With an important underground music scene and large international acts coming through regularly, Argentina has a thriving environment for fans of any genre of music. But what happens when being a fan goes beyond just knowing the words to a couple of songs or buying a few albums? For some, being a fan involves anything from following bands on tours, to spending absurd amounts of money on memorabilia, to getting an autograph of your favourite artist tattooed permanently. For some, following a band becomes an obsession and a way of life, regardless of how mainstream or commercially successful it may be. It is here that a cult status begins to form.

Obviously, the definition of a “cult band” is as varied as the bands the label is ascribed to, so the following list is neither comprehensive nor set in stone. What defines a band as “cult” is as hard to pin down, but for different reasons, whether their fan base, their musical influence, or the niche market they fit in, the following artists have become cult fixtures in Argentine music and culture.

Los Redondos

Los Redonditos de Ricota

Patricio Rey y Sus Redonditos de Ricota, better known as ‘Los Redondos’ for short, is critically acclaimed as one of the most important and influential groups in Argentine rock, and one of the principal figures of the country’s music scene between 1980 and the 1990s.

Formed in La Plata, the group included Carlos Alberto ‘Indio’ Solari on vocals, Eduardo “Skay” Beilinson on guitar, and Carmen Castro, also known as ‘The Black Poly’, as manager and muse. They remained active between 1976 and 2001 and by the time the group had released its most commercially successful album, ‘La Mosca y La Sopa’ in 1991, it had already amassed a large, cult-like fan base that called themselves ‘ricoteros’.

Known for its experimentation in both music and publicity, the group shied away from large venues and traditional marketing in preference of smaller shows and more homespun advertising. Rather than making official announcements or using the media to spread word of performances, often the group relied on word of mouth to advertise shows to fans. Los Redondos’ complex lyrics have been compared to Baroque poets, and deal with everything from women and drugs to politics, their existentialist themes attracting passionate support.

As they gained popularity, the Redondos’ sparsely attended theatre shows gave way to jam-packed stadiums. The size of their following often brought sold out and over-capacity shows, and once even caused an Olavarría mayor to put a stop to a performance in 1997.

Although the group hasn’t played a show since its split in 2001, it maintains a huge fan base to this day and is a classic fixture in Argentine rock history.

Sumo in 1985

Sumo

Although Sumo remained underground and lesser known during its time in the Argentine music scene, the band managed to shape contemporary Argentine rock. Started in the early 1980s by Italian-born Luca Prodan, Sumo combined British post-punk rock with the Argentine rock nacional genre that was prevalent at the time. Add a little bit of reggae on top of that, and you have a sound that’s both addictive and hard to describe.

Their story sounds straight out of a modern day epic poem: Luca Prodan fled Manchester, after years of hanging out with the members of Joy Division, to kick his heroin habit. He started recording songs in 1981 in a homemade studio in the countryside outside of Córdoba. After getting tired of the countryside, he moved to downtown Buenos Aires to start performing, but had to be careful because the military dictatorship at the time was on the look out for “subversive” artists and musicians. He then joined up with Germán Daffunchio on guitar, Alejandro Sokol on bass, and Stephanie Nuttal on drums and began to play at venues around the city.

Because their music was almost exclusively in English, Sumo did not enjoy a lot of radio airtime during their stint as a band. This only added to their mystery and cult status, as their loyal fans sought them out in the underground music scene. In a tragic end to the aforementioned “epic poem” qualities of Prodan’s life, his rockstar lifestyle caught up with him and he died of a heart attack in 1987, two days after the band’s last show. The early end to such a promising band has added to their mystique, and to this day people talk on forums and Facebook groups about what could have been if Prodan was still alive.

Él Mato A Un Policia Motorizado at Tecnópolis (photo: Wikimedia Commons)

El Mató a Un Policia Motorizado

Living in Buenos Aires, you’re more likely to learn of this band through the graffiti bearing its name throughout the city than from hearing them on the radio. La Plata band El Mató a Un Policia Motorizado combines punk rock and noise rock, and draws influence from bands like the Pixies, the Ramones and the Velvet Underground.

The group features Santiago Motorizado on bass and vocals, “Doctor Death” on drums, Pantro Puto on guitar, Niño Elefante on guitar, and Chatrán Chatrán on keyboard. They released their first EP, “El Mató a Un Policia Motorizado” in 2004, and in 2005 began a trilogy of albums depicting birth, life and death. The trilogy shot the band to a larger audience, setting them off on a tour of South America and Europe, where they played big festivals like Primavera Sound in Barcelona. The group took a four-year hiatus and came back stronger than ever in 2012, to fans that had been awaiting their return. With a small but growing following and frequent shows at cultural centres and alternative venues around Buenos Aires, this band is changing contemporary Argentine rock and developing a steady and dedicated set of fans in the process.

They continue to grow, and in 2012 Mexico’s Rolling Stone named their most recent album one of the best of the year, saying: “After four years of absence, the band returned with an album ambitious and risky that dispelled any doubts about their potent sound.” The group is still active and is back touring South America in Spring of 2013, with shows at the club Niceto in Buenos Aires on the 28th and 29th March.

