By the Zonagirante.com team @spinning zone
And amidst the turmoil of the last days of the year, we pursued our musician friends so that they could tell us what their favorite Latin album made between 2010 and 2019 was. Some, fleeing the mission in terror, said they couldn't accept such an assignment, especially when their minds were elsewhere—perhaps thinking about family, December performances, or simply creating a new and unusual hairstyle for the season. Others were confused and sent us their reviews of albums from other parts of the world, later claiming they hadn't understood the question. The most audacious told us that, since they couldn't vote for their own releases, they didn't want to participate. There was laughter after those answers, but he was serious. Luckily they arrived 9 answers, recommending an equal number of wonderful productions that, in any case, we suggest our readers listen to before the New Year's Eve party, to confirm, without any doubt, that This was a great decade for our continent, musically speaking. Don't doubt it.
This is what our guests had to say:
Gregorio Merchán (Morphonia/Colombia) . Selected album: Jorge Drexler – Ice Lifesaver
«"This last decade has given us albums with a retro sound, evoking the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Several have marked important moments, but if I had to choose one, which is quite difficult, I'd go with..." Ice Lifesaver by Jorge Drexler. It's an album without drums but with a lot of percussion; Latin American rhythms are built from the guitar, giving Drexler's sound a lot of freshness. and in general to the trend in Latin American music that is characterized by sounds with a lot of pressure, powerful beats (which in many cases mask a lack of talent in the lyrics) which in the case of this album, are a true reflection of the moment we are living as human beings. I can't leave behind other albums, like Come Ana Tijoux's (compositions with great power and Latin American identity without clichés), and, obviously the Natural Force by Gustavo Cerati, which shows him serene and, without seeking it, said goodbye with a gem that is not as easy to listen to as his previous albums but with the passage of time, its lyrics and sounds become classics of the decade.".
Francisca Bascuñán (Entropic/Chile). Selected album: DJ Raff – Binary Collage
«Binary collage It was an album that left a mark on me because of its sound design, risky sounds, in contexts that are anything but trivial. I really admire this artist, MC, and producer. I think he pushes his limits all the time, and I value that—his fearlessness.
José Gallo (Theremyn 4/Peru). Selected album: Zoe –Program
«“I tell you this from the bottom of my heart, Mary, full of grace…”. Zoé are modern in some ways, but they don't lose that connection to tradition. Program It's an impeccably crafted album, with inspired lyrics, great "vintage" sounds, and electronic music perfectly blended with organic elements. I saw them live a few years ago and since then I haven't seen a Latin band with a better sound. Aztlan, "Their 2018 album falls just short of this amazing album.".
Juan Olmedillo (The small revenge/The Mints/Venezuela). Selected album: Vicentico – Just a moment.
«"A great album with songs far superior to his previous solo attempts. The production is incredible and goes beyond the standards that we associate with Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. One of my favorite tracks: Just a moment, The King of Rock and Roll, but above all Coward. It's a very intimate album that accompanied me through several important moments of the decade, with solid songs that will endure. They already do.
Rodrigo Molina (Telescopes/Argentina). Selected album: Alex Andwandter – Latin American
«Latin American It's an incredible album, from every perspective, but especially conceptually. Beyond our love for Alex, there's something about the way he expresses himself on this album that we find incredibly inspiring, unique, and utterly rebellious. The craziest thing is that he achieves it within a pop universe, and of songs. Speaking of the music itself, the production is refined, with nods and references throughout that constantly flirt with the Latin American universe, but without ever losing its super personal style—an eighties, disco, danceable sound. Go Alex, go for it!.
Carlos Contreras (From Monaco/Chile). Selected album: Portugal – The Ancient Astronauts.
«"It's very difficult to summarize the best of Latin music in a decade in just one album, but without going beyond what is better or worse, I can refer to the album I listened to the most during this time and the one that became my favorite. Because, speaking of albums, I've always loved concept albums. People who treat music as a whole, who try to make you think and feel at the same time. You could say I fall in love with the content of music in its entirety—musical, lyrical, and visual. In this context, the album I listened to the most was The ancient astronauts, From Portugal. A Chilean indie rock band. For me, a gem.»
Maria Monica Gutierrez (Sagan/Mountaineer /Colombia). Selected album: Juana Molina – Halo.
«"One of my favorite Latin albums of this decade is Halo, by Juana Molina. It's an album where she continues with her unique musical approach that has always captivated me. Within her experimental style, It doesn't sound pretentious, but rather, very inspiring.«.
Natalia Vajda (Mercury Toys/Peru). Selected album: The La – Zamba Puta
«"In just 25 minutes, La Lá captivates you with a wonderful repertoire of captivating, transparent, and direct storytelling. I feel like the songs flow from Giovanna's pores.", He has this ability to create from musical intuition and materialize his ideas exactly as he imagines them. From my perspective as a guitarist, progressions, chords, and inversions are a highly addictive delight. Undoubtedly, the production of Zamba Puta It is much more ambitious than Pink , his first album. Personally You drink,The song that opens the album resonates deeply with me and takes me back to that time when I was awaiting the birth of my son, although among my favorites are also Linda Bler y Warm Milk, Happiness "It is undoubtedly the one that takes the award for best song.".
Molo Diaz (Earthquake/Colombia) Selected album: Star – Star
«"The band that has most impacted me in the last decade is Astro from Chile. Well, their entire discography is very special to me. I saw them play here in Bogotá at Estéreo Picnic and I thought their performance was very solid. They are part of, or in some way represent, the wave of Chilean music with which I identify.", Many bands with a very detailed sound, well-constructed textures, works that feel well-developed and that propose new things, like Rubio, Tunacola, and others who have built a very special sound in Latin America. It's a shame that Astro has broken up at this point.".
