Venezuelan bands on Starbucks CD - Cafe con Musica

By Russell Maddicks
If you like a little Latin flava with your mocha coconut frapuccino then look no further than coffee chain Starbucks who have just released "Cafe con Musica" - their first compilation of contemporary Latino sounds in collaboration with LA-based indie label Nacional Records.

Two of the 16 tracks are by Venezuelan groups: "Mentiras" by the funky boogaloo pop-rocksters known as Los Amigos Invisibles - one of the best Latin dance party bands working in the USA today - and "Arenita Playita" by the hip hop group Cuarto Poder. 

The blurb from Starbucks highlights how mainstream contemporary Latin music is nowadays and how important Nacional Records has become in the promotion of so many talented artists from Latin America, Spain and the USA: "This is a snapshot of the current Latin alternative scene featuring an international array of artists exploring a range of genres, from rock to electronica and beyond. Working with Nacional Records, the foremost source of exciting new sounds from Latin musicians, we offer an introduction to elite talent from a thriving musical movement."

The participating artists cover a wide range of styles from the loungetastic cha-cha-cha reworking of "Sweet Dreams Are Made of This" by Señor Coconut, to the lyrical poetry of Chilean rapper Ana Tijoux on "1977" and the electro-tuba beats of Mexican DJ/electronica collective Nortec.

It's a shame they didn't include tracks by other Nacional Records' artists like Manu Chao and Plastilina Mosh, but there's still plenty of great artists to explore on this compilation.

So, what are you waiting for ese? With a Starbucks on nearly every corner of every major city in the States you should find no trouble picking up a copy. And with so many dance beats to shake your booty to on this album, it's a healthier option than the double fudge mini-donuts. 

The CD will be on sale at participating Starbucks outlets in the USA until 16 July.

Track List:

Diego Garcia - You Were Never There
Andrea Echeverri - A Eme O
Señor Coconut - Sweet Dreams

Sara Valenzuela - Para Continuar
The Pinker Tones - The Whistling Song
Polock - Fireworks
Pacha Massive - All Good Things
No Te Va Gustar - Chau
Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich + Fussible - I Count the Ways
Los Amigos Invisibles - Mentiras
Ana Tijoux - 1977
Monareta - Llama
DJ Bitman - Shine
Mexican Institute of Sound - Mirando a las Muchachas
Aterciopelados - Rio
Cuarto Poder - Arenita Playita

To listen to sample clips and buy individual tracks click here:

Venezuelan bands on Starbucks CD - Cafe con Musica

By Russell Maddicks
If you like a little Latin flava with your mocha coconut frapuccino then look no further than coffee chain Starbucks who have just released "Cafe con Musica" - their first compilation of contemporary Latino sounds in collaboration with LA-based indie label Nacional Records.

Two of the 16 tracks are by Venezuelan groups: "Mentiras" by the funky boogaloo pop-rocksters known as Los Amigos Invisibles - one of the best Latin dance party bands working in the USA today - and "Arenita Playita" by the hip hop group Cuarto Poder. 

The blurb from Starbucks highlights how mainstream contemporary Latin music is nowadays and how important Nacional Records has become in the promotion of so many talented artists from Latin America, Spain and the USA: "This is a snapshot of the current Latin alternative scene featuring an international array of artists exploring a range of genres, from rock to electronica and beyond. Working with Nacional Records, the foremost source of exciting new sounds from Latin musicians, we offer an introduction to elite talent from a thriving musical movement."

The participating artists cover a wide range of styles from the loungetastic cha-cha-cha reworking of "Sweet Dreams Are Made of This" by Señor Coconut, to the lyrical poetry of Chilean rapper Ana Tijoux on "1977" and the electro-tuba beats of Mexican DJ/electronica collective Nortec.

It's a shame they didn't include tracks by other Nacional Records' artists like Manu Chao and Plastilina Mosh, but there's still plenty of great artists to explore on this compilation.

So, what are you waiting for ese? With a Starbucks on nearly every corner of every major city in the States you should find no trouble picking up a copy. And with so many dance beats to shake your booty to on this album, it's a healthier option than the double fudge mini-donuts. 

The CD will be on sale at participating Starbucks outlets in the USA until 16 July.

