Rolling like tumble weed Afro-Latin music thread 2012 (salsa, cumbia, reggaeton, tribal guarachero, etc.)

Judging by the audio clips, this sounds like it would be way too timba for me, regardless of your attempt to put that issue aside.

If I had any money to spend on CDs, I'd be buying a lot of these dubiously legal Rareza reissues.

http://soul-sides.com/2012/02/remembering-jimmy-sabater/

singer and sometimes writer with the Joe Cuba Sextet

I have a major aversion to Timba too and had no interest whatsoever in listening to this when I was sent a copy. But believe me Mis 22 Anos is a stunning record, I can't really explain, you just have to hear it with your own ears. You get no feeling whatsoever as to the twists and turns each track takes on those clips, there's some very hard and funky salsa in those grooves.

The Subway Salsa Montuno Records release is a killer too.

I will give it a shot

Marco, have you heard the new Bloque 53 yet? I know you like them (not a fan myself). I hear a lot of modern Cuban influence in the vocals on the first clip here: http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/24690.10?KMtM2HnK;;393

Listening to clips from the new Azucar Negra. Ugh, real timba first thing in the morning.

Really difficult.

Funny though, I have to admit that in the handful of dance classes I've taken over the past year or so, when instructors throw on Los Van Van or Manolito I end up enjoyng it, even if I initially wrinkle my face up.

God these [expletive deleted] really stick to the formula most of the time. I bet the timberos are going to love this.

Just starting to check this out now. I can't remember why I ever liked Mayito Rivera's vocals. And why do the trumpets always sound the same in practically every contemporary Cuban song? It's a disctinctive Cuban trumpet sound and it bugs me inexplicably. The groove is good (except for that annoying heavy-footed thump they have started throwing in on so many songs). As usual, they do get credit for energy.

Oh, "this" is the NG la Banda album, not the Azucar Negra that was the last thing I'd mentioned on the thread.

Looks like this is the Ned S*blette show you are talking about upthread
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/23/arts/music/afro-latin-jazz-orchestra-at-symphony-space-review.html

That trumpet sound is extremely pinched. Is it a combination of using mutes and some sort of electronic effect? I just don't know, but it's all over contemporary Cuban music (and has been since some point in the 90s). There have been times I've semi-liked it because it's so identifiable, but it just bugs me again at this point. Does anyone else have any idea what I'm talking about?

I don't know, man, this album sounds like timba to me. I don't see how it's so different.

Really hate the way they use the traditional drum-kit.

But again, they have something going on and it has a lot of energy--but: ugh.

Plus too much Latin jazz.

I don't WANT the three underscored with a heavy drum thud. Why? Why do they do that?

Deforms the rhythm, imo.

How is this album not quintessentially timba?

Twenty posts of me complaining about a genre nobody on ILM cares about.

And "Mambo Number Cero" is just inexcusable.

Twenty posts of me complaining about a genre nobody on ILM cares about.

― _Rudipherous_, Sunday, February 19, 2012 10:01 AM (9 minutes ago) Bookmark

fwiw, i loled

ha.

Could have been worse, whiney or deej could have taken an interest.

Might be DJing next week in London - planning to go heavy on the reggaeton. Any great new electro-cumbia songs i should be thinking about playing as well?

What reggaeton are you listening to these days?

Poppier stuff, for the most part - RKM & Ken Y, Daddy Yankee, Xavi The Destroyer, De la Ghetto, Calle 13, Kendo Kaponi, Farruko, etc.

Sorry, I haven't heard anything along the lines of what you're looking for. I haven't figured out how to keep up with cumbia, or much of anything outside a narrow range of Latin music.

i'd check out some of dj dus or disquedj for cumbia

Thanks!

Ng La Banda

Not to start trouble (and there's no right or wrong), but I listened to a few songs from them from a different recent album on Spotify this morning, and uh, I do not have the antipathy to their timba sound that Rudiph does. Is "Mis 22 anos" on Spotify? I did not see it but perhaps missed it. Or is it elsewhere?

It is elsewhere.

