Old Horse: Simón Díaz and "Caballo Viejo"

A Venezuelan classic is on tap for today's random song. Performed by the late Venezuelan singer and composer Simón Díaz, Caballo Viejo has become one of the most important folk songs in Venezuela. Díaz' mission was to revive the music of the Venezuelan llanos, or plains, and his music has been performed by some of the most famous luminaries of the Spanish speaking world, including Julio Iglesias, Celia Cruz and Ruben Blades, as well as English speaking musicians such as Ry Cooder and Ray Conniff. In particular, Caballo Viejo has touched a chord with many performers. The song was a hit for the Gipsy Kings under the title Bamboléo. You can find the first release of Caballo Viejo on Simón Díaz' 1980 album Golpe Y Pasaje, though we got it from the 2011 retrospective album 40 Años 40 Éxitos de Simón Díaz. Simón Díaz died in 2010 after years of battling Alzheimers Disease.

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/Sim%C3%B3n_D%C3%ADaz

Woman's Experience: Ladama and "Confesión"

Our random song for today is by Ladama, a Latin alternative band of four women who formed in 2014 while touring together as part of the OneBeat program. They achieved quick success, as their debut album shot to Number 1 on iTunes and Amazon's Latin America charts. An international group, Ladama's members hail from Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and the United States, and the band holds educational workshops featuring interactive musical experiences that seeks to empower women and youth. You can find this song, Confesión, on their self-titled debut album (2017).

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: http://www.ladamaproject.org/english; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladama

Indeed I Do: Los Amigos Invisibles and "Youlikedat"

Los Amigos Invisibles, a band from Venezuela, performs our random tune for today. Known for their blend of disco, acid jazz and funk mixed with Latin rhythms, the band was formed in 1991 in Caracas. Los Amigos Invisibles gained the attention of David Byrne's Luaka Bop label after they discovered a CD that the band had surreptitiously planted in a New York City record store, and Luaka Bop released the band's second album in 1996 which garnered many positive reviews. Their third album received a Grammy nomination as Best Latin Alternative album, and with it's success the band relocated to New York City permanently, eventually starting their own label. This short song, Youlikedat, is from their 2011 album Not So Commercial, which is a Grammy nominated EP of outtakes from their hit 2009 album Commercial.

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: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Amigos_Invisibles

Just the Way I Like It: Los Amigos Invisibles and "Easy Going"

Our random tune for today is a short little ditty called Easy Going. It is performed by Los Amigos Invisibles of Venezuela. Known for their blend of disco, acid jazz and funk mixed with Latin rhythms, the band was formed in 1991 in Caracas. Los Amigos Invisibles gained the attention of David Byrne's Luaka Bop label after they discovered a CD that the band had surreptitiously planted in a New York City record store, and Luaka Bop released the band's second album in 1996 which garnered many positive reviews. Their third album received a Grammy nomination as Best Latin Alternative album, and with it's success the band relocated to New York City permanently, eventually starting their own label. Easy Going is from their 2011 album Not So Commercial, which is a Grammy nominated EP of outtakes from their hit 2009 album Commercial.

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: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Amigos_Invisibles

The Rain Knows You Don't Walk Alone: Los Amigos Invisibles and "La Lluvia Sabe Que no Andas Sola"

Today's random tune, La Lluvia Sabe Que No Andas Sola is by Los Amigos Invisibles of Venezuela. Known for their blend of disco, acid jazz and funk mixed with Latin rhythms, the band was formed in 1991 in Caracas. Los Amigos Invisibles gained the attention of David Byrne's Luaka Bop label after they discovered a CD that the band had surreptitiously planted in a New York City record store, and Luaka Bop released the band's second album in 1996 which garnered many positive reviews. Their third album received a Grammy nomination as Best Latin Alternative album, and with it's success the band relocated to New York City permanently, eventually starting their own label. La Lluvia Sabe Que No Andas Sola is from their 2011 album Not So Commercial, which is a Grammy nominated EP of outtakes from their hit 2009 album Commercial.

Is Sinatra in the House: Los Amigos Invisibles and "Dubi Dubi Dubi"

I won't highlight a tune under a minute, so today's random tune just squeaks through. Dubi Dubi Dubi is a short tune by Los Amigos Invisibles of Venezuela. Known for their blend of disco, acid jazz and funk mixed with Latin rhythms, the band was formed in 1991 in Caracas. Los Amigos Invisibles gained the attention of David Byrne's Luaka Bop label after they discovered a CD that the band had surreptitiously planted in a New York City record store, and Luaka Bop released the band's second album in 1996 which garnered many positive reviews. Their third album received a Grammy nomination as Best Latin Alternative album, and with it's success the band relocated to New York City permanently, eventually starting their own label. Dubi Dubi Dubi is from their 2011 album Not So Commercial, which is a Grammy nominated EP of outtakes from their hit 2009 album Commercial.

