Streaming Reviews: The Funeral Home (La funeraria)/4×4 3 Feb 2021 7:27 AM (4 years ago)
Argentina has become, in the last 20 years, the indisputable leader of genre filmmaking in Latin America, consistently delivering thrills and chills and edge-of-your-seat suspense while using genre as a tool to deal with the legacy, and ghosts, of its tragic, bloody and repressive past. This week, two prime examples of what makes Argentinian genre cinema so unique hit the streaming and video-on-demand services: Mario Iván Ojeda’s feature debut The Funeral Home (La funeraria) and Mariano Cohn’s riveting 4×4. Once you start using Live stream Sydney for your video productions and creations you will see the quality improvement process. One is an old-fashioned haunted house movie with a twist, the other defies any easy categorization. Most of the action in both films take place in an enclosed space and rarely venture outside. In one, style triumphs over substance; in the other, style and substance work in perfect harmony.
Outside of a cemetery, one can’t think of a better setting for a ghost story than a funeral home; however, the film’s original English-language title, The Undertaker’s Home is far more accurate since that’s where most of the action takes place, a terrace and a patio separating both structures. Bernardo (Luis Machín) inherited the business from his father who was, we are told later in the film, involved in “dark things.” He, wife Estela (Celeste Gerez) and stepdaughter Irina (Camila Vaccarini) have learned to live with the mostly benign spirits that roam the house, even though their presence brings the worst in them. They are not exactly a trio you can root for. Her face submerged on her smartphone all day long, Irina resents her mother, her new father and consistently reminds Estela that she would rather spend time with her grandmother (an absent figure until the film’s climax), the mother of Estela’s abusive first husband who died in a motorcycle accident. Bernardo longs to have children but Estela can no longer deliver; the fact that the shadows of both Bernardo’s father and Estela’s first husband still loom large in their lives does not help at all. The always depressed Estela finds comfort at night drugging herself to sleep while Bernardo talks to the spirits.
Then there are the compromises they had to make after local shaman Ramona (Susana Varela) advised them to give these presences their own space. A red line painted from the garden to the house’s interior serves as a border for the living and the dead; the bathroom is declared out-of-bounds in the evening forcing the trio to either do their necessities on a bucket or use the portapotty stationed outside. Another bedroom is out-of-bounds and most of the rooms are full of dust and of assorted knickknacks such as an old TV set, trophies and family heirlooms. These spirits manifest themselves through messages scrawled on the windows and in the form of eerie blue lights that immediately bring to mind Tobe Hooper’s and Steven Spielberg’s Poltergeist. Things turn from bearable to downright nightmarish when a fed-up Irina decides to use the forbidden bathroom late one night. Something far more evil and deadly emerges and it is up to Ramona to protect them from this new manifestation.
Poltergeist is an obvious influence but the film I kept thinking about the most as I watched The Funeral Home was Natalia Erika James’ far more effective and claustrophobic feature debut Relic (2020), the story of three generations of women haunted by insanity and the decaying house that has been home to their family. That house, full of rooms within rooms, dimensions within dimensions, and labyrinthine hallways is as much a well-defined character as the undertaker’s home in Ojeda’s film. The house in Relic, however, is a visual manifestation of its protagonists’ state of mind (and in the case of that film’s grandmother, her mental deterioration). But, unlike Ojeda, Erika James pays as much attention to her characters as to the setting: each character is fully developed, grounded in the palpable pain of watching a loved one lose her grasp of reality. We care for them as we wonder, and speculate, about their connection to the house. Ojeda may have given his characters a backstory, something to hang a plot on to, but they feel underdeveloped, the expository dialogue doing much of the heavy lifting.
The Funeral Home does contain some wonderfully chilling set pieces, starting with Ramona’s spell that allows her to visit the recent past as she walks from room to room and discovers the identity of this new spirit and its plans for the trio. And in the final third of the film, Ojeda makes wonderful use of sound and space to suggest the deadly mayhem wrecked by this evil spirit, including one shot that is a callout to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. Too bad about that fanciful denouement that gives Irina a reward she doesn’t quite deserve.
The 4×4 in Mariano Cohn’s film may not be a haunted house and its owner may not be a ghost in the machine, but the horror the car thief trapped inside it endures is far more real and brutal. 4×4 opens with shots of barbed wire fences, security cameras, gates and signs of neighborhood watches, all pointing to a middle class feeling besieged by crime. Car thief Ciro (Peter Lanzani) is walking down the street looking for his next target and finds it in a brand new 4×4 parked on a corner. He breaks into the car, pulls out its radio/hard drive and pisses on the back seat while smiling. But the joke’s on him: he can’t get out; the doors are locked and he can’t roll down the windows. He can’t even break them no matter how hard he kicks them. And when he shoots at them with his gun, the bullet bounces back, hitting him in the leg. Ciro places a tourniquet on his injured leg and screams at the passers-by but they can’t hear him, much less see him. He drinks his one bottle of Pepsi in one gulp without realizing that he will spend days locked in car.