W. DC area loves Fruko's live tribute to Joe Arroyo:

http://eventosvippass.com/2012/02/feb-24-fruko-y-sus-tesos-martin-elias-diaz-el-boqueron-ii/?nggpage=2

Just meant to show one photo showing jam-packed crowd

Did anyone post this blog's cumbia post last year? If so, sorry

http://generationbass.com/2011/10/15/sexxy-saturday-cumbia-zzk-fauna-and-much-more/

http://blog.afropop.org/2012/02/spotlight-dj-juan-datas-bondi-blaster.html

more cumbia

message from Descarga:

Fania in Flux ...Again
Observant salsa collectors out there have probably noticed that the Fania reissue program at Codigo music has, pretty much, hit a brick wall. According to our calculations, except for compilations and a few packages (ie Asalto Navideño and Our Latin Thing), it has been seven or eight months since any official reissues have been released. To make matters worse, some of the Codigo reissues which have been released are already out-of-print and unavailable. The reason, we have learned, is that Codigo's distribution is changing hands. This means that until the new distributor (Red) begins to release product, the existing stock will start to quickly dry up and disappear. We could be wrong, but it sounds like the reissue program will be, once again, starting from scratch. Sound familiar? The same thing has occurred twice within recent memory. First, in 2005, when Emusica bought Fania from the Masucci family, and, second, when Codigo purchased the label from Emusica in 2009. At one time (pre-2005) the nearly 1500 title catalog was readily available on cd. Since then, only a few hundred titles have seen the light of day. Hard times for both retailers and collectors, indeed.
We will do our best to keep you posted as more details about the Fania reissue program unfold. In the meantime, you might consider stocking up on titles you are missing. They might disappear for a long time... - Descarga

Having money for CDs is mostly a thing of the past for me, at this point.

Sorry.

In other news:

http://latinmusic.about.com/b/2012/02/28/billboard-latin-music-awards-announce-list-of-finalists.htm?nl=1

http://www.billboardevents.com/latin/billboard-latin-music-awards

"Don Omar and Pitbull, Bachata stars Prince Royce and Romeo Santos, the Mexican Rock band Mana, and Latin Pop superstar Shakira are this year's top nominees."

over these awards i've quit caring it's been repeating for like a decade now

Should I care about these folks or Charlie Zaa?

Artist of the Year, New
- Calibre 50 (Disa)
- Il Volo (Opera Blues/Gatica/Rentor/Geffen/Universal Music Latino/UMLE)
- La Adictiva Banda San Jose de Mesillas (Sony Music Latin)
- Violento (Entourage/Disa/ASL)

Charlie Zaa is Colombian and has put out some things that are okay, but just okay, at least from what I remember. I don't swear by any of that.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/altlatino/2011/11/02/141933577/-que-rico-funky-new-songs-from-puerto-rico-mexico-and-new-york-city

Note to self--check out Puerto Rican artist Mima, who works with Rita Indiana on her latest

not latin but real good to further down see dj raff get a mention on npr! part of the forefront of chilean hip-hop i've been digging for a while now, not sure why puello is the only one that gets any respect

(not latin as in traditional afro-latin music)

I dont want to force feed anyone but each of the tracks on the NG La Banda is 6-7 mins long and they take you on a journey through Timba / Salsa / Cha Cha Cha / Songo / Charanga / Boogaloo and lots of other good stuff, you just have to get past the timba. And the timba is salsero friendly if you give it a chance.

This is probably the best sampler available;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X8J95njNsE

I'm not a great fan of Bloque 53 but they did drop one very hot tune back in 2010. La Surursal SA, also out of Barcelona, are the ones, both their CD's are top drawer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj0tIHZw3_8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tSf2fkk-8k

Interesting to see Frucko mentioned up there, he's been recording new stuff recently due for release later this year, aparently it's going to be a Banco Popular type thing for Fuentes.

Have you guys seen the Joe Arroyo TV soap series, it's really great

http://www.novelasdetv.com/2011/06/capitulos-de-el-joe-la-leyenda.html

Saw it but haven't checked it out.

haven't heard, but would listen to!!

Listen away...
http://open.spotify.com/album/6EsqKrqreoVsnArRLYg77B

Think I read that disc two is the cumbia one

I recognize a lot of the names on here -- I wish someone would just reissue whole albums by some of these people -- Wganda Kenya, por ejemplo -- I get tired of listening to other people's comps all the time! I don't have the time (or inclination really) to travel to places where I could find these original records, so won't someone bring them to me?

Also it has been ages since I heard the word Valledupar! I still predict that there is a vallenato revival on the horizon.

Actually, that's not true -- I would love to travel, I just wouldn't do it solely to find records that I'm sure I wouldn't find anyway.

I've been enjoying this over the last few days too

http://f0.bcbits.com/z/59/19/591979443-1.jpg

Saw them two months ago. Pretty fun.

Got that Diablos del Ritmo comp in the mail a while back, only listened to bits of Disc 1 so far but it's kinda fun.