Track 78 Presenta: Ana Tijoux

Ana Tijoux Live!

Mil sílabas por minuto.

La que fuera voz de Makiza, la nacida en Francia pero criada en Chile, la de nombre de pila Anamaría Merino Tijoux, alias Ana Tijoux está en pleno periodo retorno. En la parte final de 2009, la cantautora especializada en materia de rap lanzó su segundo disco en solitario, titulado 1977, un álbum que ha recibido altas calificaciones en países sudamericanos.

Ahora, durante marzo, subirá al norte del continente y justo pasará por el escenario del SXSW, donde mostrará tanto sus temas del pasado, como “Partir de cero”, “Crisis de mc’s” y “El obstáculo”, algunos de los incluidos en su placa más reciente, compacto por cierto estará disponible en México y Estados Unidos hasta el próximo mes de abril.

Julieta Venegas y Ana Tijoux: “Eres Para Mi”

Ana Tijoux Collaborates with Julieta Venegas.

Ana Tijoux’s Musical Journey

Ana will release her first album in the US this April through Nacional Records.

Back to her urban roots

Born Anamaría Tijoux in Lille, France in 1977, Anita is the daughter of a French mother and Chilean father who was in political exile during Pinochet’s dictatorship.

She became famous in Latin America as the female MC of the late 90s hip-hop group Makiza, one of the first huge latin rap groups, who also received wide appoval from audiences not associated in just hip-hop culture due to their evolved production and lyrics, styles more in line with the New York underground of the Native Tongues, and far from the machisimo and violence prevelant in the rap of the times.

At the height of the group’s popularity, Anita decided to take a sabatical from music and went back to be with her family in France. But she couldnt stay away long, and in 2005 was back in Chile with her old group releasing their third critically acclaimed album, Casino Royale, after which she soon began working on a solo album as well as collaborating with groups from all over the globe such as Control Machete, Bajofondo Tango Club, and Funk Como Le Gusta.

In 2006 she crossed over to the Latin mainstream pop due to a collaboration with Mexican songstress Julieta Venegas in the radio hit “Eres para mí”, while at the same time releasing her first solo album, Kaos. She was nominted to the 2007 MTV Latin awards for Best New Artist and Best Urban Artist, as well as for her duet with Julieta.

Her latest work, 1977, will be her first album released in the US, this April on Nacional Records. It is a return to her rap roots, an homage to the “golden age of hip-hop”, and largely auto-biographical, exploring mature themes from her own life, from the death of a close friend to having a creative crises, from friendship to bad luck, amongst others.

His name is Huecco

I discovered him as I was listening to a radio station on Last.fm of Jarabe de Palo. I listened to “La Reina de Los Angelotes” and I was blown away by the sound of the song, and the quality of his voice. I mean, the whole song is a power punch of creativity and beautiful crisp sound.

Lo and behold, it happens that this song was produced by none other than the guru Thom Russo,whom a few months ago we were so lucky to interview (refer to Thom Russo Interview). It turns out that Thom Russo produced the whole album of Huecco, titled Assalto. And man, is it ever an assault on music (in the sense that he seamlessly combines styles that are not generally supposed to be combined, and makes them sound great).

I only have good things to say about this guy. First of all, every single song has a fresh new sound. He follows well in the footsteps of Cafe Tacuba in his ability to change seamlessly from different genres and in the steps of Manu Chao in his ability to mix sounds that are very unique and because he sings in different languages (French, Spanish, Portuguese). A big stark difference in contrast to Manu Chao, however, is that Huecco’s lyrics are fast paced and more sophisticated. Assalto is his second album as a solo artist. Previously he was involved with the band Sugarless from Spain as their lead man, and I am quite amazed at his ability to reinvent himself.

In an interview he gave, he says that with Sugarless, he felt he was only giving 30% of what he had, and so he needed a vehicle that would allow him to grow and not be constrained. Well LMG amigo, you found it.

