Going South: Gotan Project and "Vuelvo al Sur"

The random tune for today is by the Gotan Project. Vuelvo al Sur is from their album Rasa Mello II (2003). Gotan Project, formed in 1999, is based in Paris and their music uses tango as a base but also incorporates samples, beats and breaks. Their name is a play on a famous tango compilation album called Tango Project released in 1982. The band's songs have been used in American film and television, and the band itself appeared on Dancing with the Stars in 2012. The band has released three studio albums, a couple of live albums, and has been included on many compilations.

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.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotan_Project; http://www.gotanproject.com/

The Last Drive to Tango: Alexis Kalofolias and Thanos Amorginos with "Gia Ligo"

Gia Ligo, a tango from Greek musicians Alexis Kalofolias and Thanos Amorginos, is our random tune for today. Alexis Kalofolias, known as Alex K., is a ripper bass player and vocalist for the Greek garage punk band called The Last Drive. On this song, he is joined by former The Last Drive guitarist Thanos Amorginos. I couldn't find much else information on these two musicians, but you can find Gia Ligo on the various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: Tango Around the World (2007).

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.putumayo.org

In Pain: Federico Aubele and "Pena"

Today's random tune is by Federico Aubele, an Argentine singer-songwriter. Aubele works in a variety of different styles, including reggae and dub. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, he moved to Berlin during the Argentine crisis in 2002 and lived there for several years. He submitted a demo by email to Thievery Corporation's Eighteenth Street Lounge Music, which landed him a spot on the label and subsequently his debut album. He has played at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, has contributed music to the US TV series Alias and the US movie The Take. He later moved to Barcelona where he released another album, and now lives in Brooklyn. This song, Pena, can be found on his 2007 album Panamericana on the various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: Tango Around the World (2007).

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/Federico_Aubele; http://federicoaubele.com/

Redefining the Goal in Tango: Gotan Project and "La Gloria"

The random tune for today is by the Gotan Project. La Gloria is from their album Tango 3.0 (2010). Gotan Project, formed in 1999, is based in Paris and their music uses tango as a base but also incorporates samples, beats and breaks. Their name is a play on a famous tango compilation album called Tango Project released in 1982. The band's songs have been used in American film and television, and the band itself appeared on Dancing with the Stars in 2012. The band has released three studio albums, a couple of live albums, and has been included on many compilations. The official video for La Gloria has the song at 3 minutes 12 seconds, though the version we have on iTunes is about 30 seconds longer. The song features an extended vocal by Uruguayan, Argentina-based football announcer Victor Hugo Morales, who mentions all band members by name and finishes with a long GOOOOOOOOOOOTAAAAN!!! instead of his trademark GOOOOAAAAALLLLL!!!

Tango in the Dark: Hugo Diaz and "Mi Buenos Aires Querido"

Today's tune is a tango by Hugo Diaz called Mi Buenos Aires Querido. Hugo Diaz was born in 1927 in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, and lost his sight at age 5 after being hit by a soccer ball. He learned to play harmonica, and two years later after surgery restored his eyesight, he was already playing for a local radio station. He played mostly with friends from his youth, and after his debut in 1944 he scored a series of record contracts. He worked mainly in tango with deep roots in rural music. In the 1970s his musical legacy reached its apex. His daughter, Maria Victoria, was an important part of the Argentine rock and roll scene of the 1980s. Hugo Diaz died in 1977. Mi Buenos Aires Querido can be found on the 2012 retrospective album Tangos, on the 2006 various artist compilation Tango and Tangueros, and on Putamayo Presents: Tango Around the World (2007).

Yiddish Tango: Fortuna and "Tango Idishe"

Tango Idishe is today's random tune. The song is performed by Fortuna, a Brazilian-Jewish singer and composer who originally sang pop music but had her life change after a trip to Israel in 1991 where she first heard Sephardic music. After intensive research, she began to bring back to life many forgotten songs and has performed them in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and the United States. She has released five albums over her career. Tango Idishe can be found on her 2011 album Novo Mundo, and on the 2007 compilation Putumayo Presents: Tango Around the World.

