Meetup: Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca with "Le Rendez-Vous"

Our tune for today, Le Rendez-Vous, is performed by Ricardo Lemvo and his band Makina Loca. Of Angolan descent but now living in Los Angeles, Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca blend music encompassing styles ranging from Cuban salsa, samba and African genres such as soukous and kizomba. He has released seven albums. Le Rendez-Vous can be found on his album São Salvador (2000).

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Lemvo

Don't Mess with It: Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca with "Tu No Sabes (No te Metas)"

Today's random song is by Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca, called Tu No Sabes (No te Metas). Of Angolan descent but now living in Los Angeles, Lemvo and his band Makina Loca blend music encompassing styles ranging from Cuban salsa, samba and African genres such as soukous and kizomba. He has released seven albums. Tu No Sabes (No te Metas) can be found on his album São Salvador (2000).

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

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.

Salsa Remembrance: Fruko y sus Tesos with "A la Memoria del Muerto"

Colombian salsa group Fruko y sus Tesos brings us the song for today, called A la Memoria del Muerto. The band was formed in 1969 by Julio Ernesto Estrada (Fruko), who took his nickname after a popular fruit company, FRUCO, in Colombia after it was pointed out that he resembled the company's mascot. In 1973 really became known after hiring Joe Arroyo as lead singer. In 1998, the band wrote the anthem for the Colombian futbol team after it secured a spot in the World Cup. You can find A la Memoria del Muerto on their 1999 compilation Fruko y sus Tesos: Greatest Hits 2.

Maybe It's the Food: Orchestre Tropicana D'Haiti and "Gason Total"

Today's song, Gason Total, is by the Orchestre Tropicana D'Haiti, the only big band left performing in Haiti. That's about all I could find on them. The picture in the video is of Joe Zenny, a Haitian singer and actor. I'm not sure if this is him singing with the Orchestre. Regardless, it's a nice tropical tune that can be found on the compilation CD Putumayo World Party (2007). Enjoy!

Spicy African Salsa: Laurent Hounsavi and "Mindé Sè"

Mindé Sè, today's random tune, is by Laurent Hounsavi and his band. Hounsavi is from Benin - so if you are confused by the music which sounds Caribbean you are allowed to be. After winning an award for best young talent in Benin at 15, he moved to Paris at age 17 where he performed in the Metro, cafes and bars while he earned a degree. He released his first CD, a four song EP, in 2000 and later that year drew 50,000 at a concert in Benin. Hounsavi is an African salsa musician who sings in all three Beninese languages (Fon, Yoruba and Goun) and his songs have been marketed in over 100 countries. He has also shared the stage with many other famous African, Afro-Cuban and salsa musicians. You can find Mindé Sè featured on the Putumayo compilation World Party, released in 2007.

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.

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.

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.