Track List:

Diego Garcia - You Were Never There
Andrea Echeverri - A Eme O
Señor Coconut - Sweet Dreams

Sara Valenzuela - Para Continuar
The Pinker Tones - The Whistling Song
Polock - Fireworks
Pacha Massive - All Good Things
No Te Va Gustar - Chau
Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich + Fussible - I Count the Ways
Los Amigos Invisibles - Mentiras
Ana Tijoux - 1977
Monareta - Llama
DJ Bitman - Shine
Mexican Institute of Sound - Mirando a las Muchachas
Aterciopelados - Rio
Cuarto Poder - Arenita Playita

To listen to sample clips and buy individual tracks click here:

Smithsonian launches Venezuelan folk CD - Parranda!

By Russell Maddicks
Folk group La Sardina de Naiguatá will be bringing all the feelgood fun of a Venezuelan street party when they tour the USA in June and July with a series of free concerts in Washington, Houston, San Francisco and Chicago to promote their new album "Parranda! Venezuelan Carnival Music", which is being released by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings today, 19 June 2012.
As the name suggests, the group comes from the town of Naiguatá - located on the long strip of Caribbean coast north of Caracas known as the Litoral Central.
The town is not the most picturesque spot on the coast - many people only stop here to stock up with alcohol from the many liquor stores before heading off to the popular seaside sands of Los Caracas or the more attractive and isolated beaches of Osma, Caruao and Chuspa - but for those in the know Naiguatá is famous for celebrating the largest number of street festivals in Venezuela.
The party people of Naiguatá have preserved the tradition of Diablos Danzantes (dancing devils) during the Catholic feast of Corpus Christi, hold parades in honour of Saint John the Baptist on June 23-24, and dance madly in masks and costumes during carnival.
But the festival that most clearly marks the town as special is the annual procession on Ash Wednesday known as El Entierro de la Sardina (The Burial of the Sardine).
Amid much mock solemnity a man dressed as a priest leads a motley assortment of men in drag known as viudas (widows) in a funeral cortege for a papier mache sardine that is ceremonially cast into the sea while the celebrants, including a horned devil, lament the end of carnival and the the start of Lent.
Fundamental to the procession is the music, a shuffling merengue beat that can be adapted to cover virtually any popular song of the day and which has evolved dramatically thanks to Ricardo Díaz - a local fisherman, trumpet player and founder of La Sardina de Naiguatá.
Realizing that he could add more oomph to the traditional procession music provided by cuatro (four-string guitar like a ukelele), charrasca (gourd or metal scraper) and Afro-Caribbean drums, Díaz added brass, electric bass, electric keyboard, and a choir of female singers.
The group now lead local revellers around the streets of the town from the back of a truck, giving a real carnival feel to the annual procession, which was brought to Venezuela by the Spanish and mirrors similar festivities still celebrated in the Spanish cities of Madrid and Murcia and on the Canary islands.
Over the years La Sardina de Naiguatá have built up a repertoire of songs that draw on local folk styles such as parranda and fulía that tap into the Spanish and African roots that gave birth to these hybrid musical forms that are as unique to Venezuela as vallenato is to Colombia or bachata to the Dominican Republic.
The Smithsonian was so keen to capture the authentic sound of the group that Folkways director Daniel Sheehy, the musical director Alexander Livinally, and sound engineer Peter Reinier travelled to Caracas to oversee the recording of the album, which was later remixed in the USA.
Folkways Recordings is the most important repository of World Music in the United States and was founded in 1948 by Moses Asch to document "people's music" from around the globe.
To coincide with the release of the CD, the Smithsonian has produced a mini-documentary about La Sardina de Naiguatá.
Parranda! Venezuelan Carnival Music
TRACK LIST
1. Abran la puerta [Open the Door] (calipso)
2. Parranda calle [Street Parranda] (parranda)
3. Volveré [I Will Return] (fulía) - Audio clip
4. Pájaro amarillo [Yellow Bird] (parranda)
5. Guayana es [It’s Guayana] (calipso)
6. Potpourrí “Alí Primera” [“Alí Primera” Medley]
7. Tambores de Naiguatá [Drums of Naiguatá]
8. El pilón [The Corn-Pounder] (parranda)
9. Flor de loto [Lotus Flower] (vals)
10. Potpourrí del gallo pinto [Spotted Rooster Medley] (fulía)
11. Río Manzanares [Manzanares River] (parranda)
12. Bandido [Bandit] (calipso) - Audio clip
13. Carmela (fulía)
14. Potpourrí “Sabor a navidad” [“Taste of Christmas” Medley]


To buy the album, download it from Amazon or listen to audio samples, click here.

For details of other releases on the Smithsonian Folkways music label click here.