Ciro reinstalls the car radio; the following day, the vehicle’s onboard phone rings and he answers. The car owner introduces himself and the reasons why he is doing this: Doctor Enrique Ferrari (Dady Brieva) who, like dozens of bonaerenses, is sick and tired of being a victim of crime and has decided to take matters on his own hand by modifying his vehicle, turning it into a torture chamber. Without access to food or water, Ciro’s health begins to deteriorate as days go by while his torturer plays mind games with him.
While that prisoner-torturer scenario evokes Jorge Rafael Videla’s cruel dictatorship (you could even say that Ferrari has “disappeared” Ciro), Cohn and co-scriptwriter and frequent collaborator Gastón Duprat (both co-directed the award-winning 2016 film The Distinguished Citizen and are currently working on the Penelope Cruz-Antonio Banderas vehicle Official Competition) are going after much bigger fish: a middle class willing to wholeheartedly support a very Argentinian brand of Babylonian Law in their search for justice. For by the time Ferrari finally shows his face it becomes clear that 4×4 is more than a psychological thriller; the film takes a sharp turn, using the hostage tropes of such crime films as Sidney Lumet’s Dog Day Afternoon and F. Gary Gray’s The Negotiator to explore the themes of privilege, entitlement, need and power. This sharp turn may not work for some but it brings the film full circle to those unnerving images we saw at the beginning. That it features another delightful performance from Luis Brandoni (after the mischievous dark comedy The Weasel’s Tale and the underdog caper Heroic Losers) doesn’t hurt either.
4×4 is a stylistic tour de force, Cohn and his technical team meeting the challenges of shooting in an enclosed space head-on. No shot, no angle is wasted; and yet, it’s never showy. Each shot, each cut, is at the service of heightening a sense of entrapment, of claustrophobia. But this wouldn’t be possible without Lanzani’s mostly physical performance. Not only does he have to convey his character’s physical deterioration but his mental strain as well, a cricket his only companion. But most importantly, we must feel some sympathy towards his predicament without fully endorsing his actions. His performance is full of subtlety, nuances, one that raises up to the challenges of the script.
It’s hard to tell if this is a change of pace for both Cohn and Duprat since none of their previous works have been released commercially in this country. Hopefully, that will change with this release and their upcoming high profile collaboration.
The Funeral Home and 4×4 are streaming on Amazon Prime and Vudu among other streaming and Video on Demand Platforms.
The Ponderers January 25 Broadcast on Lumpen Radio 25 Jan 2021 2:53 PM (4 years ago)
TONIGHT! Among the featured new singles on this radio broadcast are Pahua, Chicarica, Habitantes, Loreana, Marinah and Gabylonia. Tune in for the full experience from 6-8PM CST on 105.5FM Lumpen Radio.
Happy birthday, Lumpen Radio! Today marks the 5th anniversary of our beloved radio station where magical things are always happening. Head over to LumpenRadio.com and become a member!
On this second broadcast of 2021 we’re thrilled to once again share new music, savor in some golden classics and possibly surprise you with unexpected gems in between. We are thrilled tonight’s show is broadcasting on the station’s fifth birthday. We’ve had the best time as we all navigated together in making this radio station what it is today. If you haven’t yet heard the rest of the programming on the station, we highly recommend it. There’s something for everyone.
Back to tonight’s show – we are featuring new tracks from artists like the band Habitantes who we fall for after the first notes hit our heart. Wow, such lovely music they’re making and we absolutely love “A Punto de Partir.”
In the same realm of feel-good sounds is the Chilean group Chicarica who dazzled us with their experience of a Chilean night with their new 12-track album, “Arde Lento,” which officially drops this Friday, Jan. 29. They do have a listening party, though, and that’s happening Wednesday via their YouTube channel.
Pahua is also on the playlist with her newest release, “Caramelo,” which is a softer and more pop version of her music, which we love to hear. The song talks about self-love and Pahua says, “Caramelo is a hymn to self-love to remember the great love we require to have in our minds and not to forget that when one heals insecurities and fears, one learns to share the best version of oneself.” Her new album, Ofrenda, drops Feb. 26.
Not so new but very recent is the release of “Ikite Iru” by Neptuna. WE LOVE THIS SONG and the video by these Guadalajara badasses.
Right before the last election, the musicians of Las Cafeteras released a trio of electoral anthems which brought awareness to the power of voting, and served as a call to realize the power of unity. We’re playing “Long Time Coming,” because it’s a beautiful way to listen to powerful voices coming together in, as they stated, “to serve as a call to take action for racial and gender justice and a future where we live in harmony with nature.”
She’s one of our hip-hop queens and she’s been releasing singles like a boss. This one is another knock-out by the fierce one, Gabylonia and her call out, “Tirano.”
Let’s flip things a little and turn our attention to the “oh-my-goodness” this is so hot new single and video by Nathy Peluso. Girl! Giiirl! Do that thing! That’s all we are going to say about “Delito.” Ufff. PS: NSFW
In our hip-hop segment we’ve also included this Spanish slayer, Santa Salut, and her track “Duro” (Chicho Beats).
This MC reminds us a lil’ bit of Chicago’s own Brittany Carter. Her name is Sofia Gabanna and this is her track, “Twisted.”
We’re also digging these sultry vibes from Lee Eye on her track, “Gata.”
Of course, we also have a half-hour set of cumbias, mostly classics from back in the day including songs by Carmen Rivero, Chelo (what? yes!), La Sonora Dinamita and Sonia Lopez.