Pez in concert (Photo courtesy of Pez Facebook Page)

Pez

One of the oldest still-active Argentine bands that has kept a strong following is Pez. Formed by Ariel Minimal in 1993, the “hard experimental rock” group originally included musicians Alejandro Alez and Pablo Barbieri. It has changed continuously since then, fluctuating between the original trio and a five-piece band with different instruments, experimenting with a variety of sounds. Pez currently has four members, with Minimal the only original member. With its constantly changing line-up of artists, it is difficult to say exactly what Pez’s overriding sound is, and that seems to be part of the attraction for many of its fans. Rooted in experimental rock, the group has incorporated everything from tango to punk into their sound and they never stick to one type of music. “Over this long period of time we’ve shown that Pez is much more than just the sound of one album, our history has been forged over the course of all our albums,” Minimal explained to the music blog Rebvelados.

Doing things their own way has always been the unofficial motto of Pez, who began its own independent, cooperative record label called Azione Artigianale to record its own music.

Perhaps it is the constant change that has attracted such a loyal fan base. Part of the reason the band maintains such a cult-like following is its ability to adapt and evolve to changing technology and the changing music scene. “Since we are an independent band, it is very important to distribute our music over social media and the internet,” Minimal said in a recent interview. He added that the band is always looking for innovative ways to share their music with the world. As long as the band continues to grow and adapt, they are set to retain their cult following for years go come.

Los Brujos

Emerging from the same musical nucleus as the hugely successful Babasónicos, Los Brujos carved out their own, less commercial niche in the music scene and has thousands of dedicated fans to prove it. Their hard-to-pin-down, invented genre has kept listeners guessing since their founding in 1988. Their sound has been described as “funkmetal” and “funkcore” but the group has opposed these labels.

“We’re pigeonholed into the list of alternative groups, but alternative to what? In reality, although it doesn’t bother us to be labelled like that, we prefer to say that we are a group that is constantly changing,” said guitarist Rey Mental.

The group created more than just a musical experience, as their concerts included bizarre costumes and lights, an aesthetic experience specific to Los Brujos. They achieved brief commercial success with their single “Kanishka,” which got a significant amount of radio play and even inspired a Nirvana song after Kurt Cobain heard the tune on a visit to Argentina. The group announced its separation in 1998 but maintains a huge fan base. Fan website Que Vuelvan Los Brujos (Come Back, Brujos) is still updated as of 2013 with information about the band and hopes that they’ll return to the Argentine music scene.

For the last show of their three-week Brazilian tour, Morbo y Mambo are billed at the MoLA festival at Circo Voador in Rio de Janeiro. Set in the heart of Lapa, Rio’s most famous neighbourhood for music and nightlife, the venue itself has a legendary status.

Morbo y Mambo gig at Circo Voador in Rio de Janeiro. (Photo: Lucas Radicella)

In the 30 years of its existence, celebrated this year with a special exhibit revisiting its history, Circo Voador has hosted legends of Brazilian music like Caetano Veloso and Chico Buarque as well as renowned international artists like Belle and Sebastian and The Kooks.

Backstage before the show the tension is palpable among the musicians. Trombone and trumpet repeat their lines for the thousandth time, the guitarist skips nervously from one foot to the other.

“This is our biggest show on the tour,” says the bassist of the band, Manuel Gonzalez Aguilar, “it is probably the biggest closing we’ve made on any tour,” he adds.

The signal is given that the stage is ready, and locked shoulder to shoulder in a small circle Morbo y Mambo give one last motivation talk that quickly turns into something more akin to a liberating scream driven by adrenaline. The band skip the ten or so steps leading to the stage two by two as the lights dim.

In the following blast of music and colour, the thousand or so people gathered to watch Morbo y Mambo need a few seconds to realise just what hit them. Then they start to dance wildly to the beat of ‘Handleness’, the opening song.

“If you can make people move at a concert in Buenos Aires, in Brazil you’ll have them jumping around naked,” joked a journalist that followed Morbo y Mambo for over a month before they left on their Brazilian tour.

Although that apparently only happened during their show in Sao Paulo, the atmosphere inside Rio’s Circo Voador couldn’t get much steamier and although this is a semi-outdoor venue you’d swear the temperature just rose a few degrees.

Morbo y Mambo’s music is tricky to describe, as drummer Mateo Gonzalez Aguilar explains: “we’d rather not categorise ourselves into one genre, we go through a lot of different ones while we play, sometimes even within the same song.”

If you were to have to choose one unique genre to categorise Morbo y Mambo, afrobeat would probably be the first guess, even more so if you consider the night’s special guest, the legendary Oghene Kologbo guitarist of Fela Kuti’s Africa 70. The best way is probably just to listen to it and draw your own conclusions.

In Rio, the band start their set with a mix of afrobeat and funk that sends vibrations through the crowd, their groove fomenting an irrepressible need to dance.

Guest guitarist Oghene Kologbo playing the Morbo y Mambo gig at Circo Voador in Rio de Janeiro. (Photo: Lucas Radicella)

The band continues with a mix of music varying from afrobeat and dub to psychedelic rock that sends the carioca crowd into wild pogos (moshing). Pacheco and Mati Nuevo, two Argentine graphic designers who flew in from Buenos Aires for the show, project their own images on the huge screen behind the band and at times the concert turns into a show more akin to a Pink Floyd performance then a Fela Kuti gig. On these occasions Morbo y Mambo is really much more than just the music and with all previous bands playing on the default video projections of the festival the Argentine band’s stand out set draws a raucous response from the crowd.

