We Are Two: Bomba Estéreo and "Somos Dos"

Bomba Estéreo, a Colombian band, players our random tune today - a song called Somos Dos. The band's roots go back to 2001 when a loose collection of musicians began performing under the name of A.M. 770 and combining traditional Colombian rhythms with salsa, cumbia, electronic beats and dance music. The band coalesced under their current name in 2005 and released a debut album in 2006. Their followup album in 2008 led to their being voted by MTV Iggy (MTV's outlet for alternative world artists) as Best New Band in the World in 2010. They have performed in numerous music festivals in the US, including South by Southwest, Coachella, and the Austin City Limits Music Festival as well as other venues around the world. They have released four albums. Somos Dos can be found on their newest 2015 release, Amanecer. The song celebrates the coming together of two hearts.

But Still Roots: Gina Chavez with Eliza Gilkyson and "Todo Cambio"

A Texan bilingual Latin folk singer, Gina Chavez is the 2014 John Lennon Songwriting Contest winner. Her range of styles include cumbia, bossa nova, vintage pop, reggaeton, and folk. Shye did a volunteer year in El Salvador and continues her work with the people there. She is joined on this song, Todo Cambio, by Austin-based folk singer Eliza Gilkyson, You can find Todo Cambio on Chavez' 2014 album Up.Rooted.

Holly Jolly: Charanga Cakewalk and "Acebo"

Today's random tune by Charanga Cakewalk, the brainchild of Michael Ramos. Ramos calls himself a Latino Chicano Mexican who who is also a citizen of the world. Originally a sideman and rocker who played with John Mellencamp, Paul Simon, Patty Griffin and others and was occasionally a member of the BoDeans and The Rembrandts, he maintained a keen interest in the Latino music of his childhood. Ramos has made Charanga Cakewalk the leading proponent of a style called "cumbia lounge." Within his musical landscapes, you might hear tejano, flamenco, merengue, salsa, garage rock, ska and reggaeton. Charanga Cakewalk has released three albums. This tune, Acebo, is from his 2004 album Loteria De La Cumbia Lounge.

It's Not Me Either: Bareto and "No Es Para Mi"

No Es Para Mi is by Peruvian group Bareto, which specializes in their own versions of Peruvian traditional cumbia. Formed in 2003, they have made a name for presenting cumbia infused with reggae and ska punk. They have also branched into mixing cumbia with a world music sound. The band has also begun to add social commentary into their music. No Es Para Mi can be found on their brand new 2015 CD Impredecible.

Dancing with the Dead: Ozomatli and "Cumbia de los Muertos"

The random tune for today is by Ozomatli. A seven piece band playing hip hop, Latin and rock, they were formed in Los Angeles in 1995. They sport a wide range of styles, including salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, and rap among other styles. They are also advocates for farm workers rights and immigration reform. The band takes its name from the Aztec calendar, in particular the astrological symbol of the monkey. Ozomatli is also a god of dance, fire, the new harvest, and music. This song, Cumbia de los Muertos, is from their 2007 album Ozomatli.

Told You: Liber Terán and "You See"

Liber Terán provides us with our random song for today. You See is a bonus track from his 2008 album El Gitano Western. Liber Terán is a founding member and former lead singer and guitarist of the Mexican band Los de Abajo, which focused on Latin ska, rock, salsa. reggae, cumbia, Son Jarocho and banda sinaloense. As a solo artist, Terán has expanded his repertoire to explore classic rock and roll and Balkan influences.

At the Movies: Charanga Cakewalk and "El Cine"

The title of today's random tune, El Cine, reminds me that I haven't been to a movie in a while. My wife and I used to go to at least one movie a week, but as our lives have gotten busier our movie watching has gotten more rare. Even with the advent of streaming video, we haven't really made a lot of time to see movies. It's gotten to the point that when Academy Award season rolls around, we usually have only seen one or two of the ten movies nominated for best picture. However, we do try to catch the live action and animated shorts - and I find that I really look forward to those. Just as the short story is an under-appreciated literary art form, the short film is not given its proper due, particularly in the artistry involved to present a full story in 5 to 25 minutes.

I am also woefully ignorant on Latin American cinema, even though I know that there are classic films from those regions. Some of the newer directors I know, such as Alfonso Cuarón, and some of the newer stars. But classic Latin American cinema is something that has eluded me. I am not proud of this - but it only points toward the necessity of me exploring these cultural art forms.

El Cine is by Charanga Cakewalk, which is the brainchild of Michael Ramos, a Latino Chicano Mexican who also describes himself as a citizen of the world. A once sideman and rocker who played with John Mellencamp, Paul Simon, Patty Griffin and others and was a sometime member of the BoDeans and The Rembrandts, he maintained a keen interest in the Latino music of his childhood. Ramos has made Charanga Cakewalk the leading proponent of a style called cumbia lounge. Within his musical landscapes, you might hear tejano, flamenco, merengue, salsa, garage rock, ska and reggaeton. Charanga Cakewalk has released three albums. El Cine is from his 2006 album Chicano Zen.

Surely It Is Not I: Los de Abajo and "Sr. Judas"

I'm getting this in just under the wire today. In case you're wondering about the post's title, it is a paraphrase of what Judas replied to Jesus when Jesus said "Tonight one of you will betray me." I'm not really a biblical scholar, so I probably don't have the words right.