And let’s not forget Marinah, with her new track “Constelacion,” which mixes a little reggae, a little dembow flavor, for a phenomenal new style of her music.
These are some of the highlights from tonight’s broadcast. The full playlist is below. Thanks for tuning in to The Ponderers on Lumpen Radio. We broadcast second and fourth Mondays from 6-8PM CST.
6PM
Marinah – “Constelacion”
Las Cafeteras, Degruvme – “Long Time Coming”
Patterns – “Spirit”
Jona Camacho & Vanessa Zamora – “Te Choca Te Checa”
Sidi Rum ftg Dat Garcia – “180 Grados”
Monte – “Colibri”
ALQBS – “Hayly”
6:30PM
Habitantes – “Antes de Partir”
Chicarica – “Arde Lento”
Silvana Estrada – “Para Siempre (Forever)”
Pahua – “Caramelo”
Buscabulla – “El Aprieto”
Angelica Garcia – “Guadalupe”
D’Anza – “For the people”
Asi Asi – “Carne Molida”
Neptuna – “Ikite Iru”
7PM
Gabylonia – ‘Tirano’
Lee Eye – ‘Gata’
Loreana – ‘Ciudad Moderna’
Santa Salut – ‘Duro’
Sofia Gabanna – ‘Twister’
Hispana, Flor de Rap – ‘Las Hijas del Rap’
Nathy Peluso – ‘Delito’
Afrobeta – ‘Chancletazo’
Dengue Dengue Dengue – ‘Cocha’
7:30PM
Sonia López – “El Callejon”
Carmen Rivero y Su Conjunto – “Cumbia de la media noche”
Linda Vera – “La Pollera Colora”
Carmen Rivero – “Cumbia del Monte”
Chelo – “El Foco”
La Sonora Dinamita & Mariana Seoane – “Escandalo”
Pacho Galan – “Currucuchando”
ESSO – “Cumbia del Encanto”
Pibes Chetos – “Star Wars Cumbia”
Mentorship Program for Music Students from Underrepresented Communities Invites Applicants for 2021-2022 Cohort (Feb 5 Deadline) 22 Jan 2021 6:59 AM (4 years ago)
Press release
Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative(CMPI), a mentorship program launched in Fall 2019 for talented student musicians from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds, invites dedicated music students to audition for its third cohort of ‘Fellows’ starting in the 2021-22 academic year. CMPI offers its student Fellows a robust training curriculum – offered virtually until further notice – designed to prepare young musicians to successfully audition into top tier college-level music schools in the country.
In addition to providing vital financial support, among CMPI’s valuable program offerings include weekly private lessons, ongoing written and verbal feedback, master classes and mock auditions with musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, monthly mentorship for the entire family from professional musicians, and more. Online applications for the CMPI 2021-22 cohort are due February 5, followed by virtual information sessions and audition video submissions. For additional program offerings, application guidelines and to sign up, visit chicagopathways.org/audition/.
Acknowledging that African American and Latinx musicians hold less than 3% of the positions in major American orchestras (League of American Orchestras), the mission of CMPI is to identify and develop gifted and motivated orchestral students from underrepresented backgrounds for acceptance into top-tier conservatory, college or university classical music programs in preparation for careers as professional musicians. Now in its second full season, some 93 student Fellowsare currently enrolled in CMPI, representing 57 zip codes from across the greater Chicago area and reflecting the diversity of the city of Chicago (31% African American, 51% Latinx, 5% Southeast Asian, 2% South Asian, 4% East Asian, and 7% Caucasian). Learn more about all the Fellows at chicagopathways.org/fellows.
Second year CMPI Violin Fellow Noah Briones, a Latinx-Asian junior at Riverside Brookfield High School, enjoys the camaraderie and musicianship of the program. “Watching my CMPI peers perform at our virtual recitals inspires me to keep getting better and assures me that I am not the only one working hard at pursuing this goal,” he said. “If one day in the future I could sit in the same chair where my awesome CMPI teacher, CSO Assistant Concertmaster David Taylor, now sits, that would be a dream come true! For now, I know I still have a long way to go.”
Added CMPI Project Director Adrienne Thompson, “Through exceptional guidance, musician mentorship, and a profound sense of community, we support our current and incoming students on their journey towards top tier conservatory and college music school admission,” “Since many of our programs now take place virtually, it has been especially rewarding to see the adaptability and flexible thinking of our students and families this year.”
The Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative (CMPI) is a multi-organization collaborative effort established in 2018 with an extraordinary $3.5 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Its long-term goal is to help address the persistent lack of diversity in American orchestras – a condition that threatens the vitality and viability of classical, orchestral music. CMPI is aimed at building a more robust Chicago-area training pathway for talented student musicians from traditionally under-represented backgrounds, from 6th grade through 12th grade. The project focuses on instrumental students of classical music who have demonstrated both aptitude and interest in pursuing intensive study and a career specifically as a professional performing musician.
The initiative involves close collaboration and resource sharing among a diverse network of well-established non-profit Chicago youth and music education focused organizations. Together, participating organizations are working to identify talented, motivated students early in their training. Students selected for CMPI will be carefully assessed and provided with comprehensive supports – musical and extra-musical (e.g. financial, instructional, academic, etc.) to remove many of the barriers to access that can discourage or derail the training of talented students from under-represented backgrounds before they are able to realize their full musical potential.