By the time the gig is over it’s safe to say Morbo y Mambo have won over a new contingent of Brazilian fans. The other musicians preparing to play congratulate them and are already enquiring when they’ll be back in Brazil while the MC of the event tells them they just delivered the best show of the entire festival so far.

Manuel can barely believe how their gig went: “people loved it, I think that’s the best crowd we’ve played to,” he gasps.

Morbo y Mambo are back in Argentina and will be performing at a series of events before the end of the year.

23rd November: Festival Ciudad Alterna, Centro Cultural Islas Malvinas.
2nd December: Festival de Jazz, Skatepark, Mar Del Plata
14-15th December: Plasma, Buenos Aires.
22nd December: Konex, Buenos Aires.

More info at:
Bandcamp: http://morboymambo.bandcamp.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/morboymambo
Twitter: @morboymambo

For 30 years, Andrés Calamaro has been a forerunner in the growth and critical progression of the movement ‘Rock en Español’.

Andrés Calamaro, an icon in Argentina (photo: Erprofe)

Whether in his capacity as a band member (Los Abuelos de la Nada, Los Rodríguez), a producer (Los Fabulosos Cadilacs, Los Enanitos Verdes, Fabiana Cantilo), or in his extensive solo work, Calamaro’s legacy stands as a vital, varied, and prolific saga in Argentine music.

From the early 1980s, as a keyboardist for Los Abuelos de la Nada, Andrés Calamaro quickly embraced the fertile solidarity and craft of musicianship. Always a collaborator, he discovered that the joy and value of creating music could not be separated from a socially responsive process of experimentation.

The knowledge Calamaro gained as a session musician with figures such as the Makaroff brothers and Julian Petrina, set him up for a career encompassing many musical styles and thematic concerns. In his various collaborations and solo work, his sound covers everything from pop, rock, blues and tango to flamenco, rumba, and piano balladry. His work is distinguished, however, by a personality unique for its balance of tenderness and provocation.

Despite his comparative youth among the members of Los Abeulos de la Nada, Calamaro is credited with writing some of the group’s biggest hits, including ‘Mil horas’, ‘Sin gamulán’, and ‘Costumbres Argentinas’. The last of these carries a funky introduction to verses sung over muted guitars, culminating with keyboard-driven power pop and euphoric saxophone solos.

Los Rodriguez released four albums in Spain between 1991 and 1995 (Photo: El Humilde Fotero del Pánico)

The musician’s first solo record, ‘Hotel Calamaro’, was released in 1984, providing a sample of the variety to come after the dissolution of Los Abuelos de la Nada in 1985. The debut featured a blend of blues, pop, and even New Wave tendencies that came to form an integral part of his later sound, though commercially the album had minimal success.

After the release of a fourth solo album in 1990 (‘Nadie sale vivo de aquí’/ ‘Nobody gets out of here alive’), Calamaro relocated to Spain, escaping the bleak conditions for musicians in Argentina’s struggling economy.

His next band, Los Rodríguez, released four albums in Spain between 1991 and 1995, garnering the musician an even greater following in Argentina.

The Los Rodríguez period was marked by arguably the most eclectic mix of styles in Calamaro’s catalogue. ‘Sin documentos’ (1993) remains an influential example of how experimentation and chemistry provided the catalyst for innovations in Spanish rock that are still reflected in music nearly 20 years later.

With a voice reminiscent of Lou Reed or Bob Dylan, Calamaro’s lyrics explore the turmoil of an era torn between liberation, repression, poverty, and renewal. Rather than writing directly political songs, however, his strength lies in finding an intimately personal way to express the wider Latin American social experience.

Calamaro’s 1997 solo album ‘Alta suciedad’, marked his return to Argentina and the second phase of his solo career. Encapsulating this more direct approach to social commentary, it evoked a culture both fabulous and depraved.

Alongside his solo work, Calamaro composed several soundtracks in the mid-90s for the films ‘Caballos salvajes’ and ‘1,000 boomerangs’.

He sustained a period of tremendous output between 1997-2007, including ‘Honestidad brutal’ and ‘Salmón’, works considered by many Argentine critics to be his best.

Calamaro became more lyrically raw and more experimental in his compositions, yet more studied as a singer, displaying a technical and topical maturity all the more forceful because he has continued to address the problems of social and personal decay.

Evaluating the past 30 years of Calamaro’s work reveals a massive payoff for the potential shown in his youth. In 2009, he released ‘Andrés – Obras incompletas’, a compilation of six CDs, two DVDs, and a book of notes and letters.

For this week’s Music for the Weekend we bring you the song “No son horas” (“No time”) from the 1999 disc ‘Honestidad brutal’.

Genre: Rock en Español

Dates active: 1978- present

In their own words: “I prefer to think I’m a great unknown.”

Most famous song: ‘Flaca’ (from the album ‘Alta Suciedad’)

Best lyrics: ”And we wanted to leave/wanted to enter/and could not even breathe/ this time he said to me/no gets out of here alive.”

