SoundTreks: Alt-Folklorico Across Genres

SoundTreks: A regular feature on the music the other 97 percent of the globe is listening to.

One of my favorite albums of 2008 (so far) has been En Este Camino by Pistolera. I've described this New York band's sound as Mexican regional, Latin alternative and American indie stitched together in a sonic tapestry that is at once comfortably familiar and chicly cutting edge. Rhapsody's Latin editor Sarah Bardeen was a bit pithier: "previously at-odds elements like accordion and indie rock drink a Corona and lime together." The band itself, which has made nice with the likes of Lila Downs, Ozomatli and the Mexican Institute of Sound, gets even more succinct, referring to themselves as simply "alt-folklorico."

[Click the "Continue Reading..." link to listen to a playlist featuring the music discussed in this post.]

 

Calle 13, Los De Atras Vienen Conmigo
It's a label that certainly suits this innovative (and, uh, totally addictive) group, as well as several other mix-and-matchers in the Latin music world who've released new albums this year. There's Calle 13, of course, the avant-reggaetón brother duo who (thankfully!) think genre purity is a dirty word, preferring to serve up their hip-hop amid a smorgasbord of references, samples and allusions ranging from cumbia to tango to Dixieland jazz. Sarah Bardeen's already written about their brilliant Los De Atras Vienen Conmigo in another SoundTreks post, so I won't dwell on them here, other than to say Check. It. Out. Now.

Akwid, La Novela
Over on the West Coast (and in the Southwest), the folklorically (or at least roots-) minded Latin hip-hoppers call what they do "urban regional," a mash-up of rap, norteño and banda that will seriously put some bang in your booty. Many artists have innovatively taken up this model, but one in particular -- another fraternal duo, actually -- gets quite a lot of credit for gluing it all together in the first place. L.A.'s Akwid lit up the Latin world with 2003's sleeper hit "No Hay Manera" (who knew a tuba could sound so fly?). Three albums later, they appear to be addicted to dramatic accordions (don't worry -- the horns still make an appearance!) and, well, drama on this year's La Novela. The album boasts more of the duo's usual M.O. -- effortlessly harnessed range of regional influences, check; impeccably smooth flow, uh-huh -- but couches it in a vibe that feels slightly more serious, perhaps even a little brooding at times (maybe it's the soapy between-track skits?).

Monareta, Picotero
Not surprisingly, the knob-twiddlers and beat-maestros are also on board with the whole alt-folklorico thing. In fact, some Latin electronica artists have been at it for quite a while (see, for instance, norteño-techno masterminds Nortec Collective, the incorrigibly eclectic Charanga Cakewalk and myriad Brazilian artists, especially if we expand the paradigm to include neo-bossa nova, which we should). But the release that's piqued my interest this year is by New York (by way of Bogotá) outfit Monareta. Picotero is much heavier on the alt than the folklorico, an approach that sometimes highlights glimmers of über-hip brilliance and sometimes falls flat on its hipster behind. But the surprising undercurrents the duo create with their rootsier/regional influences -- such as cumbia, champeta and forro -- will suck you in.

Lila Downs, Shake Away
If the alt-folklorico movement has a queen, it's her highness Lila Downs, who's made a career out of (not to mention garnered quite a reputation for) filtering Mexican native and folk traditions through jazzy, singer-songwriterly indie-pop. Her latest -- this year's Shake Away -- makes a few of the banda quotations the kids are so crazy for these days, but pairs it with big-band-style trumpet solos and Gypsy brass (highlighting a rich parallel terrain between Roma music and banda that needs to be more thoroughly explored!). And oh yeah, there's also a little blues, some funk, a bit of zydeco, lots of folk-style singing and plenty of accordions. In Lila's world, the (alt-)folklorico knows no boundaries.

Further Listening:
Alt-Folklorico y Mas playlist

Urban Regional Sampler

Comments

[J Shifty]

Thank you for this!

It's great to get some enthusiastic guidance into the further reaches of the Rhapsody catalog.

The same comment applies to Chuck Eddy's fine Metal and Oddball Alphabetical series.