Great qualities that make him an LMG Favorite:

1. Musically Diverse
   1. His voice has a great gypsy quality, his guitar has great rumba beat, and he mixes beats from reggaeton, cumbia, salsa, banda, etc.
2. Expanding into different Languages
   1. He is expanding into different markets not only in his styles of music but with his ability to sing in different languages. He sings a great song in French (I show it below) and another one in Portuguese (I don’t link to it but please link to if if you find it).
3. He’s got Brains
   • He has very articulate in interviews and
   • choose the right, Producer Thom Russo with experience in many versatile genres such as hard rock and Latin sounds to produce a very ambitious record of different sounds.
4. He is socially conscious and appeals as a good role model
   • In his interviews he dicusses that it’s a beautiful thing to break stereotypes, that becaues he has Rasta Dreadlocks, people assume he is into drugs but he is against them and has never tried them.
   • He  has socially conscious messages with his songs. Look at song Se Acabaron Las Lagrimas (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x466jxJSMK0)
5. He is a great interviewer
   • If you don’t believe me take a look at his interviews ( I will include them at the end)
6. Perfect at Networking and working with his industry
   • In one of the videos “Se Acabaron Las Lagrimas” he collaborates with a myriad of media personalities, sports personalities, and politicians from Spain to promote the message against women violence.
   • Is already collaborating with other artists and I’m sure in his next Album he will collaborate with many more.
7. A great Marketer
   • Like a great marketer, he defines the context of his music and defines his music with his own definitions (example: he created the concept of Rumbaton (rumba and reggaeton )and Rumbia (rumba and cumbia)

In my opinion, he is a person to watch out for, and an examplary figure because he is very well rounded and versatile.

I recommend the following Hueccoing:

• La Reina de Los Angelotes (rumba + cumbia + rock = rumbia)

• Huecco – Mirando el Cielo
• Huecco – Creo
• Huecco – Idiota
• Huecco – Tacones Baratos
• Huecco – Je pense a tes Yeux (ode to french classics, amazing)
• Huecco – Mi Guerrera (reggaeton with rumba = rumbaton)

Lastly, here is a great interview he did with Qui es Qui:

Keep an eye out for Huecco, and let me know what you think. Also, remember to

• check out his Facebook group. Throw him some love from LA.
• Visit his website : http://www.huecco.es/blog/
• Check out his MTV blog where he talks about deep stuff: http://blogs.mtv.es/huecco/

Which is your favorite Huecco song?

PS – If you are reading this Huecco, please email me at richard@latinmediagurus.com to Interview you for Latin Media Gurus

Jesse & Joy release their 2nd album "Electricidad"

Electricidad // Jesse y Joy 

Jesse y Joy have released their sophmore album, Electricidad, a production that undoubtedly shows the duo’s growth as artists. This album is the follow up to their debut album which won  them a Latin Grammy in 2008 for Best New Artist. Curiously enough, the album was actually engineered by Thom Russo, producer/engineer guru who we recently interviewed. 

Electricidad  features an array of refined guitar riffs, full and rich sounding drums, and plenty of upbeat ambient/electronic sounds that gel perfectly with Joy’s powerful voice. Just like in their previous album, Joy ‘s vocals simply add so much to the songs and carry them to another level. 

I can definately appreciate the sort of sincere and honest songwriting behind the production. By this I mean that the songs would be just as good if they were just performed with Jesse playing his acoustic guitar accompanying Joy’s singing. Its simple and yet so powerful, and it seems they build around this idea. 

Its a very impressive production that continues to capture my attention each time I take a listen. So, my hat goes off to these  young artists and I’ll be waiting to see them win some more Latin Grammys. 

I highly recommend listening to “Adiós”, “Una y Otra Vez”, and of course “Electricidad”. 

Here is a video for you to get a glimpse of all I’m talking about. Stay classy San Diego! 

I am a very big fan of music with a socially conscious message, and to my good fortune I’ve discovered another great artist, this time from France. Her name is Keny Arkana.