Famous for: Innovating the ‘Rock en Español’ genre

Best to listen to: When you want to hear a little bit of everything done well by the same artist.

Arco Iris, which translates into English as ‘rainbow’, is a fitting name for a band made up of such a fusion of sounds. Indeed, there’s no definition or category for the folk, jazz, rock, blues, Latin and sometimes symphonic group.

Before forming Arco Iris, three of the group’s original members, Gustavo Santaolalla, Guillermo Bordarampé and Ara Tokatlián, had their own band and called The Crows.

After recording a demo tape, the trio had a chance encounter with producer and radio show owner Ricardo Kleinman. Seeing potential in the group, Kleinman agreed to sign them under two conditions: first, they needed to sing in Spanish, and second, they must drop their English name. So, from 1967 onwards, the group adopted a new name and Arco Iris was born.

Arco Iris in 1972 (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Santaolalla provided the initial genius, as well as vocals and some guitar, Bordarampé strummed the bass and Tokatlián played flute. All they lacked was a drummer, and several members rotated in and out before Alberto Cascino became the one who stuck.

The following year Arco Iris released their first singles: two underwhelming pop tunes called ‘Lo veo en tus ojos’ and ‘Canción para una mujer’.

Months later, after another disappointing single, they experienced a change of fortune, which arrived in the form of Danais Wynnycka. Going by the name Dana, the former model became a muse for the band.

Born in the Ukraine and raised in Rome, the daughter of a diplomat and a demanding psychologist, she had lived a privileged life. Her father loved to sing, and when an accident caused him to lose his ability to speak the family needed guidance. Searching for a spiritual solution Dana and her parents ended up in Tibet, where, at the age of ten, she already practised yoga, Feng Shui, acupuncture and homeopathy. By the time the band met the bombshell, her beauty and spirituality were irresistible.

All the members of Arco Iris became enamored with Dana and had themselves begun living a communal lifestyle. By the time their next single, ‘Blues de Dana’, was released, the mysticism and mandatory wearing of a necklace that symbolised “the evolution of man”, took its toll on the band’s drummer. Cascino left the band before the release of their self-titled debut album in 1970.

The ‘Arco Iris’ album was the foundation for the band’s signature folk-rock sound. At the same time, a compilation album of all the band’s previous singles was released.

Having switched record labels, Arco Iris began working on their third album, ‘Tiempo de resurrección’. The album positioned them ahead of the “Rock en Español” movement of the time and featured Santaolalla’s signature electric guitar sound. Their most famous track to date, ‘Mañana Campestre’, appeared on this album and solidified their rock/folk fusion style.

Ara Tokatlian of Arco Iris (Courtesy of Myspace)

What came next was something never seen before in Latin America: rock-opera.

‘Sudamérica o el regreso á la aurora’ was considered the first rock-opera album in Spanish. The songs are multi-faceted, featuring a mixture of blues, rock, folk, jazz and Latin. For many critics this work is considered a masterpiece in Argentine rock due to its fusion of music.

A follow up album, released in 1973, served as a reminder that Arco Iris were making trends and not following them. Although not superior, it was a worthy effort and again featured the “electric guitar meets folk” sound with a sophisticated rock undertone.

In ‘Agitor Lucens V’, released only one year later, the same symphonic and progressive spirit remained. Using long instrumental segments and keyboards, the music was presented in Paris, London and Rome and represents the band’s style at its most impressive, progressive, and transcendent. Argentine choreographer Oscar Aráiz even used the album to create a ballet.

In 1978, California welcomed Arco Iris who, having shifted their music to jazz and new age, produced their last album in 1981. Tokatlián and Dana continued making music under the name Arco Iris until the year 2000, while Santaolalla remained in Argentina and continued to develop music for himself.

Always ahead of the curve, Santaolalla’s debut album marked the beginning of the New Democracy Sound that exploded in Latin America in 1983 and eventually lead to the overseas invasion of Argentine music.

By mixing sounds and adhering only to their own rules, Arco Iris led a new wave in Argentine rock. Their music and their lives were inspired by free artistic expression, and it is that ideal that made them so powerful.

Genre: Rock/folk fusion

Dates Active: Original members 1968-1975, other members until 2000

In their own words: Santaolalla: “[Success] is a combination of factors and people. In the non-mathematical equation there is a component of luck, talent, and hard work. I can’t read or write music, but I learned by listening and playing without stopping.”

Most famous song: Mañana Campestre

Best lyrics: “The night falls cold, soaking in my city/ My soul looks for the day, my hands look for peace/ How long is the agony, how difficult is the exit/ From this crossroads of living and being nothing/ And if you’re there scream at me again, tell me where to go, tell me who you are.”

Famous for: Infusing rock with regional folk

Best to listen to: Sunbathing on the terrace

The Argentine musicians of Babasónicos took over the radios in 1992 with the hit “D-generación” and since then have been one of the most acknowledged bands, not only in their country but also in all Latin America.

They are part of the ‘new wave’ of Argentine rock that started to appear in the late 80’s and early 90’s, bringing original sounds to the underground rock scene.

