Tag Archives: Uruguay

“Invierno” by Socio (Video)

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Socio (Spanish for “partner”) is the latest project by Fede Lima, a Uruguayan musician who’s best-known for having fronted the bands Loop Lascano and Miss Wichita. Both bands were characterized for a constant sonic search, and that’s also the spirit that keeps Socio alive. On this new band, he’s backed by former members of No Te Va Gustar (a ska/rock outfit that has enjoyed a great deal of popularity, both in Uruguay and elsewhere) and Monoroots (a reggae band that released a tasteful tribute to Bob Marley in 2008).

The video you can watch below is from Socio’s debut album, “Aurora” [Dawn]. The song is named “Invierno” [Winter], and it’s the band’s entry into the 2011 Graffiti Awards

And just to cover all bases, I’ll mention that Fede also sang a duet with Laura Chinelli on her “Historias de Invierno”.

You can learn more about Socio’s music on the band’s MySpace profile.

“Cadáver” by ReyToro (Video)

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“Cadáver” [Corpse] is ReyToro’s entry into this year’s Graffiti Awards. The song is featured on the band’s latest album (“ReyToro II”, issued in 2008 by Bizarro Records). The video has been directed by Juan Tambolini, and it pays a good homage to the survival fiction that’s all the rage nowadays. The band is well-known for the high level of energy between its players and lyrics which are both ruminative and urgent, and all these elements can be easily appreciated on “Cadáver”.

ReyToro was formed in 1998 in Uruguay, and it is one of most popular metal bands in the country. Its current lineup comprises Norberto Arriola, Fabián Furtado, Enzo Broglia and Fernando Alfaro.

ReyToro opening for Guns ‘n’ Roses in 2010

They opened for Guns ‘n’ Roses in 2010, when Axl brought the Chinese Democracy World Tour to South America, and played many countries that the band had bypassed at the height of its popularity in the early 90s.

You can listen to ReyToro’s music both on the band’s website (in Spanish only), and on their MySpace profile.

“Antes Del Fin” by Walter Bordoni (Video)

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This is other of the music videos that are up for a Graffiti Award next week. “Antes Del Fin” [Before The End] is a song by Walter Bordoni, a Uruguayan musician that was born in 1962. His first album was published in 1990. It was titled “El Gol De La Valija y Otros Cuentos”) [The Suitcase’s Goal and Other Stories], after a much-discussed soccer incident that took place in 1933, and that’s an indelible part of Uruguayan folklore.

Walter Bordoni, as depicted on the cover of his second album, "Flor Nueva de Películas Viejas" (1994).

An accomplished piano and guitar player, Bordoni was involved in several artistic groups and collectives. He co-founded an artistic project in 1994 known as “Aguafuertes Montevideana” with Gastón Rodríguez, and the resulting album (published in 1997) still stands as a commercial and artistic highlight.

He is currently a member of the Kafkarudos, a band made up of the collective talents of Gastón Ciarlo “Dino”, Alejando Ferradás, Tabaré Rivero and the late Eduardo Darnauchans.

“Antes Del Fin” is a song is extracted from his newest album, “La Cifra Infinita” [The Infinite Number]. Its music video takes the form of an animated short that corroborates the leaping cadence of the lyrics word by word.

“La Cifra Infinita” has been issued by Bizarro Records, and it has also received two other nominations: one for “Best Production” (Alejandro Ferradas), and another for “Best Popular Music and Urban Song Album”.

This is Walter Bordoni’s MySpace profile. And this is his blog (in Spanish only).

“A Donde Van Los Pájaros” by Luciano Supervielle (Video)

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Luciano Supervielle

This week I’m sharing with you all the music videos that have been nominated for a Graffiti award. There’s five of them, coming from artists spanning very different genres.

The one I’m sharing first is among my personal favorites, although there’s no denying all the clips that have been nominated are strong contenders for the big prize.

So, this is the video for Luciano Supervielle’s “A Donde Van Los Pájaros” [Where do birds go]. The song is featured on his 2011 album, “Rêverie”, and it tells a coming-of-age story interwoven with just the right threads of yearning and abjection to make the end result entirely relatable.

The “Premios Graffiti” [Graffiti Awards] are Uruguay’s answer to the American Grammies. As you probably remember, last year the music video that won the coveted statue was “Gigantes” by Orgánica.

In addition to Supervielle, the other artists that have been nominated this year include Walter Bordoni, Reytoro, Socio and Trotsky Vengarán. I’ll post all their respective videos as the week runs it course.

The winner will be announced on the 29th of June.

For a full list of nominees, you can check this page. Cooltivarte is a Uruguayan portal devoted to local artists.

And you can learn more about Luciano’s music on his official website, www.lucianosupervielle.com.

“Perdiste” By Nemesis (Video)

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Nemesis is a Uruguayan band that was formed in 2004 by friends Martín Hosman (vocals) and Gabriel Fuchs (guitar). They had a revolving rhythm section for years, came close to recording an album in 2007 and then split up for the first time.
One year later, Nemesis regrouped with Jorge Lira on bass and Sebastián G. Quinteros on drums. This lineup recorded the band’s first album, “Subnormal” in 2010. The track “Perdiste” [You’ve Lost] was the first to be issued as a single. And you can watch the promotional video for the song below:

The start-and-stop structure of the verses might sound a bit formulaic to some, but there’s no denying the quality of the composition on the whole. The rhythm section knows how to sound imperative and make you prick your ears when needed, and the riffs in particular distil rock & roll. All in all, it’s a winning sound. If anything, it proves that in music you don’t need to be the first to do something. The one thing that truly matters is doing it well. And “Perdiste” is an essentially exciting slab at rock, combining the different influences of each band member (classic rock, hard rock, funk) into a song that’s easy to earmark.

