Ana Tijoux (Photo courtesy of Ana Tijoux)


Continuing on our quest to discover and promote exciting, independent music coming from beyond the the U.S. and Europe, (See “Post-Modern World Music”), we’ve decided to travel South of the Border to Latin America, an area of the world with a rich musical legacy. From Colombia to Chile, Brazil to the Dominican Republic, each country displays its own style while contributing to an overall ‘Latin Sound.’ The three contemporary acts below demonstrate a firm grasp on their roots but twist traditional Latin styles with African beats, French hip-hop, American rock, electronic and more.  BY LYDIA SPRAGUE






ANA TIJOUX

It may seem like a reach to call Chilean rapper Ana Tijoux the voice of her generation, but her rhymes certainly echo loud among Spanish speakers and beyond. Her second album is titled 1977, after the year she was born. The Chilean rapper was born in France to exiled parents who had fled Chile during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, who led by a U.S. supported coup took over the Chilean government in September of 1973. After Pinochet stepped down in 1990, Tijoux’s family returned to Chile.
   
Tijoux’s sound is that of urban South America. It’s easy to imagine her songs moving the crowd of a packed club while telling the story of a new generation in Chile. The Pinochet regime stifled a generation of young Chileans, especially those with left-leaning ideologies who weren’t driven out into exile or were killed.

So while 1977 is largely an autobiographical album, Tijoux’s life has been greatly affected by politics. There are many young Chileans who have similar stories, and Tijoux is speaking as a voice for that emerging generation. But her net has been cast much wider than that. In 2010, she wowed the crowd at SXSW, and then embarked on her first North American tour.

The dual cultures she experienced growing up are ever present in her music. She raps in both Spanish and French, a feat not easily accomplished. Her flow, in both languages, is smooth and melodic, and her ability to rhyme words in unique and complex ways is impressive.

As a child growing up in exile, she was exposed to many cultures. She grew up with a myriad of other political refugees, families from other South American countries, Africa, Palestine and more. She recalls learning about hip-hop from homeless youth her mother worked with in France, and learning to rhyme and rap from African immigrants.

As a result her music has a very unique and international sound. She says that it was in France that she fell in love with hip-hop, but it was after returning to Chile as a teenager that she learned to channel her feelings through rhyming. Subsequently, Tijoux became involved in the newly emerging hip-hop scene in Santiago, Chile’s capitol city. At the age of 20, she began rapping with Makiza, a group that would become so huge in the Chilean hip-hop scene that it was signed by Sony.

In 2006, Tijoux began her career as a solo artist. She released her debut album, Kaos, in 2007. Her next record, 1977, was released in South America in October of 2009. She was soon signed by Nacional Records, who released the album in the U.S. in April of 2010.



Tijoux’s command of language and music is enough of a draw, but combined with her velvety smooth voice, her old-school take on hip-hop and the simplicity of the music she raps to, Ana has become a force to be reckoned with. Her tracks genuinely have something for everyone; for the old-school aficionado, the songs all have organically mixed vinyl cuts and a clean feel; for fans of Latin American influenced music there is the ever-present Latin percussion and Mexican horns.

This is music is easy to appreciate. After one listen to 1997, it clicks. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t a Spanish speaker. While the music has a natural flow, her lyrics are so melodic and the music moves within the listener. It feels like something that’s always been growing, effortlessly flowing out of her. This is hip-hop in its most natural, simplistic form. But then she twists the words, making them fit her rhyme the way she wants them to. She owns it, not the other way around.

Tijoux’s record, 1977, has been nominated for a Grammy for Best Latin Rock (or Urban) Album. In celebration of her nomination, Tijoux is in the process of recording a mix-tape of remixes to be released for free online. She’s also set to play a few shows in February, including February 12th in Los Angeles and February 14th in San Diego. She’ll play the 17th in Mexico City, in San Francisco on the 18th, Oakland on the 19th, and Sacramento on the 20th. If you're in or around these cities on these dates, it's a must see!

FREE MP3: “1977” (right-click & save)

+ The Official Ana Tijoux Website

(PHOTO: Leo Carreño)

BOMBA ESTÉREO

Bomba Estéreo is the perfect name for this Colombian rock group; an explosion of traditional Colombian music and modern beats keep the listener jumping up and, uh....busting a move. The fact that a non-Spanish speaker has no idea what singer Liliana Saumet is saying is merely an afterthought. The band’s debut U.S. album, Blow Up, starts off with a traditional, almost tropical feel. The intro song, “Cosita Rica,” opens with what sounds like rainforest noises accompanied by a traditional Latin drum line, then Saumet’s lone vocals begin trailing in, “Y es que no tengo edad la vida no me alcanza / es que la soledad ya se me acabo / no tengo mas que mi vida y mi garganta / y no tengo fuerza pa’ decirte que no.” (Roughly translated: “And I have no life I’m not old enough / it is lonely and I just / I have only my life and my throat / and I have no strength to say no”). The drumbeat then picks up, building a rhythm until the guitars kick in, colliding with Saumet’s vocals and creating a feverish, even addictive, hook.