Babasónicos (Photo: Cristal en Vivo)

Founded by the lead singer Adrían “Dárgelos” Rodríguez and the keyboardist Diego “Uma-T” Tuñon in the city of Lanús (south of Buenos Aires province), the idea was to create a different kind of style than the ones long established in Argentine music.

The mixture of various rhythms and innovative lyrics produced a unique sound, which made the rock group stand out from the other artists of the time.

Along with Rodríguez and Tuñon, the other band musicians are guitarists Diego Rodríguez and Mariano Roger, drummer Diego Castellanos and DJ Peggynn, who became a permanent member after his participation in their second album ‘Trance Zomba’.

Their long time bass player, Gabo Manelli, passed away in January 2008 from Hodgkin’s disease. In 2009, Carca, former member of the band Tía Newton, replaced Manelli.

The name Babasónicos refers to the Indian guru Sai Baba and the cartoon ‘The Jetsons’, translated as ‘Los Supersónicos’ in Spanish speaking countries.

After opening shows for INXS, Soul Asylum, Depeche Mode and U2 in the 90’s, Babasónicos were gaining international prestige and toured all over Latin America and the Unites States, becoming a household name in the Argentine rock scene.

They were praised by local and international media, having their 2001 album ‘Jessico’ considered the best album of the year by two of the biggest newspapers in Argentina, Página 12 and Clarín, and the magazines Rolling Stone and Los Inrockuptibles.

The artists also won several awards, amongst them MTV Latin America Music Awards for artist of the year and the Gardel Awards for best rock album for ‘Anoche’.

Babasónicos was one of the attractions of this year’s festivals Coachella, in the United States, and Vive Latino, in México, promoting their new album ‘A proposito’.

‘Microdancing’, a song from their latest work, is nominated to the 2011 MTV Game Awards under the category of ‘Best song in a videogame’ for being featured in the Pro Evolution Soccer videogame.

Genre: new wave Argentine rock

Dates active: 1992-present

In Mariano Roger’s (guitarist) words: “We are always trying to be original, even though everything that could be invented in rock has been done. We challenge ourselves to do something new in our songs and videos.”

Most famous song: Y qué (So what)

Best to listen to: Before/ during a night out.

Best lyrics: “Viva Santana!”

Official website: http://babasonicos.com/

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/babasonicosoficial

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/babasonicos

Brian Storming (Courtesy of Brian Storming Myspace)

Musical talent and creativity often run in the family. J.S. Bach’s father and uncles were accomplished musicians. Prince took his name from the jazz trio in which his father played. Yngwie Malmsteen grew up surrounded by family members with musical gifts.

It’s no surprise, then, that Duncan Toth, singer and composer of orchestral act Brian Storming, would be the son of Los Gatos’ bassist Alfredo Toth.

Further validating the genetic argument, the music of each displays a special affinity for the sounds of psychedelia. Decades after Los Gatos’ glory days, Duncan and Brian Storming have taken things to a more whimsical, pop-infused vista than the harder-edged group Los Gatos did in the 60s and 70s.

First conceived by Toth as an audiovisual project, Brian Storming combines atmospheric sounds with film projections to create an audience experience that is fully immersed in sensory-perceptual fantasy. Influenced by the ‘Sergeant Pepper’ era of bands like the Beatles, the imaginations of the likes of Tim Burton and Lewis Carrol, and early orchestral movements from Disney and Hollywood, Brian Storming catapults the listener into a blurry, rippling, and enchanting state of mind.

In 2003, the band appeared live at Creamfields festival, returning again the following year, and have since toured tirelessly throughout Argentina over the last decade. The recording of their first album, ‘The Fantastic Voyages of Brian Storming’, began in 2002 and was completed as a 10-track LP released in October 2005.

Quickly gaining recognition as a unique ensemble of sound, sight, and imagination, Brian Storming was selected to open three shows for Coldplay in February 2007, at the Gran Rex Theatre. In November of the same year, they were chosen to open for Björk in a string of Buenos Aires shows.

The band has been noted for its do-it-yourself ethic and organically independent position in Argentina’s shifting musical scenes. With lyrics sung in sleepy, whisper-soft English, Brian Storming’s sound awakens an impressive range of sensations: wondrous, experimental, and vulnerable motifs of innocence flirt with the mildly terrifying and pensive numbers recalled from Disney films such as ‘Fantasia’.

Occasionally criticised for choosing to sing in English, Toth responded in a 2010 interview with Página 12: “Singing in English is an ingredient of the atmosphere that we create, with film, music, or literary references such as Lewis Carrol, Jules Verne, and Edgar Allen Poe…It is a choice: every band and every artist makes a decision when creating something that has to consider what came before it.”

Despite pressure to enter into the castellano tradition of Argentine rock, Toth has acknowledged Brian Storming’s debt to bands such as Almendra while continuing to pursue their own peculiar, magical vision.

Following an EP in 2008 (‘Brian Storming Avec L’enchanting Device’), the band began work on its most ornately textured and visually evocative release to date: 2010’s ‘Brian Storming and the Illustrated Guide to Fantasie’.