US Tour dates and details: 
Free places are limited to some of these events so reserve early to avoid disappointment

29 June - Washington - Smithsonian Folklife Festival - Free - 6:30 pm
1 July Houston, Texas - Miller Outdoor Theatre - Free - 8 pm
5 July Washington -  Embassy of Venezuela - Free
8 July San Francisco - Yerbabuena Gardens Festival - Free -1-3 pm
11 July Chicago - Chicago School of Folk Music - Free - 8:30 pm
13 July Chicago - Chicago School of Folk Music - See link above

Los Amigos Invisibles win Latin Grammy

Los Amigos Invisibles win Latin Grammy

Venezuelan artists were lauded, applauded and showered with victory on Thursday night at the 10th Latin Grammy Awards at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

First, Jose Antonio Abreu, the man who started the youth orchestra system picked up a Grammy for his work with shanty town and underprivileged kids.

Then, Los Amigos Invisibles picked up the gong for "Best Alternative Music Album" for their latest Cd "Comercial" - beating the other artists in the category, Babasonicos, with the album “Mucho”, Kinky with “Barracuda”, Novalima with “Coba Coba” and Zoé with “Reptiletric”.

The first single from the album, "Mentiras", has been a massive hit for the band across Latin America and the USA.

Los Amigos were still walking the green carpet when their award was presented. “We thought they would give it to another band,” a band member joked backstage.

"Comercial" was produced by Cachorro Lopez and Dimitri from Paris and features guest vocals by Natalia lafourcade. It was recorded in New York studio The Magic Shop and mastered at Stearling studios.

This is the Venezuelan band's first Latin Grammy and will bring their work to a much wider audience.

To preview "Commercial" and get songs in MP3 format click here:

To buy Los Amigos latest CD "Commercial" click here:

Los Amigos Invisibles: Vivire Para Ti

UPDATE: Los Amigos Invisibles win their first Latin Grammy for the album "Commercial"

Another great track from "Commercial", the latest CD by Los Amigos Invisibles, which is scheduled for a 9-June release.

"Vivire Para Ti" features guest vocals by the Mexican singer Natalia Lafourcade, who won a Latin Grammy for her 2005 album "Casa".

Chulius and Natalia make it one sweet duet.

Vivire Para Ti

Ven y dame todo lo que tienes
que yo esperando estare aqui
ven y besame hasta la muerte
Y asi sere yo por ti feliz

Te entregare mi vida
y no tendre salida
solo tuyo sere

Te llevare hasta el cielo
y dormire en tus senos
solo tuyo sere

Ven y dame todo lo que quieras
que yo esperando estare por ti
ven y llevate lo que prefieras
que todo todo esto es para ti

Y entregare mi vida
y no tendre salida
solo tuya sere
te llevare hasta el cielo
y dormire en tus senos
solo tuya sere

Tu te entregas lentamente
y yo te toco dulcemente
anda quedate en mi mente
hagamos que este amor reviente

Tu seras la que me inspire
me consienta y me domine
no dejemos que termine
pues yo hare que te fascine
vivire para ti

To download Los Amigos Invisibles MP3 tracks click here:

To buy the new CD "Commercial" click here:



Video: Los Amigos Invisibles - Mentiras

Video: Los Amigos Invisibles - Diablo

Video: Los Amigos Invisibles - Cuchi Cuchi

Video: Los Amigos Invisibles - Playa Azul

Video: Max and Jason have lunch with Los Amigos Invisibles

CD Review: Venezuelan Zinga Son Vol 1 - Amigos Invisibles

CD Review: Arepa 3000 - Los Amigos Invisibles

CD Review: Venezuelan Zinga Son Vol 1 - Amigos Invisibles

UPDATE: Los Amigos Invisibles win their first Latin Grammy for the album "Commercial"

Venezuelan party poppers cook up some Saturday night dance fever
Growing up in the Caribbean, in a country awash with merengue and salsa, Los Amigos Invisibles swam against the tide and immersed themselves in the British acid-jazz scene and US rare grooves. The result was a string of irreverent party tracks that shot them to the top of the Latin American charts.

It also got them noticed by David Byrne's Luaka Bop label, which put out their second release "The New Sound of the Venezuelan Gozadera" and introduced them to a global audience.

On their fourth album, "The Venezuelan Zinga Son Vol. 1", the band continues to buck prevailing trends with a retro-feast of disco, lounge, bossa and 70s-style salsa.

Just as dance music cedes its crown to hip hop and guitar bands, the group have hooked up with New York house legends Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez and Lil’ Louie Vega, better known as Masters at Work (MAW), to help them recreate an underground 80s dance sound.