I was first introduced to Bomba Estéreo while wandering around in the rain on the last day of last year’s Bumbershoot in between sets of other bands I was planning to see. I walked by the stage as Bomba was playing, and I found I couldn’t walk away. Saumet was writhing around on the stage, screaming in Spanish and English, not at all fazed by the heavy rain that was drenching her and the band. Neither was the crowd of onlookers. Hundreds of people were dancing around in the mud and grass, many of whom did not appear to know what Saumet was saying, but nonetheless were moved by the music. Displaying an amazing stage presence, Saumet is colorful and animated, and is constantly moving. SImply, mesmerizing! There is a connection between her and the crowd that goes far beyond the words she is singing.

Bomba members refer to their sound as “electro tropical,” and they derive much of the band’s sound from traditional Colombian cumbia, champeta, various African styles, reggae, hip-hop, electronic and dance. Cumbia is the traditional music of Colombia, originating from its Caribbean coast, it is known as the music of Colombia, but has moved through many Latin American countries, and taken on an identity and style of its own in each country. It is known for its distinctive drums, brought by African immigrants during Colombia’s formative years.



Listening to Bomba’s music, it becomes apparent that the band strives not only to celebrate Colombian traditions and cultures, but also to introduce an entirely new demographic of listeners with its infectious style to the culture of Colombia. The music is accessible even for people who have never heard traditional cumbia or champeta. And this, it seems, is how Saumet wants it.

From “Raza,” the final track on the album: “Yo no tengo visa ni pasaporte vigente / Pero quiero que mi musica llegue a otros continentes / A los que hablen ingles / A los que no la entienden / Si no puedo viajar yo que la música lo intente / Caliente de frente pa que te reviente / Si! Esta música es pa la gente inteligente  / Pa Bogotá y pa Barranquilla / Me gusta la cumbia porque es sencilla oyee!! / Porque es sencilla oyee!!” Roughly translated: “I have no visa or passport / But I want my music to reach other continents / Those who speak English / Those who do not understand
If I can not travel I will try with the music / Warm front to pop you / Yes! This music is for smart people / for Bogota and for Barranquilla / I like cumbia because it’s simple Oyeee!”

The group was formed in 2001 when guitarist and producer Simon Mejia started the project as a solo effort. He recruited Saumet and the rest of the band in 2005. Blow Up is the band’s second full-length record in Colombia, but its first US release. It was first released in Colombia in September of 2008 under the title Estalla. Bomba Estéreo’s first record is titled Bomba Estéreo, Volume One.

On Tuesday, January 18, 2011 Bomba Estéreo released an EP titled Ponte Bomb, which features the band’s cover of Technotronics' "Pump Up The Jam" and a few remixes.

FREE MP3: “Fuego” (right-click & save)

+ The Official Website of Bomba Estéreo

RITA INDIANA Y LOS MISTERIOS
   
Rita Indiana is an acclaimed author whose novels are taught in literature classes at colleges like Harvard and Cornell. So it is only fitting that the artist from the Dominican Republic formed a meringue techno band, right? Rita Indiana Y Los Misterios seems to act as yet another palate for Indiana to display her thought provoking artwork.

The music is quirky and otherworldly. It’s traditional meringue with a varied rhythm and tempo; it’s sometimes mixed with rock, sometimes with electronica, always upbeat.

While the music is quirky and upbeat, each song is a story of its own. From “Do Pa Lo Do,” which tells the story of two poor motherless brothers looking for food, to “La Hora De Volve” or “Time To Go Home,” about immigrants in a foreign land who have yet to realize it’s their time to return home.

From that song, “Todos vuelven a la tierra en que nacieron / al embrujo inconfundible de su son / y quién quiere tar comiendo mierda y hielo / cuando puede estar bailando algo major.” “Everyone returns to the earth where they were born / the unmistakable charm that you are / and who wants to eat shit and ice / when you can be dancing better.”

Rita Indiana Y Los Misterios released its debut album in October of 2010 on Premium Latin Music. It is titled, El Juidero.

FREE MP3: “La Hora De Volve” (right-click & save)

+ The Myspace Page for Rita Indiana y Los Misterios