Over 12 tracks, ‘The Illustrated Guide to Fantasie’ sparkles and shimmers with a modernised big band aura, particularly suited for a live setting.  With incredible skill and sonic detail, Brian Storming manages to sound both studied in its inspirations and shrewd in their expression of an avant-garde aesthetic. They are as steeped in 20th century orchestral beauty as they are in the punchy accoutrements of contemporary pop music—definitely worth checking out.

Genre: Orchestral Fantasy

Dates Active: 2002-Present

Famous For: Incorporating film and music into a visionary performing act

Most Famous Song: Stupid Little Drummer Boy

In their own words: “The idea is simple: to continue making records for a very long time.”

Best Lyric: “We’ll be the wheels of never-ending dream/so let the unexpected ride begin” (‘1920’)

Best to listen to: Never on drugs…

Dread Mar I in concert at Parque Roca. (Photo: Estrella Herrera)

Arguably one of the most prolific Argentine reggae stars, Dread Mar I is also one of the most recognisable. Physically, his strong Argentine face is surrounded by a cascade of dreads; vocally, his smooth soulful singing wouldn’t sound out of place on a Motown record. His synthesis of pop and reggae has brought him to the forefront of modern Argentine music, but his life did not start so seamlessly.

Before his moniker of Dread Mar I, Mariano Javier Castro was a young boy from a poor household in Lanús in the Buenos Aires Province – also the birthplace of Diego Maradona.

Not unlike Maradona, the young boy used his skill to work his way up to nationwide fame. But there is where the comparisons end. Instead of inducing fanatical favour in his followers, the singers reggae beats and smooth soulful voice inspire calm and laid-back Caribbean ambience. And instead of spiralling downward into a drug addiction, Mariano has used his alias to preach peace, unity and respect of man in line with his Rastafarian beliefs.

Born in 1978, he moved with his family to Maipu, Buenos Aires, where his father opened his own bakery. Mariano helped out in his father’s business until he caught his first music break singing for Argentine reggae band, Mensajeros.

Referring to his upbringing and how it made him successful, he has said in interviews that hard work and a proactive attitude was key: “No one moves for you, you have to move for yourself. No one will come to your house and say ‘this is for you,’ at least for me this didn’t happen.” Yet, once things did start happening for the young man from Lanús, they really happened.

2005 was when his career took an up turn. Besides being the lead singer of Mensajeros, he also became a stable member of one of Argentina’s most famous bands, Los Cafres. He then left both to pursue a solo career and produced his first album, ‘Jah Guía’ before the end of the year.

In 2006, Dread Mar I’s status on the Argentine reggae scene grew when he played alongside Peter Tosh and the Wailers at the Bob Marley Day Festival in Buenos Aires’ Luna Park, playing to an 8,000 crowd. This same year he released his second album ‘Hermanos’, with a new band behind him named Los Guerreros del Rey.

After that, Dread Mar I turned out albums like they were hot-cross buns at Easter. In 2008 he released his third album ‘Amor-es’ and played more than 60 shows in less than 8 months, touring around Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.

But it wasn’t until his 2010 release, and fourth album ‘Viví en Do’ that he really shot into the limelight. The album contains what is arguably his best-known song – ‘Tu Sin Mi’ – an ode to a lost love that has notched up an impressive 30 million YouTube views. It’s the song where the singer croons “Y ahora estas tu sin mí” (easily mistaken for “you’re a star” by many a expat/tourist in the BA clubs).

Due to his soulful, R&B style vocals and romantic lyrics that trademark each song, Dread Mar I has often been labelled lover’s rock reggae. He personally disputes this claim, insisting his lyrics deal with social and spiritual themes, leaning towards roots reggae, the genre-home to Bob Marley and Peter Tosh and the Wailers.

Even the name for his first album points to his Rastafarian beliefs, as ‘Jai Guía’ means Jah (a Hebrew term used by Rastafarians to mean god, or lord) Guide. On this album, his spiritual side is ever-present, particularly in the song ‘Inspiración’, where he sings about the inspiration of embracing nature.

Talking about the musical change and popular response he received with ‘Viví en Do’ in a recent interview with Clarín, Dread Mar I suggests his new success is the fusion genres. “Being independent, we could cross barriers that other bands could not cross,” he said.

Although the album was considered more pop than reggae by some critics, the reggae star fought back pointing out: “I make music for all, not just the ghetto.”

“Reggae is evolving all the time: always something new, something more modern,” he said, defending the evolution of his music into the popular mainstream. He attributes his success to being open to trying something different, and not sticking to one genre: “I make songs that entertain you, that make you think differently, get you out of your routine.”

Dread Mar I is currently touring around Latin America with his latest album, ‘Transparente’, which was released at the start of June. The new album contains 22 new songs, all written by the Argentine singer/songwriter.

Genre: Roots Reggae

Dates active: 2005-present

In their own words: “Reggae is for everyone, it tries to unite, not separate.”

Most Famous Song: Tu Sin Mi

Best lyric: “Live today, live well, live forever, with your body and mind” – Inspiración

Most famous for: His 2010 turn into a (reggae) pop star

Best to listen to: When the sun is shinning and the weather is sweet, yeah.

