I harbor a soft spot for out-of-tune Andean love song cumbias (this is a huge category).

All I know about this one is its useless file name – 9990013.MP3 – from a GREAT Tepitos mp3 cd-r.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

slightly out-of-tune cumbia andina

+ + +

I admit another soft spot for cumbias about drink or drugs, slow dissolution. Social realism, if you will.

here’s Alfredo Gutierrez, singing — and yodeling! Drunk thematics: psychiatry, sick love, liver sadness. “Losing myself in liquor brought me to the dark side.”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Alfredo Gutierrez – La 2nda del Diaro de un Borracho / Guayabo Eterno

and finally, mislabeled youtube animation set to Alfredo Gutierrez’ El Diario de un Borracho:

Hacia fines de los 80s el grupo mejicano Caifanes, que se perfilaba como una de las bandas menos conservadoras del rock latino, versiona el clasico “La negra Tomasa”, millones de copias vendidas de por medio, causan gran impacto por ser una banda bastante oscura que decide editar un tema de musica tropical. Si, “lo tropical” puede ser a menudo mucho mas gotico que lo que se cree.

Una decada despues en el extremo sur del continente, desde San Martin, conurbano norte de buenos aires, Su majestad Dj Taz, via la cumbia sonidera de mejico, reutiliza el sample de la intro sumandole guacharaca y efectos. El exito es inmediato y no hay baile o stereo de coche en la zona donde este tema no suene. Es algo asi como el comienzo de la cumbia mas electronica en buenos aires. En Su Majestad participa en los teclados Pablo Lescano de Damas Gratis.
El tema es incluido en la banda sonora de la pelicula “El bonaerense”, de Pablo Trapero.

Pocos años despues en el mismo barrio otro muchacho logra una excelente version con el mismo sample pero esta vez sumando entre otras cosas la voz del rey colombiano Andres Landero, es la “Mara Tomaza” del chimango: El hijo de la cumbia.

“

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

”

Aqui con intro larga

give me some love / to calm the fever in my heart

pan flute (preset) synthed-up Andean cumbia romántica from Los Estados Unidos. I’m in ‘cagey digger’ mode plus my desk has eaten the jewelbox. I’m doing an hour-long cumbia mix for BBC radio 1 this weekend, you’ll hear this there too.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

fuzzy andean synths

ever since I got into cumbia, the number of CDs/LPs in my record collection (read: piled on, around, and under my desk) with boobs n’ bikinis on the cover has skyrocketed. As has the number of out-of-tune vocals. People (others, not me) hate on autotune, but I think those same people would hate out-of-tune even more. I’m at the point where I like everything, it’s a great place.

Y asi nuestra amor durará