Festival Report: Antilliaanse Feesten Day 2

Saturday, August 9th

Click above for more pictures. Some are courtesy of tropicalidad.be, you'll recognize them by their sharpness and beautiful composition ;). Dutch version of this article here.

All ready for a second night of caribbean fiesta, I could handle the few raindrops and the dark sky. The queue at the entrance was something else however - the crowd was overwhelming, even on the festival grounds. So I had to skip Amarfis y la Banda de Attake (merengue from the Dominican Republic and frequently featured on this blog), a bummer. Yet another cancellation - Puchy y su Coco Band mysteriously disappeared after they took a bus in Madrid - was the final blow for the festival line-up: on the main stage every band was either a replacement, cancelled or not my taste.

So the night started off in disappointment, but as soon as Gente D'Zona came on stage, it was replaced by awe and joy. The Cuban reggaeton duo only has a small repertoire of mostly similar songs to rely on, but the more exotic and less agressive cubaton had a strong appeal on the salsa-loving audience. A fanatic horde of Cuban girls was lining the front rows and singing along to every word - if you haven't guessed, Gente D'Zona is immensely popular in Cuba. The rest of the tent enjoyed the view of all the youngsters climbing the stage to show off their moves and their bodies - musically there wasn't much to experience anyway.

Afterwards my company and me were listening with a half ear to the sugarsweet bachata pop of Monchy y Alexandra (website) while sipping a cocktail and enjoying the atmosphere. It was raining a little, but nobody seemed to bother: the crowd of 30,000 people from all over the world was here for dancing, singing along, drinking, having fun. The Antilliaanse Feesten are definitely a very laid back festival with an almost tangible positive vibe (if you go next year, be sure to stay camping to be fully immersed!).

Then came the second chance for Son de Cali (myspace). Word of mouth about yesterdays performance filled the Joker tent to capacity - no room for salsa dancing this time, but the Colombian band was in much better shape now they got to know the audience. A phenomenal drummer and percussionist gave the salsa a thriving rhythm not found on their albums - while speedy piano work and great singing improvs fired up the audience.

Headliners Wisin y Yandel had to cancel at the last minute (see previous post), but I was pleased to see Angel y Khriz (website) replace them - I like their softer, more exotic Dominican reggaeton better than Wisin y Yandel's fairly unoriginal bling-bling. But alas the show was a complete disappointment: no live instruments, both rappers just shouting over a bassline (mostly off key as well), and uninspired versions of their hit songs "Ven Bailalo" and "De Lao A Lao". The audience seemed to have fun at least - though many came for Wisin y Yandel and expected a bigger show.

Off to the Joker stage for an unexpected discovery. Djunny Claude is from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and as such no material for this latino blog ;) But in the wee hours of the Hoogstraten night, he managed to get our tired legs to jump and dance for more than an hour to his contageous soukous music. The show was crazy, disorganized but wonderfully charming - at one moment the whole band dropped on the floor, after which for some reason Djunny started a dancing contest between the Congolese dancers on stage. Probably to show us white people ways of moving our body that we will never grasp. One to watch if you're into world music!

The honors for closing off two days of passionate, border-crossing music were for Carimi (myspace) from Haiti. It was their third time in Hoogstraten, and in this period they seemed to have picked up a lot from US culture. Which might be good for the show, but I came for the lovely, fast-paced compas music from their homeland, not for r&b and hiphop. After a while they did seem to find the right balance, but while they were building an explosive party on the main stage, I was already heading back through the mud to my tent.

This edition of the Antiliaanse Feesten suffered quite a lot from the many cancellations, though many replacements did a very good job. Altogether we had a wonderful weekend of exotic music, and we'll certainly be back in 2009!

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Festival Preview: Wisin y Yandel

Important update below!

We're mentally preparing ourselves for the Antilliaanse Feesten this weekend in Hoogstraten (on the border between Belgium and Holland). It's the biggest caribbean music festival in the world, and practically our only chance to catch a live performance of the artists we blog about. Both El Guiri and me will be covering the festival, and world music fanatic Pieter from Tropicalidad will be there as well, shooting his signature classy concert pictures.

As usual a few last minute cancellations changed the program a little - but in my opinion, the replacements could have been headliners themselves. Cuban timbero Manolito y su Trabuco replaces the charanga outfit he used to be part of - Maravilla de Florida. And while la Maravilla is a true Cuban monument, Manolito has grown even bigger during the last few years - the island is just crazy about timba.
Also, Grupo Gale, currently the #1 salsa band on almost every Colombian radio station, had to cancel their whole European tour, and will be replaced by the equally magnificent Son de Cali.
Other artist we're looking forward to seeing live on Belgian soil: Dominican merenguero Chichi Peralta (who used to be part of Juan Luis Guerra's band), soca king Machel Montano (a genre we rarely blog about but secretly enjoy), the unknown but apparently captivating salsa combo Magia Caribeña (we might do an article on them soon), and the Ecuadorian rock band Rocola Bacalao.