El Sonido de los Durmientes (Photo: Natasha Ali)

A group of casually dressed musicians take to the stage with their classical instruments at a low-key cultural centre in Belgrano. They start playing; patiently building to a crescendo. The guitar player sits centre stage with his head down, his eyes shut and his foot cocked on a stand in front of him. Engrossed in the music, he waits as the composition comes together around him, until finally he plucks his first chords.

El Sonido de los Durmientes are an avant-garde musical collective challenging the stereotypes of the classical musician – and they’re not just an orchestra that play the odd Beatles song to prove that they’re not square. Ambitious, and with original compositions, they’ve set out to redefine their own genre.

Gabriel Lombardo, a young musician and composer, is the focal point of the ensemble, holding centre stage with his guitar. He is also the intellectual force behind the band, writing and composing the entirety of their set. He is flanked by a group of between seven and ten musicians – playing wind and string instruments and percussion – handpicked to play and mould his songs. But what is so different about the sound they are trying to create?

“We want to work with popular genres using tools from classical music,” he explains referring to the styles of cumbia, folk and chacarera that are popular in Argentina and across continent. “We are trying to create a language that integrates the rhythmic aspect of Argentine and Latin American popular music.” They are also setting out to capture their own experiences of Buenos Aires as it is today – a sprawling metropolis, defined by mass immigration, with the lingering effects of a catastrophic economic crisis – in sound.

They are classically trained musicians escaping from the stifling academia of classical music – one where you endlessly write music but rarely perform it. What the group wants is to play challenging and exciting music that moves people and provokes personal interpretations, but music that is essentially their own; original compositions that transmit authentic emotion.

El Sonido de los Durmientes (Photo: Natasha Ali)

“If we don’t talk about real life, you’re talking about classical papers and that’s what we’ve run away from,” he says. “It’s a process, but the language we’re getting at makes sense.”

The band’s sound is intriguing. To those who are not well versed, the Latin American references would not jump out at you. People expecting the rhythms of Daddy Yankee plucked on a violin would be disappointed. The sound is altogether more complex and the allusions more subtle. Beyond the Argentine references, songs take inspiration from Afro-Peruvian music, as well as Bolivian and Uruguayan beats.

When it hits the right notes it’s fresh, moving and challenging as the almost disquieting violins compliment the more melodic guitar with excellent electronica-esque percussion. In a particularly beautiful moment, one of the violinists breaks into song and holds a clean, almost operatic note, for a few seconds before gliding seamlessly back onto the same note on the violin. The final song, featuring panpipes and an acoustic rather than an electric guitar, was especially accomplished.

During weaker moments, the set did verge towards the more over-the-top bombast of a film score, losing its spark a little. And there are times when you get hints that it is still a work in progress, which, it is important to add, it is.

After the show, Lombardo explained that they are still trying out different musicians, instruments and compositions. “Tonight I’m going to rewrite some parts because certain things didn’t go well,” he explained. “Today we played a lot of new arrangements.” He will make the initial amendments and then the band, with the same dynamics as a rock group, will play around with the songs until they are happy.

They are performing various concerts in the coming months, and according to Lombardo, have been filling out the venues they play for the past year. Their brand of Latin infused classical compositions is proving popular and what’s more, “you don’t need to understand Beethoven to get the music.”

Estelares, a four-piece band from Junín and La Plata, have been making music together for more than 15 years. Essentially a rock band, they frequently cross the boundaries into pop music resulting in a sound that’s poised between the two genres. And yet, owing to the band’s wide variety of musical influences, you’ll occasionally hear the remnants of Argentine tango or melancholic song.

Made up of lead singer Manuel Moritti, Victor Bertamoni, Pali Silvera and Carlos Sanchez, the band have played stadium shows, bagged award nominations and released six studio albums along the way. But their rise to success hasn’t been without its difficulties.

Estelares live in concert (Photo courtesy of www.losestelares.com.ar)

Their story begins in 1990, when Manuel Moritti and the band’s guitar player Victor Bertamoni met at a concert. The following year, the pair began writing songs together and, although they only managed to create two songs in eight months, Moritti maintained a good feeling about writing with Victor. After this, they went on to write 36 songs in three months: proof of a winning combination.

During this period, both artists experimented musically. Victor brought new sounds from his experiences playing guitar in a tango group, and they began to listen to Motown music like Stevie Wonder and James Brown. They also incorporated jazz, soul and funk, eventually abandoning all but the tango influences and returning to an auteur style of song writing.

In 1994, with the addition of Silvera and Oscar Torguel, who would later be replaced as drummer by Carlos Sanchez, Estelares were born.

One year later the band released their first studio album, ‘Extraño lugar’. Notably more gritty than their earlier work, the album featured ‘20 de noviembre’, one of the only two songs to have been written by Victor and Manuel during their first eight months songwriting.

In 1998, the band put out a second album, ‘Amantes suicidas’, which showcased much more of a tension point between rock and pop but received less critical acclaim than their debut.

Until 2003, the band failed to release any more records, but it was not for want of trying. A new recording company was blamed for slowing down the process, but there was also a more personal reason why the band just couldn’t seem to get it together for their third effort.