The result is a slow burning album which will impress newcomers with its smooth production values, but which keeps faithful fans waiting for classic "amigos" moments.

The showpiece of the MAW collaboration is "Ease Your Mind", a remake of rare disco classic by Touchdown from 1982, which shows off the skills of keyboardist Armando Figueredo. Listen out for the percussion breaks by Venezuelan timbables-player Luisito Quintero, who has worked closely with La India and Eddie Palmieri and recently put out his own album with Louie Vega: "Percussion Maddness".

The real fun begins with "Calne" (literally, "Meat") and "Esto es Lo Que hay" ("That's All There Is"), two stand-up-and-stomp, salsa-tinged tracks that benefit from the trombone of Jimmy Bosch and Julio Briceno's cheeky vocals.

But the guaranteed party warmers have to be "Majunche", which sounds like a remix of a track from their first album, and the irrepressible "Superfucker".

If this is all there is, we're gonna have a funking good time.

Track Listing:
1. Rico Pa' Goza'
2. Comodon Johnson
3. Una Disco Llena
4. Venezuelan Zingason
5. Playa Azul
6. Ease Your Mind
7. Isyormain
8. Gerundio
9. Ojos Cerrando
10. Esto Es Lo Que Hay
11. Majunche
12. Mambo Chimbo
13. Diablo
14. Calne
15. Superfucker
16. Bruja
17. Las Gorditas De Mario

To download Los Amigos Invisibles MP3 tracks click here:

To buy the CD "The Venezuelan Zinga Son, Vol. 1" click here:


To buy the new CD "Commercial" click here:



More videos of Los Amigos Invisibles:

Video: Los Amigos Invisibles - Mentiras

Video: Los Amigos Invisibles - Diablo

Video: Los Amigos Invisibles - Cuchi Cuchi

Video: Los Amigos Invisibles - Playa Azul

Video: Max and Jason have lunch with Los Amigos Invisibles

CD Review: Arepa 3000 - Los Amigos Invisibles

Luisito Quintero - Percussion Maddness

Li'l Louie Vega introduces Luisito Quintero's 2006 album Percussion Maddness on this video that features tracks from the album and clips of some of the stars who helped out.

How cute is Luisito playing timbales at the age of five?

And how cool is Louie Vega?

CD Review: Percussion Maddness - Luisito Quintero

To buy the album click here:

CD Review - Percussion Maddness - Luisito Quintero

Venezuelan percussionist Luisito Quintero might not be a household name, but in the small world of New York's Latin music fraternity he's regarded as one of the hottest timbaleros in town.

After starting out in the Symphonic Orchestra of Venezuela and a stint with salsa singer La India, Quintero learnt the finer points of Afro-Cuban drumming by playing alongside a string of Latin music legends, including Oscar D'Leon and Eddie Palmieri.

But while Quintero pays homage to his mentors on some banging tracks dedicated to the late Tito Puente and Ray Barreto, the CD as a whole carries the stamp of house DJ and producer "Li'l" Louie Vega, one half of New York duo Masters at Work.

The deep-house, acid jazz and silky bossa grooves are very much in the vein of Louie Vega's albums Nuyorican Soul and Elements of Life, both of which Quintero played on.

Vega is sometimes accused of over-producing tracks to the point of emasculation and the breathy vocal on "Our Love" by Cape Verdian singer Anane - Lil' Louie's latest squeeze - is so smooth it comes close to muzak.

But lightweight? I don't think so. A Fela Kuti number with Cameroonian singer-guitarist Francis Mbappe hits all the right Afrobeat buttons and a faithful reproduction of Ray Barreto's seminal track "Acid" is a fitting tribute.

Overall, the sheer quality of the guest turns by pianist Hilton Ruiz, flautist Nestor Torres and Venezuelan guitarist Aquiles Baez make this a treat for music fans seeking more than the typical salsa descargas on offer from many Latin combos at the moment.

Track listing:
1. Percussion Maddness
2. Tumbao
3. M'Bongi
4. Gbagada, Gbagada, Gbogodo, Gbogodo (feat. Francis Mbappe)
5. Aquilas Coisas Todas
6. Our Love (feat. Anane)
7. Quintero's Jam (feat. Hilton Ruiz)
8. EOL Intro (Clap Your Hands)
9. Acid
10. Four Beat Mambo
11. Son Montuno
12. Oshagriña (feat. Milton Cardona and The Aranla Chorus)
13. Love Remains The Same

To buy the album click here:



Video: Percussion Maddness - Luisito Quintero