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patodruida
Just Starting
Joined: 29 Mar 2005
Posts: 3
Location: Mexico
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 Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2005 12:52 am Post subject: Someone explain this latin boom to me, please! |
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I just don't get it (warning, this post is half rant / half legitimate question)
I am Mexican (the missus is Russian though) and I abhor Latin Music (this being a common trait of most Mexicans who did finish high school).
I have to endure this dreadful and pitiful excuse for music everyday as cleaning ladies, bus drivers, construction workers and a few leftist pseudo-intellectuals pump it up on every street.
But that is not the case in Russia. You are not force-fed this pap by society and YET, every single Russian "rock" band I have heard recently tries to play, at least, one Latin-esque song.
What the.....?
Hasn't anyone told them that Latin Music and Rock are sworn enemies?
And what is the deal with this Agutin bloke? Is he for real?
My wife tells me that ten million Russians have bought his Tropical-Elevator-Muzak swirl thus far.
Really?
What is wrong with you people?
I mean, I love Russia and Russians and I had the best time of my life in Moscow but you really have to stop this nonsense or else you run the risk of taking the Latin thing too far and start behaving like Mexicans, Dominicans or worse...
And, trust me, you don't want that.
Ah... just blew off some steam. Now I am ready to face the wife again and produce an almost believable smile next time she plays something by Umaturman (jeezus!)
Last edited by patodruida on Sat Dec 03, 2005 4:33 am; edited 1 time in total |
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ram
Frequent Guest
Joined: 07 Jul 2004
Posts: 38
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| Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2005 3:42 am Post subject: Re: Someone explain this latin boom to me, please! |
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Too bad people like you don't come to USA. Instead we get the fans of Mexican music, and hence the consequences to society.  |
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mister_wizzz
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Joined: 27 May 2004
Posts: 582
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| Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2005 10:51 am Post subject: |
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Latin music is successful all over the world just because it is made for dancing, and girls usually like to dance a lot...
For men, it is another story, they listen and learn how dance latin dances to get the girls 
One more thing : you are right Rock and latin music are quite uncompatible (not necessary ennemies, it is just music) and the worst has been done by Willy Deville with his version of "hey Joe" from Jimmy Hendrix. |
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Migui
Just Starting
Joined: 12 Jan 2006
Posts: 2
Location: Moscow
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| Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 10:56 pm Post subject: |
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| mister_wizzz wrote: | Latin music is successful all over the world just because it is made for dancing, and girls usually like to dance a lot...
For men, it is another story, they listen and learn how dance latin dances to get the girls
One more thing : you are right Rock and latin music are quite uncompatible (not necessary ennemies, it is just music) and the worst has been done by Willy Deville with his version of "hey Joe" from Jimmy Hendrix. |
I really don´t know what are you talking about when you talk about Latin music. Does it include Chavela Vargas or "el son cubano"?. Is spanish copla, or flamenco, or argentinian milongas latin music as well? Or you just think on salsa and good looking brown dancers when you talk about Latin music. It is like imagine rock music thinking only on Brian Adams |
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patodruida
Just Starting
Joined: 29 Mar 2005
Posts: 3
Location: Mexico
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| Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 3:30 am Post subject: |
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You are completely right in your questioning.
In fact, that is a huge part of my problem with the concept of "Latin Music" (something I should have been more specific on but decided not to so as not to get everyone else confused).
You will agree with me that the variety of music created throughout the countries wrongly referred to as "Latin" is so vast that it is as impossible as it is disrespectful to put all of it in the same bag.
As you correctly stated, there's Tango, there's Chacarera, there's Rumba, there's Samba, there are several types of Son (Cubano, Jarocho, Huasteco)... I mean, the genres are so vast as to be almost limitless.
But once upon a time there was this evil duo (known by all as Emilio and Gloria Estefan) who decided they would lump all this music into a bastardized mish-mash of rhythms and sounds that came to be known first in the US and later throughout the World, as "Latin Music".
Of course, this has as much to do with the real music from Iberoamerica as I have with Denmark's ruling family but, somehow, most people got suckered on into it and bought albums and concert tickets by the millions.
After that came the oportunists who decided to make a quick buck with this "Latin Boom": the Ricky Martins, the Bobby Pulidos, the Paulina Rubios and (dios nos agarre confesados!) the Leonid Agutins.
Please don't be offended by this but I will try to describe what I feel about Agutin's music:
Imagine a Mexican playing traditional Russian Music and pretending to do the Cossac Dance (which, I am fully aware of, is rarely seen outside of concert forums nowadays). Only, he is doing a "hollywood" version of it, with all the raw edges removed and sterilized for mass consumption.
