Al compás del mundo – programa #136 traditional Latin music modernized

That’s what I like about “folk” music. It lasts forever. Forever in the hearts of those who lived it, maybe long ago. Forever in the spirit of their kids and grandkids who will (at least) admit to having heard (and maybe sung) those old-timey themes at family gatherings. Forever in the overtures produced by classical composers while slumming in the realm of “semi-classical” works. Forever amongst the ethnomusicologists, keenly aware of a musical genre’s importance in cultural identity. And forever in the evolutionary churning out of contemporary stylings where periodic rediscoveries of “the roots” pay homage to what used to be. And that is what we’re going to find in today’s playlist.

Wailing guitars, thumping bass lines, and heavy drums signify a distinct brand of rock ‘n roll that still finds popularity in parts of Latin America (though admittedly, some of these samples come from earlier in this century.) Listen to Uchpa, Raymi Rock, Rockpata and Chingon, where folk themes get blown wide open. Though they still hearken to that old time religion – at the core of each song is a familiar folk melody that los viejitos would recognize, in spite of how it’s been altered. That is mostly true for the electronica devotees here as well. Ataw Allpa, Lascivio Bohemia, Nicola Cruz and Systema Solar make use of snatches from the folk grab bag if not entire themes. We’ve even got hiphop-rap represented by Los Nin, as spitting rhymes is served up over a folkloric background. All of these cited make use of the legacy laid down by previous generations of musicians who helped define that somewhat nebulous term “traditional”. By embracing their heritage in search of something new, they succeed in saying it like it is, like it was, and like it will almost certainly be. J.H.

Al compás del mundo – programa #136,
First broadcast 7-11-24
traditional Latin music modernized

01 Uchpa - Allinchacusaq (Perú)

02 Ataw Allpa - Puruwa Ekeko (Ecuador)

03 Diego Alpacha - Chicha Raymi (Ecuador)

04 Raymi Rock - Valicha (Perú)

05 Lascivio Bohemia - La Cumbia Quitapenas (Ecuador)

06 Los Nin - Andesground (Ecuador)

07 Rockpata - Mamita Candelaria (Perú)

08 Nicola Cruz - Adiós Morena (Francia-Ecuador)

09 Cumbia Chicharra - Rita (Colombia)

10 Systema Solar - Bienvenidos (Colombia)

11 Congreso - Calipso Intenso, Casi Azul (Chile)

12 Calaveras de Azúcar - La Bruja (México)

13 La Santa Cecilia - México Americano (USA-Mexico)

14 Chingon - Cascabel (México)

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