I hope to get a copy of “Subnormal” soon and review it. In Uruguay, the album’s been released by Montevideo Music Group. Those of you who live elsewhere can listen to “Subnormal” online in its entirety here. And this is Nemesis’ official site, too.

The band currently comprises Martín Hosman on vocals, Jorge Lira on bass, Sebastián G. Quinteros on drums and Camilo Saralegui on guitar (Gabriel Fuchs left the band once recordings for “Subnormal” wrapped).

Nemesis touring "Subnormal" in 2011

New Music From The Blueberries: “The West” & “Newbie”

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"The West" by The Blueberries is being issued on November 2012

A teaser for you, two songs from The Blueberries’ next album, “The West”. These are the title track, and a Spanish language song named “Newbie”.
The album is due on November 2012, it’s going to have ten original compositions, and it’s being produced by the band and Max Capote. On a recent conversation, Ernesto Pasarisa (the Blueberries’ singer, guitarist and composer) told me how great it was getting the whole band involved in the songwriting process. The results are auspicious, with the melody of “The West” being resolved more effortlessly than on previous offerings, and “Newby” featuring the most remarkable interplay on any song of theirs I have listened to yet.
Listen to both songs here:

http://soundcloud.com/the_blueberries/sets/the-west-advance/

And if the band’s all-new to you, their first eponymous album can be streamed for free here.

The Blueberries at a recent gig. Left to right: Virginia Álvarez, Ernesto Pasarisa, Fede Hell and Santiago Jaureguy

Van Velthoven (Uruguayan Artist)

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Van Velthoven

Fully aware of where he’s come from and where he intends to go, Van Velthoven is a Uruguayan artist with a sharply-defined vision.

From his Facebook profile:

“On his project, Van Velthoven nods to some of the greatest rock/pop artists in history. He pays homage to their aesthetics without losing his musical and artistic personality. The lyrics deal with revolution, the inner self, social issues, nature, power, love… The artist aims to reflect his inner self, and he invites us to walk besides him along the pathway of art in its fullest expression. The idea is that every person who does it will be transported to a different world, a parallel dimension called “Van Velthoven”.

Below you’ll find a video for the song “El Juego de la Muerte” [The Game of Death] in which he is joined by legendary Uruguayan rapper Jazzy Mel.

Van Velthoven’s website is found at www.vanvelthoven.com.uy. This is his YouTube channel. And you can both listen to his music and download it for free on his Bandcamp profile.

 

UPDATE:

A new video of Van Velthoven playing live with his band and Uruguayan journalist Martín Sarthou. The song is named “¿A Dónde Irás?” [Where Will You Go?]:

A new version of “El Juego de la Muerte” (also featuring Jazzy Mel):

And his album “Rey” [King] has recently been issued. I hope to review it soon. In the meantime, take a look at the artwork:

Van Velthoven cover

Van Velthoven back

For more info, head to Van Velthoven’s brand-new Facebook fanpage.

“Parámetro Paraíso” & “Entre Tu Diálogo y Mi Reacción” By Valentina Pecora (Videos)

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Valentina Pecora

Born in 1984, Valentina Pecora is a Uruguayan flute player that made her stage debut at age 10. And ever since 2008, she has been playing frequently both in Uruguay and in Argentina.

Her first solo album was released last year on Uruguayan label Perro Andaluz. Entitled “Simplerio”, it features 11 songs that were written by Valentina. She also recorded and mixed it. I will review the album soon on MusicKO. In the meantime, there’s live performances of two of the better songs from “Simplerio”: “Parámetro Paraíso” [Parameter Paradise] and “Entre Tu Diálogo y Mi Reacción” [Between Your Dialogue and My Reaction]. The band is Valentina on traverse flute and vocals, Julia Melo on guitar, Guillermo del Castillo on bass & electric sitar and Guillermo Loriente on drums & percussion.

For more information, visit Valentina’s MySpace and Facebook profiles.

Parámetro Paraíso

Entre Tu Diálogo y Mi Reacción

“Por No Saber Decir” By Alfonsina Álvarez (Video)

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Alfonsina Álvarez

A wonderful live performance by Alfonsina Álvarez, a singer-songwriter that hails from the City of Paysandú.
The song is called “Por No Saber Decir” [Because I Don’t Know How To Say], and the backing band includes Mateo Moreno (bass), Juan Pablo Chapital (guitar) and Javier Cardellino (drums).

You can listen to more music by Alfonsina on her MySpace profile. And her Facebook fanpage is also a great place for getting better-acquainted with her work.

“Empujen”, The First Music Video By El Gallinero

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El Gallinero is a Uruguayan funk band that's just released its first album after 10 years of touring and gigging

“Empujen” [Push] is the first music video by El Gallinero [The Henhouse], a Uruguayan funk band that has actually been around for ten years. It currently comprises Nacho Cejas, Andrés Arnicho, Gerardo Alonso, Pedro Alemany, Leo Méndez, Juan Olivera, Gerónimo De León and Claudio Martínez.

The clip has been shot at the Centro Cultural Florencio Sánchez (named after one of Uruguay’s most celebrated playwrights), and it features Rubén Rada, one of the seminal figures in the development of Uruguayan music in the 20th Century. Along with Eduardo Mateo, Rada was at the forefront of the “Candombe Beat” movement – a movement that married candombe and murga with rock & roll music.

It’s well-known that one day Paul McCartney wanted to know more about South American music, and he asked his assistants to gather as many albums and singles as they could. And out of all the singers and performers they presented him with, Rada was the one that marveled the former Beatle more.

And as if that wasn’t impressive enough, “Empujen” also features a cameo by… Max Headroom! Gotta love it…

Visit El Gallinero’s MySpace profile to know more about the band. In Uruguay, their debut album has been published by Sondor.