But the biggest stars of the festival are undeniably Wisin & Yandel. The Puerto Rican duo was part of the beginnings of reggaeton - we're talking 1995, unnamed tracks on compilations, and CDs burned in some sleazy home studio. Success slowly built up, and W&Y exploded into mainstream with "Rakata" off 2005's Pa'l Mundo, thanks to superproducers Luny Tunes. Now Wisin y Yandel have their own record label and sold a couple of million albums (all of this in the internet age!). Their latest effort Los Extraterrestres may not be excelling in originality, somehow Wisin y Yandel manage to lock every single they've released in the last few years in the top spots of sales & radio charts. We'll see this saturday if the success is deserved!
For now, here's the latest single "Ahora Es". Yes, the chorus says "dale sin miedo" AND "hasta que se rompe el suelo" - the two biggest clichés in reggaeton lyrics. Yes, the video has loud engines and dancing females. Yes, the song is probably as annoying as "Gasolina". But I dare you to listen to it - we'll talk in a week, when you might finally got that beat out of your head ;)

Wisin y Yandel - Ahora Es mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon myspace

!!! UPDATE !!!
The Bad News: Wisin & Yandel cancelled their whole European tour (Milan, Rome, London, and the Antilliaanse Feesten festival) due to the serious illness of Wisin's mother. We wish them peace and love going through these tough times, and hope for the best for Wisin's mother.
Another last minute cancellation is the venezuelan salsa combo Magia Caribeña. They can't make it due to 'third person incompetence' - read: red tape.
There's only one suitable comment here: FUCK! The festival usually gets some cancellations (mostly due to visa problems) but if you look at the line-up now, it's completely different than a month ago.
The Good News: The festival organisation has managed all the cancellations very well in my opinion. Khriz y Angel will replace Wisin y Yandel - they may not be as famous, but honestly I like their music better. Plus, considering the cancellation happened minutes before W&Y got on the plane, it's a small miracle they found a similar artist so fast. The same with Amarfis y la Banda de Attake very last minute but a welcome addition!

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Reggaeton: Arcangel, Nejo y Dalmata

Something's bubbling in the reggaeton scene. The big names like Don Omar and Daddy Yankee are preparing new CDs, supposedly taking latin urban music to a whole new level (yet again). But the real new evolution is that those big names, instead of being the first to popularize a new sound, seem to fall behind on the surge of new talent releasing killer tracks at an unstoppable rate. A softer beat, 120 bpm club/tech pace, ravey synths - you can hardly call it a traditional dembow, but it's the sound of a new front of reggaeton artists. It's hard to see where the trend started (though Casa de Leones' superhit "No Te Veo" last year was certainly responsible for some big exposure) but wayne&wax links it to the early sound of DJ Blass - and to Lil' Jon digging up the rave in hiphop/crunk.

Some of the names that stand out in the constant flow of new releases are Jowell y Randy (also involved in the above-mentioned Casa de Leones), Ñejo y Dálmata (remember Dálmata from the gimmicky "Pasarela") and the very promising young talent Arcangel (who used to be a duo with De La Ghetto).

I had heard of Arcángel before, but it was the rave review of his album La Maravilla on Club Fonograma that really drew my attention to this Dominican phenomenon. La Maravilla was never officialy released though - when the album leaked weeks before its release date, Arcángel decided to distribute it for free on the web. Next week we'll have a full review of the 'official' debut Libre Albedrío (Free Will), produced by superstar duo Luny Tunes (it's been a while since we heard something good of them!). "Pa Que La Pases Bien" is a great example of what to expect - a catchy beat, a ceaseless lyrical flow and a voice as sweet as honey.

Arcángel - Pa' Que La Pases Bien mp3 myspace

"Algo Musical" is somewhat of a surprise hit - Ñejo's sluggish rapping is hardly an asset on the radio. But is it a coincidence that exactly Arcángel is collaborating on this track off 2007's Broke and Famous? The elektro sounds and the synth beat is even more prominent here. That "pa'lante y pa'tra" tempo change is super catchy too.