Now. Would you like that?
Believe me, I am not being xenophobic or anything. It is just that, having been born in a "Latin" country and being a musician myself I feel frustrated that we always choose to export the very worst we have and the rest of the world follows suit by copying it and, however impossible it may sound, making it even worse.
As for me... (in thinking of Agutin's lame "Santana-wannabe" latest release) I fear Al di Meola much more than I do Al Qaeda. |
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milonguero
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Joined: 05 Jan 2005
Posts: 32
Location: San Francisco, US
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| Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 4:29 am Post subject: |
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Querido patodruida,
I absolutely agree with you, except Russian pop music in general, not only the singer you have mentioned is disastrous whether it is for export or for domestic consumption.
Being fan of argentine nuevo tango long before it ever became close to fashionable on the contrary I can quote quite many fabulous musicians which profanes would label as "latin": Tango Crash, A. Zitarrosa, Fernando Samalea, Puente Celeste... to name a few. And - how you would label Joan Manuel Serrat?
I guess you are sadly right - in Spanish speaking countries good music is seldom exported.
In fact, there is some good Russian music, except it really does not get publicity: check Ole Lukkoye, who deconstruct Russian rural folk the way Bajo Fondo disect tango. THe only problem is that this great band is signed with tiny German independent label Klangbad and hence their albums are really hard to find.
From the past I would recommend bands like Dzhungli, Sezon Dozhdei, if you are into quality lyrics, Mikhail Scherbakov's album Faux Pas (lozhnyi shag) is not bad (but not other albums - this guy if had a decent producer could be a hit, but unnoticed, he records the albums which sound somewhat homemade: midifile replaces the band, etc.), Zvuki Mu sound weird, but behind the weirdness it is good music (their leader, Peter Mamonov was terrific in playing a grotesque gracon, pueblacho y boludongo and once you get that it is a scary parody, you will get the whole thing), Vezhlivyi Otkaz is another band which comes to my mind. Sadly enough, except Ole Lukkoye all the rest of the bands I have mentioned are from recent but past.
The majority of Russian pop/rock is as horrible as Ricky Martin or Gloria Estefan except it does not pretend to be "latin". Does it really matter: I would simply state that in the area of popular culture my compatriots are generally into everything tasteless whether it is "latin" or not. |
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Fire_Goddess
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| Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 4:47 am Post subject: |
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I dont find latin music annoying, I find mariachi music annoying especially when its being sung by a bunch of screaming drunks at 2:00 in the morning! Then theres those bastards who start making strange noises like "aaa haaa iiiiiiii" LOL.  |
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patodruida
Just Starting
Joined: 29 Mar 2005
Posts: 3
Location: Mexico
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| Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 5:13 am Post subject: |
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Oh, dear... Mariachi Music.
You know? In Mexico, Mariachis don't usually show up until everyone is dead drunk and the good-looking girls have been taken (which might explain why it is sung by sad, lonely drunkards at 2:00 AM).
While I was growing up, the arrival of Mariachi was usually my cue to leave that particular party/club/venue ASAP.
I am not sure if they are the reason I never really got into drinking or if it was the other way around... And, no, I cannot do the "aaa haaa iiiiii" thing.
In Robert Smith's (of The Cure fame) immortal words:
"I couldn't find a Mariachi band in London, so I got me some Cuban musicians. Unfortunately they were not quite as out-of-tune as the real thing
(Latin MTV interviewer gives him a nasty look)
Oops, I guess I shouldn't have said that!"
PS. By the way, Milonguero. What you have stated is so sadly true. I will try listening to the bands you suggest. |
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milonguero
Frequent Guest
Joined: 05 Jan 2005
Posts: 32
Location: San Francisco, US
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| Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 11:47 pm Post subject: |
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pato,
in fact after some thinking I can recommend two more decent bands from Russia: Vidy Ryb (Species of fishes) are an exellent techno-experimental band available from their Dutch producer at www.staalplaat.com , while in more tradicional rock Underwood (an early twentieth century brand name for typewriters) at least deserves some interest. I have heard their last CD sarcastically titled "Bablo pobezhdaet zlo" - "Plata gana mal" and it has something about it. But sadly in Russia you would never see quality stuff on TV or hear it n the radio.
However... all the music you (yo tambien) detest so much is a musical equivalent of sopapas and is targeted at the people who watch sopapas, hence the only sad thing is that it ovewhelmingly dominates over everything. |
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