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August 17, 2007
L.A. 'Fiesta' - Preview
Two ways to tango at L.A. 'Fiesta' - DANCE - Los Angeles Times - calendarlive.com
It is very interesting to see how journalists, many of them w/o tango background, perceive the categories of tango music. There is much accuracy, but also some things they don't understand.
Since the advent of electronica, many Latin American musicians have fused cool electronic beats with the folk sounds of their homeland -- from Bebel Gilberto's electro-bossa to the Nortec Collective's reinvention of Mexican banda sinaloense.
Because tango is usually characterized by a stately mood of bittersweet contemplation, its deep bass lines and soulful bandoneon riffs blend particularly well with the robotic nature of electronica. This extreme combination of hot and cold can be bewitching in concert, as demonstrated by memorable L.A. performances by Gotan Project and Bajofondo Tango Club in recent years.
Tanghetto should be no exception. Performing as a sextet, the band will present tracks from its first album, 2004's "Emigrante," marked by its languid melodies, its smoky textures and the kind of delicate piano lines that would make Massive Attack proud.
"Ideologically speaking, Piazzolla has been a great influence," Tanghetto co-founder Max Masri says from Buenos Aires. "He showed us that it was OK to challenge conventions. We were also influenced by early '80s synth-pop bands from England, as well as groups like Kraftwerk and Nine Inch Nails -- people who tried to do something different with synthesizers."
Posted by joegrohens at August 17, 2007 01:23 AM