Ñejo y Dálmata ft. Arcángel - Algo Musical mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon

And the big names? A leaked Don Omar track ("Bom Bom") doesn't show any remarkable improvement over 2006's King of Kings. However, "Pose" off Daddy Yankee's forthcoming Talento de Barrio OST (accompanying the 'biopic' of the same name) shows he is trying to stay with the trend, although last year's El Cartel III album exposed Yankee as an artist hovering between new trends on one side, and gangsta rappin' for the old fans on the other side. Let's see what the future brings!

Arcángel - Pa' Que La Pases Bien

Ñejo y Dálmata ft. Arcángel - Algo Musical

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Back on Track: Reggaeton

Raymond Ayala (aka Daddy Yankee) has been shouting 'Talento de Barrio - Coming Soon' on his tracks for several years now, referring to the long-awaited movie project starring himself. And it seems the wait is coming to an end, because the first single of the movie soundtrack has been released. "Solido" continues along the lines of his latest album El Cartel III: The Big Boss (review here), i.e. a softer beat, some disco bleeps, and a focus on catchyness and flow to make the tracks more danceable and less gangster. I'm liking it so far, let's see what the inevitable radio over-exposure will do with the track!


Who would've thought that a chorus containing the most overdone reggaeton lyrics ever ("Bailando! Sudando! Tra Tra Tra!") could become a hit in 2008? Apparently Tito El Bambino understood very well that all the reggaeton audience wants is a 10-year old Luny Tunes beat, and recognizable words repeated endlessly. But hey, if you're not bothered by the clichés, "El Tra" is an irresistible dancefloor song!


"La Vecina" is the perfect song to give you that early spring feeling (and it has potential to last all summer!). An exotic guitar tune (which kinda reminds me of Juanes), some sunny trumpets, and Angel y Khriz rapping about their crush on the girl next door. And despite that same 10-year old Luny Tunes beat used above, the track as a whole sounds refreshingly new, along the same line of their continent-wide hit "Ven Bailalo" a few years ago. "La Vecina" is the first single of Angel y Khriz's first solo album Showtime, in stores March 11th. (PS: Sorry for the bad audio quality).

Daddy Yankee - Solido mp3
Tito El Bambino - El Tra mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon
Angel y Khriz - La Vecina mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon

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Reggaeton: Casa de Leones, Hector 'El Father', Nigga, Wisin y Yandel, Eve

Let's get the end-of-year parties started with some dembow!

The 'Hottest reggaeton duo of 2007' award goes to Jowell y Randy, proof is "Shorty" off the excellent Casa de Leones CD (see previous article). Everything is kept quite low-brow at the start, a human beatbox groove with some delicate piano and synth touches. But in the chorus, the subtle addition of an accentuated beat makes your booty move instantly to the urban goodness. The rhythm is more dance than reggaeton, but I like it nada mas. More Jowell y Randy? Google for "Velandote" or "Primero Bailalo".

Hector El Father on the other hand, isn't exactly known for his subtility. Though "Pa' La Tumba" will definitely get a party started - a chaos of merengue beats and rapping reggaetoneros. It's quite the cacaphony, but it works on the feet. His trademark tongue-in-cheek humour is mostly in the hilariously crappy video (below) - Hector trying to keep his cool while doing a dull boysband dance, surrounded by dozens of beautiful women. That doesn't even need a parody.

"Te Quiero" by Panamanian rapper Nigga (who wisely changed his name to DJ Flex for the US market) can be quite irritating, but it's the nicest of the latest wave of romantic reggae panameño songs. I don't think I've talked about this movement yet, which is mainly characterized by one-hit wonders scoring continent-wide approval with 'soft' reggae-pop songs (also see La Factoria, Makano). Notice the slow beat, the distinctly more caribbean sound and the extreme radio-friendliness :)

Hit-of-the-moment "Sexy Movimiento" is way too much women, cars and bling for me (video), but thankfully Wisin y Yandel are not just endlessly recycling the same track on their latest Los Extraterrestres."Quisiera Saber/Control" is a bilingual duet with Eve, a welcome change in the testosterone-dominated genre. Again it's the rhythm making the difference, leaning more towards dance music than reggaeton, while the song keeps a special urban appeal. Now if they would only learn to shut the hell up during that last minute...

Keep an eye on the blog for our Best of 2007 list, with the final results of our reader poll (which is still open for voting - on your right!).

Casa de Leones - Shorty mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon
Hector 'El Father' - Pa' La Tumba mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon
Nigga - Te Quiero mp3 buy@Amazon
Wisin y Yandel ft. Eve - Quisiera Saber mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon

Casa de Leones - Shorty

Hector 'El Father' - Pa' La Tumba

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Reggaeton: Casa de Leones, Alexis y Fido

It's been a while since we've given you some good ass booty-movin', party-startin', muscle-rollin' REGGAETON! Consider this as damage control for the weeks I haven't been posting: the two big reggaeton hits of last summer.

