One of the most popular and well-known styles that came out
of Argentina is the tango. German and Italian immigrants brought this style of
music to this area when they immigrated there. A traditional tango orchestra
consists of a sextet: two violins, a piano, a double bass, and two bandoneóns
(an instrument that sounds somewhat like an accordion). The driving feature of the tango is the
“dotted quarter – dotted quarter – quarter” [in 4/4 time] feel to it.
The dance of the same name that accompanies tango music has
its roots from Europe and Africa. It was immensely popular around the turn of
the 20th century up until about the middle of the century. Tango was
a social dance, and was especially popular among working-class and immigrant
communities. There are several styles and type of tango dance, but more or less
the two partners stand very close – almost chest-to-chest – where one person
leads and the other follows closely. Tango is included among the canon of
ballroom dance. In 2009, UNESCO approved the dance to be part of the Intangible
Cultural Heritage List. This is an example of both tango music and tango dance.
In popular music, rock music is all the rage. And that, my
friends, makes me happy. One band that I came across on Spotify is Intoxicados.
I really like them, although I found I liked the album “Otro dia en el planeta
tierra” [roughly translated as “the other day on planet Earth”] better than the
album “El Exilio de Espicies” [roughly translated as “the exile of
spicies”]. Both albums are
available on iTunes for $9.99.
I’ve also come across the band Catupecu Machu. They’re a
little harder rock than Intoxicados. There are some songs that I like, but
others are just ok though. There
are several albums on iTunes ranging from $7.99 to $15.99.
I also really like the band Babasónicos. They have a sort of
70s/retro sound to some of their songs. They actually sometimes remind me of
the Brazilian band Skank (before you get any ideas, it’s pronounced
/skunk/). I was listening to the
album “A Propósito” on Spotify and was quite impressed. I might end up buying
this one. I’m not sure yet, but I did like it a lot. It’s a toss-up between
Intoxicados.
There’s also a movement to bring back Argentine folk music.
Several folk artists have become popular in their efforts to bring folk music
to younger crowds. One artist who has mixed folk with rock is Leon Gieco.
(Every time I see his name I think it says Geico, like the insurance company.)
His album called “Grandes Exitos” is really good. ($9.90 on iTunes). [While
Spotify dates the album as 2005, iTunes says it was released in 1995.
Regardless, good music is timeless, so I’m not sure why I bother with
mentioning this discrepancy.] I’ve also listened to his album called “4° LP”
which is very good, but not available on iTunes (I’m lazy and am in love with
instant gratification; if I can’t buy it and download it right away, I’m going
to let out a huge sigh and curse.) Enjoy!
Up next: the food!
Resourcs:
Wikipedia: “Culture of Argentina” “Tango music” “Tango
dance” “Bandoneóns”
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