Participating organizations include Merit School of Music, Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, Chicago High School for the Arts, Chicago Sinfonietta, Negaunee Music Institute at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, DePaul University School of Music, Hyde Park Suzuki Institute, Musical Arts Institute, and Ravinia Festival.
About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Founded in 1969, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation endeavors to strengthen, promote, and, where necessary, defend the contributions of the humanities and the arts to human flourishing and to the well-being of diverse and democratic societies by supporting exemplary institutions of higher education and culture as they renew and provide access to an invaluable heritage of ambitious, path-breaking work. Additional information is available at mellon.org.
Learn more about CMPI at www.chicagopathways.org.
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Cumbia and Mariachi In NEW Remix of Run The Jewels Ooh La La by Mexican Institute of Sound feat Santa Fe Klan 22 Jan 2021 6:39 AM (4 years ago)
Run The Jewels have shared a remix of the acclaimed RTJ4 single “ooh la la” by Mexican Institute of Sound with an added verse by Santa Fe Klan, seeping the song’s bombastic hip hop backbone in cumbia and mariachi influences.
Here at Gozamos we are considering this a little gift for all of us MIS fans in lieu of the long-awaited Mexican Institute of Sound album #DistritoFederal. The new due date is February 5th.
More about Ooh La La Remix
Speaking on the remix, Camilo Lara states “Making the global dance floor a united, inclusive, banging space where everyone is welcome is the mission that connects me with RTJ. Inviting Santa Fe Klan on this adventure was crucial: his voice brings together Guanajuato, Brooklyn , Ciudad de México, Atlanta. Turn it up and jump right in: ooh lalá, papá … ooh lalá!”
“At first, the rhythm inspired me without even understanding the lyrics, in music, there are no races and respect is the key,” adds Quezada. “As soon as Camilo showed me the remix, I began to write and record it, and I am very grateful to those people who unite different languages and cultures.”
The rework is indicative of the Run the Jewels’ growing presence in Mexican music and art circles. This past November, the duo collaborated with Mexican streetwear & graphic design collective Mercadorama to launch an exclusive apparel & merchandise line, all conceived & produced locally. The collection made its debut at Art the Jewels: Mexico, a gallery expo of Mexican artists who offered their unique & bespoke interpretations of iconic Run The Jewels artwork & designs, and the latest in a series of gallery shows Team RTJ has beens staging internationally. Concurrently the group collaborated with leading independent brewery Cerveza Minerva and Alacran Mezcal to produce a mezcal infused IPA (one of twelve beers released globally in conjunction with their recent single “No Save Point” – read more here) that quickly became the #1 beer on Amazon Mexico on the weekend of release, expanding the international reach of the band’s burgeoning beer business. These initiatives are just the beginning, as
RTJ plan to expand their collaborations in the region throughout 2021, including upcoming remixes by Toy Selectah (February), and Nick Hook featuring one of Mexico’s leading rap groups, Homegrown (March).
Streaming Review: Identifying Features (Sin señas particulares) 22 Jan 2021 5:00 AM (4 years ago)
I am always weary of critics who claim to have seen the first great film of the year this early in the game. Well I, uh, how can I put it…I recently did: Mexican director Fernanda Valadez’s devastating feature debut Identifying Features (Sin señas particulares) which opens this weekend at virtual cinemas nationwide, including the Gene Siskel Film Center at the School of the Art Institute’s Film Center from Your Sofa. Ever since its world premiere last year at the Sundance Film Festival (where it won the Audience Award in the category of World Cinema – Dramatic and the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Best Screenplay), the film has earned critical acclaim and additional accolades as it has made the festival rounds culminating with a Gotham Independent Film Award for Best International Feature early this month. Co-written with Astrid Rondero, Identifying Features not only heralds the arrival of a new powerful voice but stands as a testament to the exciting work that is being made by women filmmakers all over Latin America, including Valadez’s compatriot Lila Avilés (The Chambermaid) and Perú’s Melina León (Song Without a Name).
Valadez knows when and how to dole out information, how to snare us in its narrative grasp while creating a deep connection with her characters. I am almost hesitant to even describe the film since one of its pleasures is how we, the audience, are at first left in the dark to the point where some of the characters’ names are revealed minutes after their introduction (and I don’t mean a couple of minutes; sometimes more than 15 minutes pass before they are addressed by their name by another character).
Identifying Features offers three potential narrative strands: a young man who we later find out is named Jesús tells his mother he is leaving Guanajuato for Arizona with best friend Rigo. Two months later, without news of their sons, the two mothers are sitting in front of a government functionary, presumably an agent of the law who, after telling them the best they can do is file a missing persons report, hands them a huge binder full of photos provided by Mexico’s Federal police of bodies found in shallow graves. The camera zooms into the face of Rigo’s mother as Magdalena (Mercedes Hernández), Jesus’ mother, begins to turn the pages. The camera stays on Rigo’s mother as she hears the sound of those pages, her face registering anticipation, hope and dread until Magdalena stops flipping and hands over the binder, open on the page with images of Rigo’s mangled body. Magdalena will soon experience that same mixture of hope, anxiety and despair as she sets out to find out what happened to her son.