Carrying the Torch: Ousmane Touré and "Dimba"

Let's tango! Ousmane Touré brings us our random tune of the day, entitled Dimba. Touré is a Senegalese musician who lives in Paris. Formerly the leader of Touré Kunda, he now is a solo artist who blends griot singing and African lyrics with western styles. You can clearly hear the tango influence in Dimba, in which Touré sings about the Olympic flame and the respect it has in all cultures. Dimba can be found on Touré's 2006 release Avenue du Monde, and on the 2007 compilation Putumayo Presents: Tango Around the World.

Wistful Tango: Hugo Díaz and "Mi Buenos Aires Querido"

Today's tune is a tango by Hugo Diaz called "Mi Buenos Aires Querido." Hugo Diaz was born in 1927 in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, and lost his sight at age 5 after being hit by a soccer ball. He learned to play harmonica, and two years later after surgery restored his eyesight, he was already playing for a local radio station. He played mostly with friends from his youth, and after his debut in 1944 he scored a series of record contracts. He worked mainly in tango with deep roots in rural music. In the 1970s his musical legacy reached its apex. His daughter, Maria Victoria, was an important part of the Argentine rock and roll scene of the 1980s. Hugo Diaz died in 1977. Mi Buenos Aires Querido can be found on the 2012 retrospective album Tangos, on the 2006 various artist compilation Tango and Tangueros, and on Putamayo Presents: Tango Around the World (2007).

Mystery Tangoists: Alexis Kalofolias and Thanos Amorginos with "Gia Ligo"

Today's random tune is by Alexis Kalofolias & Thanos Amorginos. Unfortunately, today is one of those rare days that I can't find any information on the artists. I know that both have composed music for movies, and that Alexis Kalofolias was in a band called The Last Drive. However, that's all I know. Today's song, Gia Ligo can be found on the 2007 compilation CD Putumayo Presents: Tango Around the World.

It Takes Two: Gotan Project and "La Gloria"

The random tune for today, Saturday February 7th, is from Gotan Project. La Gloria is from their album Tango 3.0 (2010). Gotan Project, formed in 1999, is based in Paris and their music uses tango as a base but also incorporates samples, beats and breaks. Their name is a play on a famous tango compilation album called Tango Project released in 1982. The band's songs have been used in American film and television, and the band itself appeared on Dancing with the Stars in 2012. The band has released three studio albums, a couple of live albums, and has been included on many compilations. The official video for La Gloria has the song at 3 minutes 12 seconds, though the version I have on iTunes is about 30 seconds longer. The song features an extended vocal by Uruguayan, Argentina-based football announcer Victor Hugo Morales, who mentions all band members by name and finishes with a long GOOOOOTAAAAAAN!!! instead of his trademark GOOOOAAAAALLLLL!!!

Tango Crazy: 8½ Souvenirs and "Tango Lunatico"

One my my current co-workers went through a tango phase. Once or twice each week he'd go to tango lessons. Part of the motivation was to meet people, especially single women, and part of the motivation was just love of the movement and dancing. He got to be relatively good - probably a mid-level tango dancer - but he would tell me the stories of the hierarchy that developed among tango dancers. The advanced students danced with the advance students, and would get annoyed at having to dance with a lower level student. The mid-level dancers would feel lucky if they managed to score a dance with a higher level dancer, but annoyed themselves if they got a beginner. And beginners? They were s*** out of luck unless a set of circumstances all came together in a perfect storm. This hierarchy of tango, along with its reputation as a dance associated with a more sophisticated, upper class set, seems to clash with the origin of the tango, which was developed in the slums of Argentina and Uruguay. But there is no denying its global reach. It is danced in various forms throughout the world, and some tangos even have countries' names associated with them or are very regional, such as the Finnish tango or the tango camacupense popular in Angola. Putumayo World Music devoted one of its world music compilations to tango from various parts of the globe. Even I learned a couple of tango moves, though the sum extent of what I know would last about 3 seconds on the dance floor.

So, tango's the reason for the big lead up to today's random tune, Tango Lunatico by 8½ Souvenirs. You'll hear the typical tango beat, aggressive and lush reflecting the sexuality and machismo also associated with the dance, with a very prominent lead guitar (though electric, unlike the traditional tangos). 8½ Souvenirs is an Austin band of the 1990s that disbanded about 2000. While called an American swing jazz band led by French turned American lead guitarist Olivier Giraud, it was clearly influenced by gypsy jazz and other European and Latin American styles. It's name came from the Fellini movie 8½ and the Django Reinhardt song Souvenirs. Tango Lunatico is from 8½ Souvenirs' 1997 album Souvonica.

