Photo by Kate Stanworth
In a pair of stilettos that would turn Sarah Jessica Parker green with envy, the tiny figure of Charo Bogarín struts onto the stage, wearing a dress made of ruffles and false plaits down to her waist. The visual impact is stunning, and only enhanced when the gamine starts singing. The power and range of her voice is incredible, made more so by the acoustics of the venue, and the mixing of Diego Pérez.
I had high hopes coming to see Tonolec live; their first album being one of the most unique compositions I have heard since arriving in the land of rock nacional.
And the duo from Chaco has taken the concept of fusion to a whole new level, combining traditional Toba songs in the native language with Spanish compositions and a twist of electronic. Bizarre as the mixture may seem, it somehow works.
Asked how they possibly came up with the idea, the pair laughs.
“We wanted to give the music an identity. Our identity,” Diego explains.
When they met nearly a decade ago, both were already involved in music, working more with electronic compositions. They had a natural professional ease and ability to work together, proven by the fact that they won an MTV award for their first recording together.
They travelled to Spain to pick up the prize and were struck by how traditional music is kept alive in many different areas of the country, if often updated by younger artists to keep it moving with the times. It made them want to turn back to their roots to “put some soul and spirit into the music”, Charo says.
Going back to their native Resistencia, the capital of Chaco province in the north-east of Argentina, they came across what she describes as being the beginning of their long journey that resulted in the birth of Tonolec.
They explain how there were indigenous people living literally around the corner from their homes, and they knew nothing about them, about their identity, their culture; a culture which had crossed paths with their own time and again, but one to which they were completely ignorant.
In their aim of finding their roots as musicians, they started getting in touch with these Toba communities, meeting with them in an attempt to understand their music and culture more. They learned some traditional songs, which entailed them both having to master the Toba language.
“All of the songs come from the oral tradition – there is no writing in Toba so we had to listen, to understand the sound, to train our ears,” says Diego.
Additionally, as both musicians are based in Buenos Aires, the process entailed them having to travel on weekends to Chaco to work with the communities.
When I comment that it sounded like hard work, Charo agrees. “In all honesty, it was a long journey, but a very beautiful one.”
Their first self-titled album, released in 2005 and produced independently by Tonolec, took three years to put together, and included traditional Toba songs that had been remixed with some of their own compositions in Spanish. The second album, ‘Plegaria del Árbol Negro’, was released a further three years later, and includes songs in Toba written by them.
“For those who have never heard the Toba language, who know nothing about the community, we are just generating an interest in the music and their culture. For us this is really important, as the communities are right there, just outside of the city, yet everyone is completely ignorant to them.Diego explains the decision to write in Toba has enabled them to further develop as artists, and enhance the identity of Tonolec’s sound. “It was also our way of contributing to the community, the language and the culture, giving something back while helping it to stay alive.
“I think this is because the education here is really Europeanised, and there is something in our culture that makes us constantly look ‘outside’, to try to assimilate with another culture that is not our own. We are trying to show there are interesting things here too, things worth celebrating, things that are part of the identity of our country,” he concludes.
Photo by Kate Stanworth
This educational path is one that is not confined to Argentina, as Charo explains. “When we toured, lots of people had no idea there could be indigenous music in Argentina – they know tango and folklore, which is often confused with indigenous music. But folklore didn’t come from the native communities – it is often in Spanish and is of mixed descent, but mostly immigrant rather than indigenous.”
Asked what reception they received overseas, they say the response was “overwhelming”, something that made them very proud.
“It is a great privilege to be able to bring the Toba culture to a world stage, and play this incredible music in Europe and the US,” Diego affirms.
Tonolec will next be performing in Buenos Aires on 7th and 14th May at Centro Cultural Torcuato Tasso, Defensa 1575, although they have dates around Argentina throughout April and May. For more information, check out their website www.tonolec.com.ar.
