flamenco, Flamenco Sound or Flamenco World.

Chambao - Pokito a Poko mp3 video buy@iTunes

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Absolut Kravtiz featuring Luny Tunes

Rockstar Lenny Kravitz has recorded a song for Absolut Vodka, supposedly because "the creative nature of the brand inspires artists to create their own interpretation of Absolut", but we all know Kravitz gets paid lotsa dollars for this prostitution of music and image.

But I'm not here to criticize American rockers :) This Absolut Kravitz project (with a very nice website indeed) also gives an opportunity to 10 locally known deejays to show their skills worldwide, in 10 remixes of the song. Examples: Jazzanova for Germany, Latinsizer for Mexico, Chromeo for Canada, and... reggaeton producers Luny Tunes for Puerto Rico. To be honest I don't like the orginal song nor the Luny Tunes remix, but it's positive that these two geniouses get some international attention. They've produced about every reggaeton hit you've heard (Gasolina, Dale Don Dale, Baila Morena, Mayor Que Yo,...), took the genre to another level and opened the way to global exposure.

In the next few months you'll probably hear the name Luny Tunes more often, as they are collaborating with other mainstream artists as well. Jennifer Lopez, Christina Milan, the Black Eyed Peas, and many more are interested in working with the magical producers duo. Even Paris Hilton (yes, Paris Hilton) has contacted them to provide some beats. Let's wait and see!

You can download the orginal song, the remixes and videos for all 10 versions on the Absolut Kravitz site.

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Merengue: Los Toros Band

It's been a while since we've heard from Los Toros Band. The Dominicans had some internal struggles, after Hector Acosta (one of the fifteen members of the group) left the group early March because of disagreements with the financial administration. Acosta stated that "a band playing at so many parties should be swimming in dollars, but it isn't". He now has his own band, which remarkably includes twelve other Toros members. The remaining members needed a good song to compensate all that negative publicity, and "Dale Con To'" fits the description perfectly. It's merengue at it's best, a fast-paced rhythm with energetic lyrics, confirming Los Toros Band as an institute of latin music.

Los Toros Band - Dale Con To' mp3

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Rock: Catupecu Machu, La Secta

First a service announcement: I'll be in Spain next week so there won't be new posts till next thursday. Maybe I'll write something about my musical experiences in Sevilla then ;)

But these two rock songs will hopefully get you through the week. Both artists were already featured when this site was still written in Dutch, Catupecu Machu with the fabulous anthem A Veces Vuelvo and La Secta with Llora Mi Corazón (My Heart Weeps).
The latter seem to suffer a lot of heartaches, though "Este Corazón" isn't about a broken heart but about a lovestruck one ("This heart only lives for your love"). It starts out as a rock ballad in its purest form, a slow guitar riff with a few organ-like accents. But soon the song builds up to a grand climax with violins, organs, and all sorts of guitars. The rough voice of lead singer Gustavo Laureano is perfect for this song.

Catupecu Machu started out as another alternative/metal band from Argentina. Now they've crafted their sound along the years, slowly evolving into a more conventional poprock combo, but with their own unique style and sound. "En Los Sueños" might not be as instantly breathtaking as A Veces Vuelvo, but give it a few weeks and you'll grow very fond of it. Again it's the lead singers voice on which the song is built, and Fernando Ruiz Diaz has the vocal experience to captivate you throughout the whole track. Enjoy!

La Secta - Este Corazón mp3 buy@iTunes
Catupecu Machu - En Los Sueños mp3 video buy@iTunes(USA) buy@iTunes (Europe)

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Reggaeton: Limi-T 21, Rakim y Ken-Y, Tony Haze & Shaka Black

More new blood in reggaeton! While oldschool bigshots like Don Omar and Tito El Bambino prepare their new album (release: next month), yet unknown artists take the lead.

Rakim y Ken-Y are reggaeton's American Idol: they won El Draft, a talent quest on Puerto Rican television especially for young reggaeton artists. This month they released their first album Masterpiece, produced by Raphy Pina (a big name), and "Dame Lo Que Quiero" is the first single. It's a traditional reggaeton track focused on beats & samples, with lyrics about dancing, so nothing new really. The one thing that makes this song stand out, is Ken-Y's voice in the chorus, it's fresh and with an edge.

Tony Haze & Shaka Black are also releasing their first album next month (No Hay Mas Na Que Hablar). Single "La Tripleta" is promising, though not really standing out. Most samples & beats are copied from other songs, but the ones they created themselves are a lot better, I especially like the "human beatbox" reggaeton beat at the beginning and ending of the song. Hopefully the rest of the album will include more originality than cheap copies.

But we saved the best for the last: award-winning merengue band Limi-T 21 made an exceptional song with "El Baile Pegao". They call it merengueton, and once you heard it, you won't be able to get it out of your head. The song builds up to a climax, excellent dancefloor material. My only point of criticism is that the fast bit should be longer, but otherwise: a great blend of tropical & urban rhythm.

Rakim y Ken-Y - Dame Lo Que Quiero mp3 buy@iTunes
Tony Haze & Shaka Black - La Tripleta mp3
Limi-T 21 - El Baile Pegao mp3 buy@iTunes

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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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