Alexis y Fido might not be as much in the spotlights as, let's say, Wisin y Yandel, but the duo has its occasional smash reggaeton hit. "Cinco Letras" is a perfect example. This song is just made for the dancefloor, with the delicate electronic accents, and the chant-and-response chorus makes it irrestitably catchy. Nothing new on the beat or lyric front, but hey, that's not what we're looking for here ;) Their next album Sobrenatural is scheduled for an October 20th release.

An up-and-coming duo that's here to stay: Jowell y Randy. After guest rapping on almost every reggaeton album released the last few months, they've recently joined the group Casa de Leones, with relatively unknown raperos Guelo Star, Maximan and J-King. But they're not just another reggaeton boysband: debut single "No Te Veo" betrays a more club-oriented approach with a poppy edge. The beat is more soca than classic dembow, perfectly mixable with house or techno stuff, similar to the more experimental tracks on Daddy Yankee's latest. A nice evolution!

Alexis y Fido - Cinco Letras mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon
Casa de Leones - No Te Veo mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon

Alexis y Fido - Cinco Letras

Casa de Leones - No Te Veo

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Reggaeton/Hip Hop: Tego Calderon - El Abayarde Contra-Ataca

Almost exactly one year ago, we praised Tego Calderón's previous album as the only good reggaeton album recorded up until then..

The Underdog is the new sound of the latin urban genre, a sound that blends Afro-Carribean influences with some of the hottest beats around. It's hip hop and reggaeton with soul and fuego.

It took Tego a label change, a big budget, and almost two and a half years to complete the album. So I was slightly surprised when I heard he would release his next CD merely one year later. Was his inspiration flowing so freely that he just didn't need the time? Or did the bosses over at Atlantic Records push Tego to quickly record another album, after The Underdog was met with disappointing sales, despite praising critics?

Fact is, the simultaneous release of El Abayarde Contra-Ataca and Tego's first feature film Illegal Tender smells like sly marketing. A quick quote about the movie, where Tego plays the bad guy (a Puerto Rican gangster):

A laughable low-budget mess about third-rate drug thugs, put together with the sheen and polish of a fourth-grade Christmas pageant. (E! Online)

Luckily, El Abayarde Contra-Ataca has become a better effort, though not exactly solid gold.

Both the title and the cover art are a clear reference to El Abayarde, the 2002 debut that launched Tego's career and internationalized reggaeton. And in many aspects, the music is also a return to those times, when Tego focused on underground reggaeton and gangsta-style hiphop. For example, "Lo Hecho Hecho Está" joins a hard core of Latin rappers (Voltio, Ñejo, Chyno Nyno) in a rough and very street anthem to Puerto Rican slums. "Los Mios" and "Quiereme Como Soy" carry inspirational rhymes with a positive message, like we're used to from Tego, but the hiphop finishing and the poor collaboration of Pirulo weaken the songs. If you're into pure rap, you probably won't bother, but I'm not very fond of these tracks.

Tego has always been one of the most innovative rappers, but on El Abayarde Contra-Ataca all experiments seem to fail pitifully. He branches out into r&b ("Quitarte 'To" featuring hype-of-the-moment Randy) and merengue ("No Era Por Ahí") without convincing. The latter might even be the most horrible song of 2007 - a mess of super fast merengue, pale raps and irritating noises. And the dark "Cual Es El Plan Y Eso" with Calle 13 and Yaviah could have been a spectacular combination, but the debilitating beat drowns the track in boredom.

So thank God (or rather, producer Luis Almonte) for reggaeton! "Tradicional A Lo Bravo" is a good choice for the first single, showing the fusion-style reggaeton we like. One minor point of criticism (valable for most tracks): vocal mixing could have been a lot better, there's too much echo and Tego sounds faint, while his voice is one of the most characterful in latin music.
"TTT Tego" is a catchy club banger worthy of his first big hit "Al Natural". The most exotic track is "Ni Fu Ni Fa", which joins funky breakbeats with Afro-Latin percussion and chanting children. And "El Que Lucha No Avanza" is top quality urban music: a positive attitude, original samples, and unstoppable lyrical flow.

Despite the obvious hasty finishing and the failures mentioned above, El Abayarde Contra-Ataca is a varied disc by the most talented latino rapper out there. Tego has an impressive voice, an incomparable flow, and a grand songwriting skill. Maybe the album is too much Abayarde and not enough Underdog? As Underdog, Tego surpassed the genre and created a whole new direction for himself. Let's hope he uses his talents to the fullest again for his next album.