Keny is actually of Argentine decent, and has been writing since she was twelve years old. She is highly active the music collective La Rage Du Peuple since 2004, and has released three EPs and two full length albums.

I came across this very powerful song of hers called “Victoria”, and I am absolutely loving its groove and message.  Enjoy.

Ok, so you get the point, right?

This is why LMG is thrilled to sit down and chat with a very busy Thom Russo, who In-fact has actually just finished recording a new record for the Latin Grammy winning duo Jesse & Joy.

So Thom, thanks for having us!

Among Good Company. Juanes, Alejandro Sanz and Thom Russo

As the LMG crew arrives to the studio in North Hollywood, we are very curious as see what Thom’s spot is actually like.

As we enter, we quickly sense the change in vibes and we realize that we had just stepped into Thom’s creative shrine.

This is where so much creativity becomes something tangible. A place where an endless number of tracks, waves, and beats are born and consolidated into amazing songs.

As I stand in the lobby, I look over at the coffee table and cannot help but to notice the two Grammys sitting there.

I comment as we passed, “Well, those look real nice”. Thom calmly responds “Thanks bro, the rest are at home”, once again were reminding us of all he has accomplished in his 15 year journey. Crazyness..

So we make ourselves comfy, take off our shoes, and take a seat in the “Woom Room”, and began to chat.

And this is where the fun begins…

INTERVIEW WITH THOM RUSSO

LMG: First of all, thank you Thom for taking the time and sitting down with Latin Media Gurus.com, we really appreciate you doing this.

Thom Russo: My pleasure guys.

LMG: Thom we pretty much wanted to discuss your experiences working in the music industry for quite a few years. We know you’ve worked with artists in both English and Spanish musical markets throughout your career and roughly how long ago did you begin your musical journey?

Thom Russo: Roughly its been 15 years, not too long, well I’ve look at what has happened through the years and I do feel those part of the years, but it doesn’t seem like too long.

LMG: Thom, before you became such a prolific and recognized sound engineer/producer, what initially led you to the production aspect of music?

Thom's Personal Collection

Thom Russo: Well, much like everyone else, I was a musician initially for a number of years. But, what I feel everyone should attempt to experience, in anything, is to really find the thing that really speaks to you. I found that the creative process within the studio really spoke to me.

LMG: What is something about recording and mixing that you enjoy doing with every project?

Thom Russo: I really find that each time I do recording, or mixing, you actually in a way get to become a part of the band for some time. Its cool because you get to become part of the life giving process, you give birth to something, and then your able to move on to the next family or team.

LMG: So Thom, who has inspired you, or do you admire for their work?

Thom Russo: That’s such a big question to answer, you know, there were the greats, and there still are the greats, but I would probably have to site projects, or records, because in the end, it’s the records that inspire you. For example, I’ve made a lot of records with Rick Rubin, and he has a very interesting approach. I guess I would say the inspiration comes from individuals who have been doing it a long time, but it also comes from the artists I have gotten to work with.

Thom Recorded Legendary Maná

LMG: When you work with an artist again, how is it different than before?

Thom Russo: Oh, So that’s something that I really enjoy because there is always a different challenge. Even When I work with the same artist, you realize that each project or each record is never the same. With Juanes we started with Fijate Bien, which is completely different thing than what we did on the last one. I’m not only talking creatively, but just how the whole thing comes together.

LMG: When you approach different recording projects what exactly is your mantra that ultimately influences your sound?

Thom Russo: That’s something a lot of people have been talking about, my sound. I feel that the most important thing to do each time I record is to do what the song calls for. I take it song by song, in a way, we are slaves to them, and you just have to answer to that. The song is what dictates where you go with your idea and you simply build around that.

LMG: The last project you worked on was with award winning duo Jesse & Joy. How was the recording process? How long did it last??

Thom Russo: The process was about a total of four months, pretty much the normal length of a recording project, though some projects vary, but you get the idea. It was incredibly smooth and creative. It was also a very satisfying record. They’re sure talent, but something that I want is the collaborative kinetic energy that was a part of the process. Most definitely one of the best experiences I’ve had because of the ‘geling’ that took place.