I Will Live for You: Los Amigos Invisibles and "Vivire Para Ti"

Today's tune, Vivire Para Ti, is by Los Amigos Invisibles of Venezuela. Known for their blend of disco, acid jazz and funk mixed with Latin rhythms, the band was formed in 1991 in Caracas. Los Amigos Invisibles gained the attention of David Byrne's Luaka Bop label after they discovered a CD that the band had surreptitiously planted in a New York City record store, and Luaka Bop released the band's second album in 1996 which garnered many positive reviews. Their third album received a Grammy nomination as Best Latin Alternative album, and with it's success the band relocated to New York City permanently, eventually starting their own label. The band sings this song with Natalia Lafourcade, a Mexican pop-rock singer who has become one of the most successful stars in Latin America. Vivire Para Ti is from Los Amigos Invisibles' 2009 album Commercial.

Venezuelan Tribal House: DJ Baba and "Eshu"

Today's song is a house number by Venezuelan DJ BaBa. Though I couldn't find much information on him, his record label calls his music a "dynamic Tribal House" sound and says that he puts the groove back into the house scene. This song, Eshu, is from his 2014 EP release Callejero.

Unfortunately, I Lose Keys: Cuarto Poder and "Solo Tu Tienes la Llave"

Solo tu Tienes la Llave is by Creole hip hop and rap band Cuarto Poder from Venezuela. Fusing the four elements of hip hop (graffiti, MCs, break dance and DJs), Cuarto Poder represents the best of hip hop in Venezuela. On this song, they perform with Morodo, a Spanish rapper who does a unique style of reggae-influenced hip hop. Solo tu Tienes la Llave can be found on Cuarto Poder's 2010 album In Tha House.

Dooby Dooby Do: Los Amigos Invisibles and "Dubi Dubi Dubi"

The random tune today just fits my criteria - I will not highlight a tune under a minute - but it still seems a bit short. Still, I gotta go with the randomness. Dubi Dubi Dubi is a short tune by Los Amigos Invisibles of Venezuela. Known for their blend of disco, acid jazz and funk mixed with Latin rhythms, the band was formed in 1991 in Caracas. Los Amigos Invisibles gained the attention of David Byrne's Luaka Bop label after they discovered a CD that the band had surreptitiously planted in a New York City record store, and Luaka Bop released the band's second album in 1996 which garnered many positive reviews. Their third album received a Grammy nomination as Best Latin Alternative album, and with it's success the band relocated to New York City permanently, eventually starting their own label. Dubi Dubi Dubi is from their 2011 album Not So Commercial, which is a Grammy nominated EP of outtakes from their hit 2009 album Commercial.

I am a Closet Disco Dancer: Los Amigos Invisibles and "Vivire Para Ti"

I have a secret. A dirty little secret that I keep way down in the depths of my psyche. It's a secret I tell no one, because I'm afraid that to do so would ruin my reputation, cause all my friends to leave me, and leave a black mark on my life that would never be erased. Up to this time I've never written it down, I've never fully spoken it. But let this just be between you and me, dear reader.

...I like disco.

There. I've written it. It's out there. Ever since I heard that driving steady drumbeat, the bass lines that were a tamed version of funk, and that minimalist electric guitar accompaniment, I like disco. I didn't really care who was singing or not, it was the instrumentation and arrangements that interested me. To me, it was a mix of the unbridled sexual energy of funk crossed with something that could be danced with a partner - a kind of ballroom style funk. And I ate it up. Le Freak by Chic, Donna Summer, A Taste of Honey and Boogie Oogie Oogie, all of these I really enjoyed. I still can't hear a disco beat today without tapping my feet, and sometimes even smiling. Even a Bee Gees song will do it for me.

But I can't give myself away. I have to tamp down my instincts and pretend, along with everyone else, that I hate disco. That I consider it an abomination of music, nothing that any sane, discriminating music fan would listen to. Yet disco is making its own insidious comeback. Witness Daft Punk and Get Lucky. Witness the continuing popularity of songs like We are Family by Sister Sledge and everything by Donna Summer and Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive. And I don't think disco ever died overseas.