Tego Calderón - El Que Lucha No Avanza mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon
Tego Calderón - Tradicional A Lo Bravo mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon

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Lost in MySpace

(Another update below, 21/08)
Life after the separation: Molotov found a very original solution to their recording obligations. Every band member made a 4-song solo EP, and the EPs combined are sold as 'the final Molotov album', called Battle of the Band. As usual everything is bathed in irony - band members repeatedly appear in the press trashing the other member's songs. The battle will be decided at the Molotov MySpace, the song getting the biggest number of plays there will be promoted to the radio. I'm going for "Dejate Algo" by Paco Ayala!

An artist I've been wanting to share with you for a long time is Andy Palacio.This Belizean talent brings the story of the Garifuna, a unique people descending of African slaves, living on the coasts of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. For his latest record Watina, he dove into Garifuna language and culture, and the result is a pure and warm album, hovering between blues and afro, a true tribute to Garifuna music. Be sure to spend some time on his (gorgeous) MySpace, and if you want to read more there's loads at SoundRoots, MondoMix and Fly.

Kinky and Circo are two alternative rock bands riding on the MySpace wave of the last few years (especially Kinky, take a look at their number of plays!). Both mix 80's electro through their poppy riffs, which can be both very entertaining on saturday night, and very irritating on sunday morning. You decide!

Did you ever wonder what reggaeton would sound like in English? Neither did I - it just can't be the same, right? Production crew The Presidentz thought otherwise: they gave some rap tracks starring Jay-Z, Pharell Williams and Kanye West the reggaeton treatment. The result leaves me kinda indifferent. The songs are quite solid, but I miss the Spanish edge and the references to latino culture. You can preview the whole album (called Jiggaton) on their MySpace.

UPDATE: Mexico's favorite alternative rockers Café Tacuba have posted a new song on their MySpace. "Volver A Comenzar" is a 7-minute epic teaser for the 2 October release of Sino, the first Café Tacuba album in over four years. The Grammy winners have once again opted for Gustavo Santaolalla in the producer's seat (who doesn't, these days?). We're already looking forward to it!

2nd UPDATE: In response to police violence in Puerto Rico, Calle 13 released a smokin' hot tirarea (diss) at the PR police force, and the 'colonial' government in general. "Tributo a la Policía" can be found on their official MySpace, or downloaded at their website. This is not the first time, Calle 13's very first single "Querido FBI" was another powerful middle finger towards the US and PR governments, also released after a dubious killing.

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Holiday Report: Jarabe de Palo, Daddy Yankee

We're back! And yes, even on holiday we're soaking ourselves in latin music. Spending that holiday in Spain or Mexico helps a lot of course ;) Here's what we've been up to.

Járabe De Palo plays a home match in Castejón de Sos

Chapín saw Járabe de Palo perform in their home area in Spain, a unique concert for both the band and the locals. You might know Járabe de Palo of (international) hits like "Bonito" and "La Flaca", and they've just released their 6th album Adelantando, with "Olé" as first single.

Castejón de Sos is a tiny mountain village in Alta Ribagorza, the region where lead singer Pau Donés lived for most of his life. And with tiny, I mean tiny: the 1000 attendees momentarily tripled the usual population of Castejón. As it was raining most of the day, many feared the (open air) concert would be canceled; in addition, Castejón is reached only by treacherous mountain passes not suited for tour buses and trucks loaded with speakers and instruments. So the greater was the relief when eventually the group entered the stage (which was moved indoors) to kick off this special concert.

I always thought JdP songs suffered from being too radio-friendly and too much the same (compare "Bonito" and "Olé" above). But the mere enthousiasm of Donés and his band, together with funkier arrangements, lifted this concert way above the quality of the CDs. The band seemed to know exactly where the songs needed to be spiced up (or mellowed down) to work on stage, even the songs I hadn't heard before sounded like latin pop classics. Guitarist Jordi Mena deserves a special mention, his impressive solos rocked the show. Also, the chemistry between Pau and his audience was extraordinary. He made fun of his friends, talked about his growing up in the region - all in the local Aragonese dialect - and got the audience on his hand from the first minute. The big hits were sung along word for word, and a bis round with "La Flaca" made the place go completely wild. A unique concert indeed! I still blame myself for not having a digital camera around...

(More dates for the Adelantando tour at the official JdP site.)