LMG: Thom, lastly, How have you seen the industry change in the past few years? How has that effected you as an engineer and how have you had to adapt due to the digitization of music?

Thom Russo: Great question, that’s what a lot of my colleagues and I talk about when we get together to grab a beer or a bite to eat. I’ve seen the industry change so much, its incredible. The digital domain has affected not only how people get their music, but also how music is made. I’d have to say the change affected how we all as engineers and producers approached things. We have to get things done quicker, and usually end up working at our own personal studios since budget don’t support recording the entire production a major studio anymore. Thats exactly why I built this place. More importantly, I find myself working more with the artist and less with labels. When working with acts like Juanes, or Maná, the labels didn’t really interfere too much. They just simple allowed us to record an album. So, I do enjoy working with the artists without the outside distractions.

LMG: Well,Thom, thank you very much for your time. We know you’re a very busy guy so we really appreciate it. I’m sure our followers and music aficionados who visit our site will enjoy and learn few things from this interview. Thanks again!

Ojos De Brujo just released their newest album Aocaná

Ojos de Brujo is a Barcelona based group who fuses flamenco with hip hop and other seductive rhythms.

Ojos De Brujo has always blown my mind since their songs carry this sort of raw and elegant feel with their complex percussion, and refined flamenco guitar playing.

This is one of the groups I’ve been wanting to see for quite some time ever since my friend and music guru,  Josué “El León” Árias said “They’re the best band I have seen live, I think they’re one of the best in the world”.

I think they cancelled their entire US tour a couple years ago because of their differences with our former President, Mr. Bush Moron II. They’ve always been very socially conscious and I give them mad respect for that!!

Here is one of their latest Video releases. Check them out for yourselves!!!

Heres a flashback of Ojos de Brujo doing a cover of Bob Marley’s song “Get Up Stand Up”.

Saludos Amigos de LMG!!

I’m really stoked about sharing one my most recent musical discoveries with you all.

I was surfing around my favorite sites and came across Bomba Estereo, an electro-tropical funkyton group from Bogotá, Colombia.

They will be visiting the west coast in the upcoming weeks and I wanted to make  

Check out this video of Bomba Estereo rockin’ out in Amsterdam with their song “Fuego”. Its a listen since Liliana (vocals) showcases her firey vocals. 

BOMBA ESTEREO TOUR DATES

Oct. 30 – Fiesta De Locos (Bogota, CO) 
Nov. 4 – Tukimiru Kimi Omou (Tokyo, JP) 
Nov. 5 – Dai Kanyama Uniti (Tokyo, JP) 
Nov. 8 – La Pena Cultural Center (Berkeley, CA) 
Nov. 9 – Doug Fir (Portland, OR) 
Nov. 10 – KEXP In-Studio Performance (Seattle, WA) 
Nov. 10 – The Crocodile (Seattle, WA) 
Nov. 13 – KCRW “Morning Becomes Eclectic” (Santa Monica, CA) 
Nov. 13 – The Echo (Los Angeles, CA) 
Nov. 14 – Plaza Monumental (Tijuana, MX) 
Nov. 15 – Beauty Bar (San Diego, CA) 
Nov. 16 – Amoeba In-Store Performance (Hollywood, CA)

Agina will soon release her highly anticipated debut album

// Latin Grammy Street Party // Los Angeles, California //

This year’s edition of The Latin Grammy Street Party held in Los Angeles included a special performance by a new rising pop star, Agina Alvarez.

Hailing from sunny San Diego, Agina was very quick in making the stage her own, immediately enchanting the thousands of spectators with her captivating vocals and special charm that only a young and hip talent like her can offer.

Performing songs from her highly anticipated debut album, Agina opened with “No Manos”, an electro pop track that instantly injected the audience with its contagious high energy and immediately had everyone rockin’ to its hypnotic beat.