A third mother enters the picture at this point: an ophthalmologist whose son disappeared on a trip to Monterrey four years ago. His body has apparently been found and she is called in to identify his remains at a center where bodies are stored for identification. There she meets Magdalena who has been told to sign a document declaring her son dead after his bag was found next to Rigo’s corpse. And just when you think that this woman will play a major role in the film, she disappears after advising Magdalena not to give up on her search; the ophthalmologist’s search has come to a sad end after all. Yet, it’s a pivotal moment for here we see two mothers, from two very different social strata, finding common ground in the violence that has taken their children away from them. And then, a new story strand is introduced, one that will serve as a mirror to Magdalena’s journey: a young man is deported from the United States back to Mexico, the camera following him as he crosses gate after gate, revolving door after revolving door, bridge after bridge, back to the violence he left behind him when his family encouraged him to migrate. His is Jesus’ trip in reverse but also Magdalena’s. He is coming home and will soon find himself looking for answers to his mother’s disappearance. After encountering a wall of silence and fear in her search, Magdalena meets this young man, Miguel (David Illescas), on her way to Ocampo, his hometown, where she expects to meet a man who may know what happened to her son. Miguel and Magdalena find instead a ghost town, its inhabitants chased out (and in some cases killed) by the local cartels.
Valadez keeps the violence at bay, mostly off-camera, except for a pivotal flashback, which we get in bits and pieces until Magdalena meets that man; and even then the brutal acts are hinted at, not graphically depicted. But the potential for violence is ever present and made manifest in other ways: in that vehicle that follows Pedro, Rigo’s father, as he drives Magdalena north to a forensic lab or in the fear in the voice of a bus line employee who at first refuses to help Magdalena but then, behind a bathroom door, shares an invaluable piece of information, her face hidden from view; or even in the decomposing cattle Miguel finds in a shed in his now missing mother’s property. And then there’s that eerie silence that follows Magdalena’s insistent pleas, the silence of the beautiful and imposing Guanajuato landscapes, themselves witnesses to the brutality committed in this land. It is a stillness that Director of Photography Claudia Becerril Bulos patiently captures as her camera watches Magdalena in her search for answers. As Magdalena, Mercedes Hernández is the film’s emotional anchor, a measured, moving, subtle performance that gives voice and even a name to the thousands of Mexican mothers demanding justice and the right to be given closure.
There is not only pain; there is also guilt. And it is curious that such guilt is voiced by the men while the women do the heavy lifting in their search for answers. “Why did he leave? He had a life here,” laments Pedro as he drives Magdalena north. “I hardly sent her anything. If I hadn’t been deported, I wouldn’t have come back,” admits Miguel. Being forced into exile, being ripped from your country, and the violence that migrants face on their journey north leave deep emotional and psychological scars on families and individuals. But nothing, absolutely nothing, prepares you for the emotional gut punch Valadez delivers in the film’s final minutes. It turns the idea of a mother’s worst nightmare on its head. It is unexpected, inevitable and horrible. It leaves you breathless.
Identifying Features is the work of a confident filmmaker who is in complete control of the expressive potential of the medium, of how to use the aural and visual power of cinema to take us deep inside a national nightmare. I certainly hope critics and audiences, but especially critics, don’t overlook this film the way most of them overlooked Fernando Frías de la Parra’s equally extraordinary tale about violence and immigration I’m No Longer Here. Personally, I cannot wait to see what Fernanda Valadez comes up with next.
Enrique Bunbury Virtual Stream Jan 23 21 Jan 2021 4:15 AM (4 years ago)
Press release
Everything is more than ready for Enrique Bunbury to flood the streaming waves with his music in what will be the only show he will perform online. After the long wait of tens of thousands of fans to attend the singer’s concerts due to the current pandemic, the date for the only virtual concert of Enrique Bunbury has finally been agreed, for Saturday, January 23, 2021, from 6:00 pm PST / 8:00 pm CST / 9:00 pm EST through the platform TICKETON.
Hand in hand with OCESA, the main promoter in Latin America, Enrique Bunbury returns to the stage virtually for a single show, where you can vibrate and enjoy his successes and see him in action with the interpretation of his songs from his most recent record productions “Posible” y “Curso de Levitación Intensivo.”
“La Gran Estafa” is a powerful song written by Enrique Bunbury and bassist Robert Castellanos. The music video was directed by Sergio Abuja under the production of Markos Keyto of Timber Films and photography by Pablo Diez, in Los Angeles with the participation of Brittany S. Mason, Annunaki the Great, Yisel Pupo and Gian Randey Singh.
To purchase tickets to Enrique Bunbury’s virtual concert Saturday, January 23, 2021 @ 6:00 pm PST / 8:00 pm CST / 9:00 pm EST you can visit the following links through Ticketon: https://www.ticketon.com/event/ENRIQUE-BUNBURY/417229?sp=ZCXUYQ
Spain (Europe*) http://ebmas.info/EBliveStreamingES
Latin America and the rest of the world: https://ebmas.info/EBstreamingRM
Nathy Peluso Delights in DELITO 21 Jan 2021 3:30 AM (4 years ago)
Nathy Peluso dominates the screen in a series of badass dance moves and visuals that equally dole out attitude and lust in the new music video for her song, “Delito.” It’s sexy, strong and sassy… igualita que la Nathy. This is the fourth single from her debut album Calambre.