El Guïri meets Daddy Yankee

El Guïri had the luck to interview film writer Guillermo Arriaga (of Amores Perros, 21 Grams and Babel) at a Mexican TV show. And backstage he bumped into none other than Daddy Yankee! Yankee said he's a long time fan of La Onda and checks back here every week, but he's a little shy to comment online. He didn't have time for an interview, but of course we could call him 'anytime' for VIP concert tickets and stuff like that.

(Or maybe that's not true, and all we got was the lousy quality picture above! ;) The white guy on the right is El Guïri himself, if you hadn't guessed.)

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Reggaeton: Dalmata

A funny little reggaeton song I'd like to share: "Pasarela" by the relatively unknown Puertorican rapper Dálmata. The mariachi samples, the accordion here and there, and the general Mexican atmosphere give the song a strong sabor a guacamole. All this courtesy of DJ Nelson, a famous producer that's been around since the beginning of reggaeton. This track is off his latest album, Flow: La Discoteca 2.

Dálmata knows how to entertain his audience: he focuses not on lyrical content but on the flow of his rhymes. Or I could also say: with those nonsensical lyrics and that earworm chorus, it'll surely become a big radio hit ;)
For complete submersion in Guadalajara/Jalisco atmosphere: grab a tequila, put on your oversized sombrero, and watch the video below!

Dalmata - Pasarela mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon

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Reggaeton/Hip Hop: Calle 13 - Residente o Visitante

Their self-titled debut launched them as one of the smartest and most innovative acts in reggaeton. Merely 14 months later, Calle 13 is back with Residente o Visitante, the Puertorican rappers' sophomore album. We told you already how eagerly anticipated the release was, and now we can safely say: it was worth it.

Rapper Residente (René Perez) has found his style in clever, satirical lyrics, and they're the first thing you'll notice on the album. He will make you laugh with his witty wordplay, and even if you don't understand Spanish you must feel the playfulness of his texts. DJ Visitante (Eduardo Cabra) still provides the most innovative beats in latin urban music, experimenting with sounds from all across Latin America ("Tango del Pecado", "La Cumbia de los Aburridos"). But on this album, Calle 13 sounds more mature - sometimes they'll even move you ("Llegale a mi Guarida", "Beso de Desayuno") or incite you to start thinking ("Pal Norte", "Algo Con-Sentido", "La Era de la Copiaera").

Residente o Visitante has an impressive guest list: Tego Calderón (our other favorite reggaetonero) joins in on "Sin Exagerar", clearly having the time of his life while Residente makes fun of hiphop-style bragging:

Tengo cuatrocientos carros, cuatrocientas motoras
Un caballo que vuela a cien milas por hora
Tengo comprada a todas las emisoras
Y pa' lavar el dinero, treinta lavadoras
Yo consigo lo que sea
Mujeres con dos, tres, cuatro, cinco tetas

On "Llegale a mi Guarida", the characterful voice of Vincentico (former lead singer of ska band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs) gives the song a serene feel, like an indigenous ritual dance. A greasy rock riff spices things up a little. And "Pal Norte" features the distinctly Cuban voices of Orishas. It's a socially conscious song on migration, a key theme on the album - the title, Residente o Visitante, not only refers to the two half-brothers' pseudonyms, but also to the status of latino immigrants in the USA).

Language is another key issue on the album: you'll find both poetical ballads and shocking profanities. The "Intro", for example, starts by saying "We promise you no bad words on this record", followed by an endless litany of Spanish swearing, performed by a church choir. Excuse me if I find this hilarious - kinda reminds me of what Molotov used to do.
On the other hand, in "Mala Suerte con el 13", misplaced profanity gives a rancid taste to what could have been an intimate hiphop song with a great guest rapera (La Mala Rodriguez).
Both the religious and the language themes come back in bomb single "Tango del Pecado", but you've already read all about that song here ;)

About halfway through the album, Calle 13 changes the pace for some more mature and serious songs: aforementioned "Llegale a mi Guarida" is calm and hypnotizing, and on "Beso de Desayuno" Residente proves he can write a beautiful ballad with imaginative lyrics. Visitante puts a wicked bossa nova/drum 'n bass sample under it - and it magically works.
More wicked samples, courtesy of Visitante and Oscar-winning producer Gustavo Santaolalla: "Algo Con-Sentido" is a 50's ballad disguised as hiphop, and "La Era De La Copiaera" sounds like a video game gone crazy. Both songs share the same subject: there's too much copying and fakery in latin urban music these days. When Residente -literally gone mad- starts shooting everybody in sight, "Con-Sentido" ends with "Don't worry, this is fake - just like most reggaetoneros. OK?".