Agina's graceful piano skills leave the audience wanting more.

Agina followed up with a gorgeous rendition of  ”Tan Cerca de Nada”, an emotive ballad where she displayed her incredible vocal capacity in a seemingly effortless manner.

It was on this song that Agina was able to fully expose her artistic ability, as she took a seat to accompany her singing with the piano.

Her graceful piano playing mesmerized the multitude and simply confirmed that this young and gifted artist is more than ready to embark on her musical journey.

Agina closed her set with her first single, “Somos Mar y Arena”, a song she recorded with Sergio Vallín, guitarist of legendary Latin rock band Maná.

The crowds crazed over Agina

With its vibrant guitar riffs and highly percussive feel, this song provided the Latin flare that characterized the event, allowing everyone to enjoy Agina’s singing and dancing in a very festive fashion.

Undoubtedly, Agina and her boys brought a sense of freshness to the 2009 Latin Grammy Street Party which the audience both recognized and celebrated during her performance.

It was a pleasant surprise to see such a receptive audience, especially since most were expecting to hear big name Regional Mexican performers.

Agina was able to experience what only true artists can achieve. Her talent, music and charisma allowed her to transcend both age groups and musical genres.

Agina and her band brought a fresh new sound to Los Angeles

In more simple words, “When its good, its good”.

Despite the fact that Agina’s musical performance was something new and different for this audience, one thing is certain:

Agina’s talent always has and will continue to speak for itself every time she takes the stage.

So, stay tuned for word on her album release and appearances around town.

www.myspace.com/aginamusic

www.youtube.com/aginamusic

Calle 13 // Electromovimiento // San Diego, California

Heres a little something for some of you to catch up on…this album has been out for a while, but there are still some people out there that haven’t had a chance to hear the tracks.  So check it out!

Calle 13 is absolutely an innovative group that isn’t afraid to push the envelop involving their projects. 

The group from la isla del encanto, continues to evolve, and brings some fresh things to the table. Since the release of their been their album, things have gone really well for the Boricuas.

After having collaborated with Mexican rockeros Cafe Tacuba on their track No Hay Nadie Como Tu, Calle 13 has been getting much more exposure in places like Mexico.  I hear more people in Tijuana listening to more Calle 13 than usual.  Tijuana is a city that is known for its alternative vibe, and seeing alternative folk bump Calle 13 on their I-pods shows that more rockeros are taking a liking to their unique songs.

Here is a collab Calle 13 does with legendary Salsero RUBEN BLADES!  The song is about a part of Puerto Rico called La Perla, a dangerous spot. Puro Malandro. Check out the song!

Cuci Amador // Afro Beta

I also really enjoyed their recent collaboration with Afrobetas, Cuci Amador, hailing from the Miami music scene.

The collab was done on the track  Electromovimiento, which is a stretch from what Calle 13 has done in the past, but curiously enough, its been getting a good response from fans around Latin America.

Check out the video and let me know what you think! Its pretty different than other things I’ve seen Calle 13 do…So Enjoy, and remember let us know what you think!

Vale? Un Saludo Para AFROBETA.

//Andres Cabas//

The talented Colombian singer/songwriter, Andres Cabas, released his fourth full album (2008) entitled  Amores Dificiles, where he once again showcases his smooth vocals and percussively driven songs!

Cabas doesn’t forget to include other amazing artists in this production by featuring acts like Enrique Bunbury and  Orishas in the track “He Pecado”….

You have to check that song out, I’ve had it on repeat for sometime now.

Well, of course along with the hit “Bonita” and “Tu Boca” from a pervious album…

Anyway, I really like his style of delivery: very smooth, and intimate sounding…I feel he makes it so easy to connect with his songs…something only a true artist can achieve. 

Cabas remains to be both funky and fresh, setting the mood for his songs and making sure that every aspect of  his production is killer..

You have to check out his album, its genius!  My favorite songs are of course “Bonita” and “He Pecado”….Que Canciones!!!

www.cabaslatino.com