“The song describes an intoxicating relationship that is mixed with desire and lust which sees Nathy flip the male gaze.”
“Delito” was written by Nathy with music produced by Rafa Arcaute and Fede Vindver as well as RVNES (Kali Uchis) and Pearl Lion (Bad Bunny, Juice WRLD).
More about Nathy Peluso
Nathy is currently nominated for “Best New Artist” in the Premio Lo Nuestro 2021. This follows her two Latin GRAMMY 2020 nominations, “Best New Artist” and “Best Alternative Song.” Nathy performed her nostalgic R&B jam “Buenos Aires” on the November awards show with the legendary Fito Paez.
On her bold debut ‘Calambre,’ the Barcelona-based, Argentine-born artist, shows off her stylistic versatility, including sharp hip hop, sleek retro R&B, even a modern take on old-school salsa.
“I don’t want to please. I want to provoke,” Nathy explains.
She might shock you. She might crack you up. You can’t ignore her. Nathy is a larger-than-life consummate performer with a histrionic personality; a much-needed antidote to the sameness of current Latin urban and pop.
Nathy Peluso was born and raised in the working class neighborhood of Saavedra in Buenos Aires. When she was 10 years old, her family moved to Alicante, Spain, in search for better economic opportunities. She grew up in a music-loving household, listening to a wide range of artists from Gloria Estefan and Caetano Veloso to Argentine rock such as Pappo’s Blues and folk like Atahualpa Yupanqui, while attending dance classes and singing in her local chorus.
As a teen, with a smartphone in hand, she discovered hip hop through artists such as Notorious BIG, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent and Timbaland. Even though Nathy couldn’t understand the lyrics, she was immediately enthralled by hip hop’s attitude and irreverence. Early on, she discovered she could rhyme just as she could harmonize, as evidenced in fan favorite anthem “Corashe,” and 2020 banger “Business Woman.” Likewise, she thrives creating characters, making up accents and easily code switching between styles, genres and languages. “I get really bored being the same person. I like to dig for characters inside of me. Sometimes for drama, sometimes to laugh, cry or get angry. It’s all a reflection of what I have inside me, that intensity.”
90s and early to mid-2000s pop culture influences such as Missy Elliott, Christina Aguilera, and Beyoncé are vividly represented in ‘Calambre’ (which means “electric shock” in Spanish). “I just love the records from that era, the melodies of the catchy hooks and the over-the-top pop aesthetics,” she says.
Visceral and vulnerable, sexy yet nonconforming, onstage and online, Nathy’s passion and unique sensibilities are charming fans all over the world. Before getting signed by Sony, Nathy released two independent EPs that made a splash in the underground urban and alternative scenes in Spain: 2017’s breakthrough ‘Esmeralda’, a collection of singles; and 2018’s ‘La Sandunguera,’ in which she channeled an ironic, liberated version of a Latina femme fatale. With the success of ‘La Sandunguera,’ Nathy played in her native Argentina for the first time and made her North American debut at the Latin Alternative Music Conference [LAMC] in New York City’s Central Park.
“My career is entertainment, not just music,” says Nathy of the fearlessness that drives the overarching concept for the album, including the Grace Jones-inspired album cover. “I’m the one who takes the plug and causes the shock – of passion, happiness, whatever it is, I want to stir people’s guts without them being able to contain themselves.”
| TO LEARN MORE ABOUT NATHY PELUSO, PLEASE VISIT: https://www.instagram.com/nathypeluso/ https://twitter.com/NathyPeluso https://www.facebook.com/nathy.peluso/ |
Press release provided by Paul Dryden.
Black Pumas To Perform at Celebrating America While Releasing Singles Ftg Covers of Rodriguez’s “Sugar Man” and “Colors” with Hypnotic Brass Band 20 Jan 2021 1:05 PM (4 years ago)
Today the GRAMMY®-nominated Austin duo Black Pumas release their Spotify Singles – a cover of the iconic 1970 Rodriguez song “Sugar Man” and a reworking of their hit single “Colors,” which is currently nominated for Record of the Year at the 2021 GRAMMY AWARDS®.
The new version of “Colors” features the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, the incredible Chicago octet of brothers who have previously collaborated with Prince, Gorillaz, Childish Gambino, and Erykah Badu.
“I was floored to see someone take something so specific to me and unapologetically integrate an eclectic blend of hip hop, jazz, and funk to speak their piece,” says frontman Eric Burton of the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble collaboration. “It felt good to be invited back to my family’s home city of Chicago in this way.”
“Reimagining ‘Colors’ was no easy feat, so if we were going to try it, it had to be different or it wasn’t worth doing,” says producer and bandleader Adrian Quesada. “I heard a song by the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble on a bike ride one day and their rhythmic phrasing on it reminded me of Eric’s guitar part. They knocked it out of the park with the arrangement they sent, so we didn’t have to do much but re-sing and add some icing on the cake. It was an honor to collaborate with them.”