The absurdity does get irritating sometimes: "Uiyi Guaye" has a horrible chorus (though beatwise this is still prime material) and "El Avión Se Cae" is a bad B-side, at the most. But as a whole Residente o Visitante is even more impressive as their debut: Calle 13 have matured. Visitante confirms as a key innovator in latin urban music, Residente proves his splendid lyrical skill and sharp sense of humor. You'll discover some real gems ("Tango del Pecado", "Sin Exagerar", "Pal Norte", "La Crema"), but really the album needs to be savored as a whole to appreciate all the irony and deeper meanings. I wish Calle 13 a great future, and a dozen more Latin Grammy's.

Calle 13 ft. Orishas - Pal Norte mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon
Calle 13 ft. Tego Calderon - Sin Exagerar mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon

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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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Cubaton: Gente de Zona

I've been wanting to post this song ever since I went to Cuba last year. You can imagine how hard it is to find Cuban music sometimes. (Side note - with iTunes supporting DRM free music, things will be a lot easier and more legal soon!)

Gente de Zona is a typical cubatón band, incorporating timba elements into a straightforward reggaeton sound. Just how I like my beats: exotically flavored, smooth on the ears, and verrry contagious. "Soñé" was the perfect summer hit: sunny music with playful lyrics, perfectly suited for sensual dancing. No Cubana can resist these guys, check out how the audience is dancing in the (bad quality) video below. Makes me wanna go on holiday VERY soon!

Bonus videos: timba band Bamboleo side-stepping into reggaeton with "El Bueno Soy Yo", and La Charanga Habanera joining rapper Eddy-K on "Llegaron Los Grandes". Couldn't find the mp3s for these songs, so the videos will have to do!

Gente de Zona - Soñé mp3 buy@iTunes

Gente de Zona:

Bamboleo:

Eddy-K & Charanga Habanera:

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Reggaeton: Calle 13

Calle 13 is back with a new CD! Residente o Visitante will be released April 24th, and if the album is anything like it's first single, it will be a bomb. "Tango del Pecado" is the best reggaeton I've heard so far in 2007. Residente and Visitante (the two group members) reinvent the genre all over again, as they did on Calle 13's self-titled debut album last year, awarded with three Latin Grammys. They've had some help this time, as Oscar-winning producer Gustavo Santaolalla (reknowed for his scores for Babel, Brokeback Mountain, Motorcycle Diaries and many many more) invites his Bajofondo Tango Club on this devilish track.

"Tango del Pecado" starts right away with the infective chorus, classic violins and the indispensable accordeon dancing a soulful tango with the dirty beats of DJ Visitante. The real treat on this track is, again, rapper Residente. His lyrical flow is unmatched, his satirical style a relief in a genre that's taking itself way too serious. The words to "Tango del Pecado" read as a role-play of a modern Romeo and Juliet, where a rich and beautiful girl falls for a poor musician. Residente cites Rubén Blades classic "Ligia Elena" as an influence, but you can't help noticing the correlation with his own life, remembering the storm of comments after former Miss Universe Denise Quiñones fell in love with him. She also plays the role of his bride 'Juliet' in the video clip - as usual with Calle 13, music and video are a single entity, because of ther art/film background.

As with their breakthrough single "Atrévete-te", you can also interpret the song as an answer to common predjudices surrounding reggaeton and hiphop. Even back in 2003, when I was in Guatemala, religious leaders labeled the music as 'satanic' and 'sinful'. Residente's response?

¡Súbele el volumen a la música satánica!
(Crank up the volume on this satanic music!)

Gotta love him. Residente o Visitante must be the most expected release of this year...

Calle 13 - Tango del Pecado mp3 pre-order@Amazon

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MySpace - Reggaeton: Don Omar, Wisin y Yandel

La Onda Tropical is continuing on the Web 2.0 wave: we now have our own MySpace! You can go interactive on us at www.myspace.com/ la_onda_tropical. Be sure to add us as your friend, to help get our counter above the measly number of zero!

And what better song to inaugurate our fabulous new addition, than the newest Don Omar single, conveniently called "MySpace"? It's been a while since I've enjoyed plain commercial reggaeton, but this is one hot track. El Don raps like never before, Wisin y Yandel do an excellent guest performance, lyrics are simple but very effective, and all that makes a very contagious hip shaker.