Today's random song is from Mexico. Los de Abajo was founded in 1992 in Mexico City as a Latin ska group. Over time, their musical influences have become more inclusive of rock, reggae, salsa, Son Jarocho, banda sinoalense and cumbia. Liber Terán is their main vocalist and writes most of the songs. After releasing their first album independently, they were signed to David Byrne's Luaka Bop label and released their international debut, the eponymous Los de Abajo. Their followup album, Cybertropic Chilango Power, earned them a BBC Radio 3 World Music Award for the Americas. They have released eight albums and are noted supporters of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation and have even featured Zapatista leader Commandanta Esther on one of their songs. Sr. Judas is from their 2002 CD Cybertropic Chilango Power.

Just Dance: Systema Solar and "Yo Voy Ganao"

Today has been one of those days. So sometimes, when the random tune comes up for your daily blog, you just go with it and it's exactly what you need. As I play this right now, I'm dancing in my seat and making an idiot of myself in front of my coworkers...but hey, they're used to it! The lyrics are included under the video, in case you want to dance and sing along wherever you are right now.

Yo Voy Ganao is by Systema Solar, a Colombian collective of DJs, MCs, producers and percussionists brought together in 2006 by a passion for Afro-Caribbean music. They weave together different genres such as champeta, cumbia, and other South American rhythms with rapid fire socially conscious lyrics delivered through some amazing MCs between brilliant electronics. As such, they've created their own style they call "berbenautika" inspired by pikos (sound systems) and verbena (festivals). Yo Voy Ganao is from their 2013 CD La Revancha del Burro.

Not Your Mama's Lounge: Charanga Cakewalk and "Volcanico"

The enduring image of the lounge singer, so immortalized in all its cheesiness by Bill Murray in Saturday Night Live sketches, or even as satirized by Richard Cheese (his lounge version of Baby Got Back has to be one of the best song parodies of all time), has been taking a beating lately. That's because lounge music is cool again.

A lot of this makeover of lounge music has to do with electronic advances in music. Ambient sounds can be utilized very effectively to create a mood, just as in the old days lounge singers tried to create a mood with their vocal stylings and downtempo versions of popular songs put to exotic rhythms, as well as utilizing themselves the sounds available to them. So whereas my mom would have gone to Vegas to see the Rat Pack, Wayne Newton and Louis Prima (who, for the record, I absolutely love), nowadays people listening to lounge can find it incorporating music from all over the world. It's not as if lounge hadn't done that before - Brazilian forms such as samba and bossa nova were part of the lounge landscape in the 50s and 60s - but the availability and knowledge of different styles of music from other areas of the world is much greater in a world so interconnected. And I find that it is within the bounds of world music that lounge has become so interesting.

In this vein, today's artist is Charanga Cakewalk. Charanga Cakewalk is the brainchild of Michael Ramos, a Latino Chicano Mexican who also describes himself as a citizen of the world. A once sideman and rocker who played with John Mellencamp, Paul Simon, Patty Griffin and others and was a sometime member of the BoDeans and The Rembrandts, he maintained a keen interest in the Latino music of his childhood. Ramos has made Charanga Cakewalk the leading proponent of a style called cumbia lounge. Within his musical landscapes, you might hear tejano, flamenco, merengue, salsa, garage rock, ska and reggaeton. Charanga Cakewalk has released three albums. This song, Volcanico, is from the 2005 album Loteria de la Cumbia Lounge.

You're Not the Boss of Me: Systema Solar and "Quien es el Patron?"

I've had bad and good bosses. Mostly good, but the bosses that I've had that are bad or at least had bad tempers usually came with the food industry. My first job in high school was at a restaurant in my home town. The owner was a guy who was jolly and boisterous at times, but could really start yelling at you, in your face type of yelling, at others. He could be generous, and he often was. But if you did something wrong or something he didn't like, you would want to be prepared for a lot of verbal abuse.

Years later, when I moved to a new city later in my life, I was working on a PhD and needed some work to contribute to our income as well as give me something to do outside of writing my dissertation. I took a job with a chef who was running a catering business. This guy was an awful person. He was insecure, he was a belittler and a yeller, verbally and mentally abusive, and he did other things that were less than ethical. I eventually quit, but not after reliving some PTSD from a dysfunctional childhood.

These two guys were obsessed with the question "Who is the Boss?" They wanted you to know that they were the boss. If you didn't give them enough obeisance, they were going to make you pay for it. In contrast, the people who have been the best bosses in my life were those who assumed that you knew their place, didn't feel insecure about their position, and used their positions to help you learn and to get ahead with your own goals. Luckily, I work for a couple of people like that now. Who is the boss? The best bosses are the ones who don't have to ask you that question.

Now, if you ask me who's the boss at home...that's another story. Megan, you're the boss!
Systema Solar asks that very question in our song for today. Made up of some of Colombia's most well-known DJs, MCs, producers and percussionists, Systema Solar is influenced by all things Afro-Caribbean. Their name is a reference to large sound system parties called pikos. In concert, they call their shows Berbenautika, and they dress like space voyagers while they play South American rhythms such as champeta and cumbia, among others, overlaid with hip hop and electronic beats. They revel in the music, adding socially conscious lyrics that they hope unites Colombia and the world through music. This song, Quien es El Patron? (Who is the Boss?) is from their 2010 eponymous debut CD.