Of the Rodriguez cover, Quesada says, “‘Sugar Man’ is one of those songs we’ve both been attracted to for years, from Rodriguez’s songwriting and performance to the production of Dennis Coffey, it’s inspired us in more ways than one and is one of those true timeless pieces of music. It was a total blast to dissect it and reinterpret in our voice.”
Driving more than four billion streams since the program began in 2017, Spotify Singles was created to give artists an opportunity to record new versions of their own songs, and the songs of the artists they love. The Singles scope includes a unique version of each artist’s own song (Side A) and a cover song of their choosing (Side B). To date, there have been over 300 Singles recorded as part of the program.
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Tonight, Black Pumas are thrilled to perform on Celebrating America, the official primetime special celebrating the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Hosted by Tom Hanks, the event features additional performances by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jon Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters, John Legend, Demi Lovato, Justin Timberlake, and Tim McGraw. Celebrating America airs tonight at 8:30pm-10pm ET/PT on ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, MSNBC, and PBS.
It will be streamed live at https://BidenInaugural.org/watch and on the Presidential Inauguration Committee’s social media channels:YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, andTwitch.
Last night, Black Pumas returned to The Late Show With Stephen Colbert with an incredible performance of “Colors” – watch it HERE.
Black Pumas have been nominated for three awards at the 2021 GRAMMYS® – Album of the Year, Record of the Year (for “Colors”), and Best American Roots Performance (for “Colors”). Black Pumas (Deluxe Edition) is available on ATO Records here.
theblackpumas.com | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Juan y Papá Ballena, una aventura ilustrada (John and Papa Whale, an illustrated adventure) 20 Jan 2021 10:23 AM (4 years ago)
In English below…
el cuento de Juan P. Soto para disfrutar en formato digital
Juan P. Soto, es un artista, ilustrador y director venezolano; creador de la historia de “Juan y Papá Ballena”, un inspirador cuento para toda la familia que nos recuerda la importancia de volver a nuestras raíces y enfrentar nuestros miedos. Con hermosas ilustraciones, fue creado para ser leído y disfrutado en familia desde cualquier pantalla. Esta es una verdadera aventura que nos adentra a un mundo imaginario, invitando a los más pequeños de la casa a cultivar el amor por la lectura. El cuento puede ser adquirido tanto en español como en Inglés, a través de distintas plataformas digitales.
Dirigido a padres, niñas y niños entre 5 – 9 años, Juan y Papá Ballena, narra las aventuras de un joven y su perro, quienes viven en medio del Océano, todo es perfecto y calmado hasta que reciben la visita de Papá Ballena, una majestuosa ballena azul que impulsará al protagonista a descubrir y recordar a su familia, amigos, sus primeros juegos y sueños. Desde ese momento el joven Juan vive una poderosa transformación personal que hará de esto el mejor aprendizaje que le podamos regalar a nuestros pequeños.
Juan y Papá Ballena, se encuentra disponible en formato digital desde el 16 de diciembre de 2020 por Amazon Kindle, Ppaperback y próximamente por Apple Books. Es perfecto para ser disfrutado en tablet porque fue diseñado totalmente en y para Ipad.
En palabras de su creador “…usé la app Procreate desde los sketches, diseños de personajes, hasta el desarrollo de las ilustraciones… Con esta historia quería hablar sobre las personas que se alejan de su país; cuando te olvidas de tus raíces y estás tratando lo mejor posible de lograr tu éxito, pero a veces uno se aleja de lo que uno más quiere, de su familia, de donde creció y donde vivió. Parece tonto, pero es tan importante no olvidar de donde uno viene y de donde uno es… A veces es bueno volver y re-visitar esos recuerdos, sobre todo los buenos, para recordar quiénes y de dónde somos realmente. Eso nos impulsa a conocernos y mejorar cada vez más…”.
Si quieres conocer más de este Artista, Ilustrador y Director venezolano vista sus redes sociales y contagiate de la magia de cada una de sus creaciones @jpsaart @juanpsotoa
REGALA Y DISFRUTA DE: Juan y Papá Ballena – en su versión Español o Inglés – Amazon Kindle, Paperback y próximamente por Apple Books.
Juan P. Soto’s story to enjoy in digital format
Juan P. Soto, is a Venezuelan artist, illustrator and director; creator of the story of “John and Papa Whale“, an inspiring tale for the whole family that reminds us of the importance of returning to our roots and facing our fears. With beautiful illustrations, it was created to be read and enjoyed as a family from any screen. This is a true adventure that takes us into an imaginary world, inviting the little ones of the house to cultivate a love for reading. The story can be acquired both in Spanish and English, through different digital platforms.
Aimed at parents, girls and boys between 5 – 9 years old, John and Papa Whale, tells the adventures of a young man and his dog, who live in the middle of the Ocean, everything is perfect and calm until they receive the visit of Papa Whale, a majestic blue whale that will drive the protagonist to discover and remember his family, friends, his first games and dreams. From that moment on, young Juan experiences a powerful personal transformation that will make this the best learning experience we can give our children.
Juan and Papa Ballena, is available in digital format from December 16, 2020 by Amazon Kindle, Ppaperback and soon by Apple Books. It is perfect to be enjoyed in tablet because it was designed totally in and for Ipad.