Don Omar ft. Wisin y Yandel - MySpace mp3 video buy@iTunes

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Reggaeton: Hector El Father

I've always loved Hector El Father for his deliciously over-the-top lyrics and tongue-in-cheek attitude (remeber his previous disc Los Rompediscotekas). To me, he was like "Yes, I let women scream "Hit me harder papi" on my records, but don't take it serious man, it's all just for laughs." Actually he was still making the same music as four years ago, before reggaeton got big (example: Gata Celosa - check the stupid costumes, almost a statement against the usual semi-nude video babes).

So I hope I wasn't the only one who was surprised to hear his new singles (off his latest album The Bad Boy). Rumor De Guerra is an agressive gangsta rap about revenge, way too serious for Hector. No room for jokes. And Sola is a cheesy ballad with lame beats.
What happened here? His ego got to him? The money got to him? Fact is, Hector's been busy doing deals with Jay-Z, designing his own clothing line, and insulting former collegues, so I guess there's no time for writing clever lyrics with double-entendres.

I still took time to listen to The Bad Boy, but it's just more of the same crap. War and ballads. The best song is "El Telefono", which was already on his previous CD (and on La Onda). A good second is "Maldades", where Hector at least made the lyrics a little funny again: "Maldades" is a very formal word, but here it's used to say he's gonna do "nasty stuff" to some girl (damn it's difficult to explain wordplay in another language! :)) But even this track is badly sung.

The future of reggaeton is not in gang wars, nor in romance, but in well written songs with a catchy beat and a positive message.

Hector El Father - Maldades mp3 buy@iTunes buy@CD Universe

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Lo Mejor del 2006

(Don't forget to participate in our CD giveaway contest!)

It's been a great year for latin music. Well, at least for me: maintaining this blog allowed me to discover beautiful and special music I'd otherwise not even hear of. And nothing more pleasant than sharing those tracks with you, the faithful reader ;)
You'll notice a slight orientation towards rock music in my top lists, but I tried to include all the major genres covered here. There's about an hour of listening pleasure below, so have fun, and ¡feliz año nuevo!

Albums
Rock: Gustavo Cerati - Ahi Vamos



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2006 saw some heavily anticipated rock releases (Maná, Gustavo Cerati, Enanitos Verdes) and the discovery of many new South American favorites (Los Bunkers, Los Tipitos, Babasonicos), but Cerati all beats them effortlessly with this complicated but oh so powerful album.

Pop: Los Amigos Invisibles - Superpop Venezuela



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A disappointing year for pop music, if you're not into Paulina Rubio or RBD. Los Amigos Invisibles came as a breath of fresh air, in a music industry suffocated by overproduced commercialism.

Salsa: VA - Los Cocorocos



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Salsa is back! Dozens of radio stations converted from reggaeton to salsa this year, and not without reason: new efforts (like Los Cocorocos) gave salsa an image boost, a new energy, and a second youth.

Reggaeton: Tego Calderón - The Underdog/El Subestimado



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While the general vibe of reggaeton was turning negative (big egos, dissing, sexism, the lack of new talent, and heaps of money), Tego Calderón blew away all competition with honest, positive and socially conscious songs. On the same onda: the impressive debut of Calle 13. And while "big names" Daddy Yankee, Don Omar and Hector El Father were fighting (and delivering mediocre songs), Shakira made the reggaeton beat famous again with "Hips Don't Lie".

Other: Andrés Calamaro - Tinta Roja



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The Argentinian rock legend devoted himself to sensitive tango songs this year. Calamaro effortlessly captivated the atmosphere of the forties on Tinta Roja, not an easy album, but a rewarding one. Special mention: Ojos de Brujo, for their unique blend of flamenco and hiphop.

Singles
Rock:
1) Gustavo Cerati - Crimen (original post)

2) Los Tipitos - Campanas En La Noche (original post)

3) Fobia - Dos Corazones (original post)

4) Gustavo Cerati - La Excepción (original post)

5) Los Bunkers - Llueve Sobre La Ciudad (original post)

Just didn't make it: Pereza, Enanitos Verdes, Babasonicos.

Reggaeton:
1) Calle 13 - Atrevete-te (original post)

2) Paulo FG & Roldan - Te Boté (original post)

3) VA - Noche de Entierro (Nuestro Amor) (original post)

Special mention for spreading Latino vibes throughout the world:
Shakira & Wyclef Jean - Sera Sera (Hips Don't Lie Spanish Version) (original post)


Pop: Jarabe de Palo & Jorge Drexler - Que Bueno Que Bueno (original post)

Salsa: Bamboleo - El Zorreo (original post)

Merengue: Grupo Mania & Elvis Crespo - Echate Pa'ca (original post)

Cumbia: Bonka - El Problemón (original post)

Other: Chambao - Pokito a Poko (original post)


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