In an interview given seven years later, Moritti confessed that he had been smoking a lot of marijuana during the writing of the album to curb the disillusion he felt with his home town of La Plata and the neo-liberalism of the 90s. Reflecting that he knew what he was writing at the time wasn’t as good as it had been, or indeed could be, Moritti admits he just carried on, feeling no more than a little anxious about the whole process.

As the most important player in the band’s song writing process, Moritti now considers himself a composer before anything else; something he enjoys far more than singing or touring. In La Plata, he would take long walks and, inspired by what he saw, would run home to his piano to compose.

Since much of the band’s music is influenced by their surroundings (their city, disillusionment, and the political climate) its themes are rooted in something felt by their nation, ensuring its longevity with Argentine fans.

‘Sistema nervioso central’ was the album that launched the group into widespread popularity. Released in 2006 it included the popular songs ‘Aire’ and ‘Ella dijo’. Since then, it has been the band’s goal to continue in the same vein and to live up to their previous work.

It is perhaps because of this that Estelares have not yet released a follow up to their most recent album, ‘Una temporada en el amor’.

Released in 2009, this album is far the easiest to listen to and shows the band at a point of maturity. Melodic songs, like ‘Autobuses’ and ‘Melancolía’, are sure to stick in your head and featuring beautiful lyrics as well, it’s the record that got the band where they wanted to be musically.

After playing various shows in 2011, Estelares look set to continue making music. Argentina will just have to wait and see what 2012 will bring.

Genre: Pop-rock

Dates active: 1994-present

In their own words: “We just wanted to be a raw band, a bit of punk, a bit of rock, a bit of tango, and to be very poetic and expressive.” – Victor Bertamoni

Most famous song: Ella Dijo

Best lyrics: “Summer bought light to the sea, / And I understood that there are a thousand ways to give. / Although it didn’t do you good, / In my own way I loved you.”

Famous for: Being a rock band that crosses over to pop via tango music.

Best for when: You’re feeling a little melancholic.

Fidel Nadal at concert in Parque Roca (Photo: Estrella Herrera)

With his long beard and hair wrapped up turban-style, lots of people say he looks like the late Osama bin Laden. Top comments on his Youtube videos make mention of the terrorist leader and Yahoo Answers has to deal with the existential questions of why they look so similar. There are even a couple of Facebook groups dedicated to their likeness.

But look beyond the superficial, and you’ll discover that the former world’s most wanted man and Argentine musician, Fidel Nadal, don’t really share much common ground at all.

To start, Nadal is one of the most important figures in the Latin American reggae scene with a couple of Grammy nominations and several decades in the music industry. He is also quite well liked in the United States and wears funkier clothes.

Born in Buenos Aires, 1965, to a black father and a white mother, he has been involved in the Argentine music scene since the 80s. He started his musical career as lead vocalist in the punk/reggae band ‘Todos los muertos’ and moved on to form another group, ‘Lumumba’, with his younger brother in the 90s. Besides launching a solo career in 2000 he has also worked with Latin favourites Mano Negra, recording with them on the classic ‘Casa Babylon’ album and touring around the world.

His solo repertoire consists of catchy, commercial reggae, complete with electronically-manipulated vocals and simple, upbeat lyrics. He sings most of his songs in Spanish but bashes out a few numbers in English too. He is one of the most prolific musicians in the business, having released 22 albums in his 11 years as a solo artist. The album ‘International love’ helped the artist hit the big time as a soloist and made him more of a household name when it was released in 2008.

Finding it impossible not to resort to a well-worn reggae stereotype, the music will get you nodding your head and you may well find yourself humming it in the back of a bus. It is a kind of “candyfloss reggae” however, in that it appeals to the unsophisticated part of your palette. There is nothing very substantial to it and too much of it leaves you feeling a bit off. It is still sweet though, and most people would still enjoy a bite or two when the moment calls for it.

Nadal cites his musical influences as reggae giants such as Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, and says that he started buying their records when the first imported LPs arrived in his local record shop.

He translated a few of Marley’s tracks, prompting a long-lasting interest in Rastafarianism that still plays an important role in his life.

“I have faith in Rasta, in Haile Selassie, emperor of Ethiopia. It’s a culture, a movement and a faith,” he explained to Clarín newspaper back in 2009. “I don’t believe in a white Jesus crucified and bloodied. That’s the death cult. My God is the symbol of life.”

Political too, he often speaks out about racial prejudice- frequently bringing up in interviews the fact that he descended from slaves. Like many others before him, he rejected his birth name and expressed a preference to be called just Fidel. “I’m not a relative of Rafa Nadal – this is a European surname that they gave my black family when they enslaved them,” he told Clarín. “We’re the fifth generation in Argentina, brought from Africa to Retiro.”

Nadal’s latest album came out in 2011 but, if his track record is anything to go by, fans won’t have to wait long until his next one hits the shelf.

And by the way, he doesn’t look anything like Bin Laden.

Genre: Reggae

Dates Active: 2000 – present (solo artist career)

In their own words: “The good thing about music is that you can express yourself. And through that expression, that feeling, you reach people, with the sound and with the words.”

Most famous song: ‘Te Robaste mi Corazon’

Best lyric: “I love you, I love you yes – you are my love, my love, my girl.”

Famous for: Taking Argentine reggae around the world.

Best to listen to: At a fun fair…