Posted in Peñas Folklóricas on 10. Jun, 2010
Think you know everything there is to know about Argentine cultural traditions? Well here’s something that you might not have heard of: peñas folklóricas.
Let’s explain those two words. A peñas is an Argentinean folklore party, or if you prefer, a ‘wine-sloshing musical shindig.’ And folklórico is a kind of catch-all term that refers to almost any traditional music that isn’t tango.
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Posted in Clubs on 06. May, 2010
Since it’s opening in July 1998, Niceto Club immediately became the musical referent in the area of Palermo. After many years, today is to be considered the only place in Buenos Aires where such a big diversity of styles, artists and audiences converge. Many local and international artists have performed in its stage and booth, whereas in the two dance floors it hosts many parties ranging from pop and rock to reggae, hip hop, electronica, tango, soul, funk and more…
Thursday nights there’s one main option to go in Buenos Aires: Club 69. Hedonism and sense of humour converge with Argentina’s top techno and house spinners, b-boys and a series of performances all night long by “La Compañía Inestable del 69″. The B-side features alternative sounds to the main dancefloor. A must-see-live-experience.
Friday night features the wide-genre party Invasion, where guest djs and bands switch from the B-side to the front room. Rock, pop, funk, live shows, acting performances, urban art… anything can happen among the multi-style crowd searching for good times around Palermo.
Saturdays choose between monthly and bi-monthly events such as Magic (BA’s trance night), Brandon Gay Day, Piso Compartido, Vh1 parties, Canada’s own Mutek festival local events or Dynamic Reggae Soundclash for instance, each one a whole experience itself. On top of that, Niceto Club as a live music venue is as strong as any. Just about anybody on the up and up or already there, plays Niceto. Whether it be reggae, rock, pop, jazz, electronic tango, check out their monthly agenda and go go go.
International acts swing through town and rock the place too. Niceto has always given space to avant-garde new acts and classic bands to perform in BA. Among them in the last years: Kid Loco, Erlend Oye, The Evens, Melvins, Battles, Benjamin Biolay, The Buzzcocks, Joanna Newsom, Elefant, Goldie, Akufen, Mad Professor, Bad Brains, Jahcoozi, Mouse on Mars, Yelle, Camouflage, Zombie Nation, Stereo Total, The Wailers and Brazilian Girls.
Posted in Music on 14. Apr, 2010
Fito Páez is the youngest of the four artists that we are profiling in this two-part article on legends of argentine music. He was born in 1963, making him a spring chicken of just 47 in 2010.
Like Charly García, Fito Páez was an early starter, forming his first band at 13 and beginning to play live just a year later. He gained notoriety as a songwriter with his 1984 album Del ’63 and as a result released another album in 1985 and yet another in 1986 in partnership with Luis Alberto Spinetta.
Fito Páez’s most interesting record is his 1987 album (yes, 1984-87 was a busy four years!) Ciudad de Pobres Corazones. It’s a dark, angry and heavily political album that was driven by the event of the assassination of his aunt and grandmother in Rosario. Despite the anger that’s evident in every line, it shows the depths of Páez’s talent as a lyricist.
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Posted in Music on 12. Apr, 2010
If you’ve never heard of Argentine tango singing sensation of yesteryear, Carlos Gardel, then clearly you’ve either been in Buenos Aires for less than a day and a half or you’ve been walking around with your eyes shut and your hands clamped tightly over your ears. El Zorzal Criollo (which means the “Creole Thrush” – no, I have no idea what that means either, it sounds like an STD) is just that famous in Argentina. Hey, he even has a subte station named after him!
That’s Mr. Gardel. You probably already know all about him. But how much do you know about the other legends of Argentine music: people like Charly García, Mercedes Sosa, Fito Páez and the smoldering “Argentine Elvis,” Sandro? Not much? Well don’t worry, because by the end of the second part of this article you’ll know so much that’ll you’ll be able to edit their Wikipedia pages! (*Note: this promise should not be taken seriously. Editing Wikipedia pages is a complex and dangerous business best left to the professionals.)
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Posted in Clubs on 11. Mar, 2010
Perhaps more than any other, Buenos Aires is a city of the night. Many of the best things to do here are night-time pursuits, and locals find doing them in the depths of night utterly normal and natural. Meeting your grandmother for a coffee at 1am? Normal. Meeting friends at a bar at 2am? Normal.
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Posted in Tango on 23. Feb, 2010
Like sushi and Japan, samba and Brazil, and beer and Germany, tango is a cultural artifact that both defines and is defined by a country. Tango was born and grew up here, and given its huge cultural significance, it behooves all of us expats or tourists to give it the ole college try! This guide will help you to do just that.
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Posted in Music on 29. Jan, 2010
Tango is, of course, an obsession in Buenos Aires. If you’re living in San Telmo – the heart of tango territory – it’s not uncommon for locals to start a conversation with you by asking “so, are you here to learn tango?” And it’s not just the dance that’s an obsession, but everything that goes with it as well: the clothes; the milongas, and most of all, the music. Given this obsession, it’s not surprising to find elements of tango have mutated in ways that take them beyond their traditional forms. One of these mutations is ‘tango electronica,’ also known ‘electrotango.’
For the hip BA expat, tango electronica represents a more up-to-date form of tango music, and consequently one that might appeal more than the old-timey versions. If you think it sounds interesting, read on for the best ways to listen to the bleeding edge of tango music.
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Buenos Aires is a popular city for expats for good reason. It has a good climate, it’s cheap for what you get, it’s interesting, and it’s in a time zone only a couple of hours different from the eastern states of the USA. The only problem is that about a billion people realized all of that long before you did, and means the entire city is crawling, crawling, with expats.
That’s not always a bad thing. But sometimes you feel like you want a night out where you don’t spend all night talking to people you could just as easily have met back home. Here then, are five great Bar options for the nights when you’re in the mood to meet and drink with some locals.
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