Today's song, Vivire Para Ti by Los Amigos Invisibles, is testament to that. Known for disco, acid jazz and funk mixed with Latin rhythms. Los Amigos Invisibles formed in the 1990s in Venezuela as an alternative to the hard rock, metal and punk that was popular in Caracas as the time. They exploded in the club scene in Caracas after their debut album was released and convinced a wide variety of people that one could dance to other types of music than salsa and merengue. In 1996 they were signed to David Byrne's Luaka Bop label after he found and listened to a CD they had planted in a record store in New York. They relocated to New York City and recorded a new album, The Venezuelan Zinga Son, Vol. 1, which is considered their masterpiece. After fulfilling their contract with Byrne's label, they started their own label and released a series of records, culminating with Commercial in 2009, which won a Latin Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album. Post-Grammy, they have released Not So Commercial, an EP of outtakes from Commercial, and in 2013 they released their latest album, Repeat After Me. Vivire Para Ti is from their Grammy winning album Commercial, and when released it debuted at #1 on the Venezuelan charts. This version was recorded live in a radio station studio in Seattle.

You can bet I it on and am dancing...in private and alone, of course...so don't tell anyone...

Friday is a Carnival: Un Solo Pueblo and "Macoklis Mango"

I have been to New Orleans Carnival every year since 2005 except for 2013, yet my first Carnival was experienced in a foreign country. In the late 1990s, I traveled to Europe for the first time and spent a lot of time in Germany. I was there February and March, and my visit coincided with Carnival and Easter. For those of you who are as yet unacquainted with the general idea of Carnival, the idea is pretty simple. Lent is coming, and with it a period of fasting, attention to spiritual matters, and reflection on the life of Christ and his sufferings, as well as our own faults and sins and a striving toward cleaning up our own lives. However, until Lent begins, one should celebrate, consume, and party until they have to be good. Carnival can certainly be equated with excess, but more often it is a celebration of the things we have, and an acknowledgment that life is fleeting and death around the corner (until Lent reminds us that the reward for our good lives is heaven).

At the time I was in Germany, I didn't know any of this. Of course I had heard of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, but I didn't really understand it. It was just a big party in my mind. So I was intrigued by the Carnival I found in Germany. There were strange customs - people dressed in costumes during the day, a band of women roamed one town and if they found a man in a tie they would symbolically snip the tie with scissors. There were parades, both large and planned and small and spontaneous. A lot of the costumes and themes seemed to be politically and socially satirical. And everywhere was candy, food and drink. Candy was thrown off of floats to spectators lining the street (I remember one particularly bitter cold day in Bonn when a pretty young woman in front of me got brained in the head by a heavy bar of chocolate. "O danke!!!" she exclaimed when I picked it up and gave it to her, flashing me a pretty smile before turning back to the parade. It seemed like the season never ended - every day there were parades and balls and costumes. Germans were of two minds about it. Some were really, really into Carnival and waited the entire year for it to happen. Others hated it, wanted to leave town or avoided it as much as possible.

Later, when I lived in New Orleans, I became one of the lovers of Carnival. After all, I could be my introverted, staid self for an entire year, but for at least one week, I could be silly, dress up (and especially bend genders - I have been known to go out on Fat Tuesday dressed in women's clothing), and simply make a mockery of myself, my life and in doing so, be less serious about it and have fun at my own and others' expense. In addition, New Orleans had its own unique music associated with Carnival, particularly that of the Mardi Gras Indians. I have been in love with it ever since.

Today's song brings me back to that yearly event. Carnival is a worldwide celebration, taking place wherever Christianity took root. Brazil has a famous Carnival with its own traditions and customs, as do many Latin American countries. Venezuela is also home to a Carnival with flavors of both Latin and Caribbean styles, and the song Macoklis Mango captures the joy and essence of the music that accompanies such carnivals. Macoklis Mango is by the band Un Solo Pueblo, a Venezuelan band formed in Caracas in 1976. A large band, consisting of 20 some members that is known for passing the lead back and forth through the company between and within songs, they are credited with helping rescue the genre of Afro-Venezuelan music. In the 1980s, they grew to include a horn section and began to incorporate influences from other Latin and Caribbean countries. Their longevity and body of work has led to their designation as an essential Venezuelan cultural treasure by the government. They have released 19 studio albums, and have 5 compilation albums. I couldn't find the original album that Macoklis Mango is on, but you can find it on the compilation album Putumayo Presents: Carnival!