Tangoing into the Holidays: Hugo Diaz and "Mi Buenos Aires Querido"

Hello friends! For the next few days my words will be sparse as I am driving to Florida starting today. Yet, you should get a daily tune regardless!

Today's tune is a tango by Hugo Diaz called Mi Buenos Aires Querido. Hugo Diaz was born in 1927 in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, and lost his sight at age 5 after being hit by a soccer ball. He learned to play harmonica, and two years later after surgery restored his eyesight, he was already playing for a local radio station. He played mostly with friends from his youth, and after his debut in 1944 he scored a series of record contracts. He worked mainly in tango with deep roots in rural music. In the 1970s his musical legacy reached its apex. His daughter, Maria Victoria, was an important part of the Argentine rock and roll scene of the 1980s. Hugo Diaz died in 1977. Mi Buenos Aires Querido can be found on the 2012 retrospective album Tangos, on the 2006 various artist compilation Tango and Tangueros, and on Putamayo Presents: Tango Around the World (2007).

Dancing Fool: Liana and "Estrela da Tarde"

Way back in 1995, my bride was embarrassed. It was our wedding night in Milwaukee, it was our wedding dance, and we didn't know how to dance. We faked it. Shuffle shuffle shuffle, kind of like two junior high school kids draped on one another like leaning trees. Megan declared at that time that we would learn to how to dance.

Fast forward a few months. We have moved to Texas, and Megan came home from work and told me that she'd enrolled us in ballroom dancing lessons. No discussion. We went to the classes, where a nice couple told us that they would teach us foxtrot, box step, waltz, two-step, swing, and even a little tango. I learned that I didn't have two left feet, could do the steps, and even look reasonably good doing them. Megan had to learn not to lead me, but to let me lead.

The hardest one was the tango. We only had time to learn a few moves, and I've since forgotten them. Those I didn't feel like I was very good at doing. I've spoken to my co-worker Adam, who has taken tango lessons and attended tango dances on a weekly basis. He assured me that it takes a LONG time to learn tango, and that at the dances, it is difficult to get practice because the good tango dancers don't want to dance with the beginners, and therefore the beginners are stuck trying to teach each other, like the blind leading the blind. I can still tear up the floor on a swing dance, though I'd like to learn some more moves, and I enjoy waltzing also. In fact, I try to tell all of my younger, single guy friends that if they want to have more dates than they know what to do with, they should learn how to dance, but they don't believe me. That's fine...I don't mind being the rooster in the henhouse that all the hens admire!

Today's song, Estrela da Tarde (Evening Star) is an interesting hybrid between a fado and a tango. You may remember the fado from past posts as being a melancholy song about longing for the sea or about those who are poor. Fado has a particular structure and therefore resembles tango in that way, which also has a particular structure. Both tango and fado can be associated with the underclass, in the case of the longing of fado for the simplicity of the poor life and in tango, the rise of the music and dance from the poorest sections of society, into organized crime, and finally into its association with sexual sophistication.

The person who sings Estrela da Tarde goes by the name of Liana, a young and rising singer in Portugal who started singing fado professionally at age 9 and has won 11 first prizes in fado competitions. In 2004 she released her first professional album, Fado.pt and followed it up in 2005 with her second, Sombra, in 2005. In 2007, she teamed up with Reem Kelani in a concert titled From Palestine to Portugal where she sang in Portuguese and Arabic. Not only a singer, she is also an award winning stage actress. She sponsors a child in Mozambique, is an animal rights activist and vegetarian and volunteers with the elderly in Lisbon. She currently has released five albums. Estrela da Tarde blends the very similar elements of fado and tango with electronica into a song of longing:

My love, my love

my evening star

The moon is rising and my body is waiting for you

My love

I am not certain

if you are my joy or my sorrow

Estrela da Tarde can be found on Liana's 2004 release Fado.pt, and is included on Putumayo Presents: Tango Around the World (2007). This video is from her appearance on a Portuguese television show.