In the words of its creator “…I used the Procreate app from the sketches, character designs, to the development of the illustrations… With this story I wanted to talk about the people who move away from their country; when you forget your roots and you are trying your best to achieve your success, but sometimes you move away from what you want most, from your family, from where you grew up and where you lived. It seems silly, but it is so important not to forget where you came from and where you are from. Sometimes it is good to go back and revisit those memories, especially the good ones, to remember who and where we really are. That drives us to get to know each other and to get better and better?
If you want to know more about this Venezuelan Artist, Illustrator and Director, check out his social networks and get to know the magic of each of his creations @jpsaart @juanpsotoa
GIVE AND ENJOY: John and Papa Whale – in its Spanish or English version – Amazon Kindle, Paperback and soon by Apple Books.
– Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator-
George Calendar Presents Lente Oscuro aka Calypso feat Claude 19 Jan 2021 11:45 PM (4 years ago)
Press release translated by DeepLTranslate
Taking as inspiration the myth of Calypso, within Greek mythology, George Arthur Calendar shows us the second single of what will be his new album. Located within a postmodern reality, this song raises the idea of love and its different versions.
The atmosphere of the song is constant at all times but it has different flashes in its synthesizers and bass lines… to describe them more precisely GAC defines it as an acidic and futuristic song for a piano bar.
“Now I see clearly, the fog has cleared. The story of this song expresses the duality of love and all its stages. I feel that the song brings hope and the awareness that everything is passing, and no matter how thick the fog is, the wind will carry it away.
The message is that if we are going to hold on to something, let it be the idea that everything is passing, everything is temporary, if you are sad, you will be happy, if you are hurt, you will heal, and so on.”
For this song, Claude, a friend of George who she met at some shows in Chicago, joins in. “I met Claude when I was still playing with Wawy ID, and we’d see each other at shows and through common friends until one day Claude’s Latin roots came up in a conversation about her mother. That’s when the idea of collaborating together was born.”
“Because of the pandemic we worked remotely and after some recorded takes of the song we arrived at the final result of the song, where Claude also collaborated with the lyrics.”
“Lente Oscuro aka Calypso” has a lo-fi video that tells us the journey of a young man who watching infomercials alters his reality and is transported in a section of bizarre moments. “The twist of the video clip is that we see that all the imagination of television is the same as that of our character.”
NEW Venezuelan Rap in Ciudad Moderna by Loreana 16 Jan 2021 6:00 AM (4 years ago)
Press Release
A powerful message with flow…
Loreana never ceases to amaze us. She started 2021 with the song, “Ciudad Moderna,” a single produced by Sebastian Núñez [@sebasplay] at Chocolate Music Studio [@chocolatemusice]. Both gave this track a POP-RAP style, which tells a story to reflect on the present and the future; on our values and those internal concepts that drive us to be better. Without a doubt, it is a social critique that invites individual awakening and escape from daily indoctrination.
The Venezuelan, currently living in Miami, has also promised the release of her first album later this year. At 25 years of age, she has established herself as one of the most promising Venezuelan musicians in the world of rap and hip-hop. She has been gaining more and more popularity in the music industry and definitely wants to make 2021 a very important year for her career as a soloist.
Loreana, born in Maracaibo, once again gives us a theme loaded with energy and personality. Learn more about Loreana here: @loreanalonigro
El Dusty Samples Classic Riff with Chucho Ponce, Los Daddys, and Mariano Herrera 15 Jan 2021 7:16 AM (4 years ago)
For Immediate Release
“Sax Riddim” Out TODAY On Americano Label
Multi-talented Producer El Dusty presents his newest collaboration, “Sax Riddim” with Mariano Herrera, Chucho Ponce & Los Daddys. The new single is out today, January 15, 2021 on Americano Label.
Embedded in the crate-digging and turntablist culture, El Dusty first indulged his vinyl obsession when he inherited a massive record collection from his Uncle. Among the many gems collected over a lifetime was Lafayette Afro Rock Band’s ‘Darkest Light’ record. The notable saxophone riff from the record has been sampled by award winning and chart-topping songs. From Just Blaze’s work on Jay-Z’s “Show Me What You Got,” to Wreckx n Effect’s classic “Rump Shaker,” and Public Enemy’s song “Show Em’ What You Got.”
For this song, El Dusty teamed up with Chucho Ponce & Los Daddys along with his longtime collaborator and fellow producer Mariano Herrera to take the power of cumbia to new levels with Lafayette Afro Rock Band’s ‘Darkest Light’ sax riff. The new track, “Sax Riddim” hits hard on the signature stylings of Chucho’s guitar riffs and equally matched by El Dusty’s crate digging and beat chopping production fused with deep 808 grooves creating their own flavor of cumbia trap. Longtime friends El Dusty, Mariano, Chucho Ponce & Los Daddys have always found themselves in the studio for a session or two whenever Los Daddys were on a U.S. tour. Out of these sessions the instrumental “Sax Riddim” was born and recorded at El Dusty and Mariano’s studio Produce Sound Studios in Corpus Christi, TX. The classic sample laid the groundwork for the tune and named itself with Chucho Ponce adding in Jamaican/Sonidero styled toasts.
El Dusty comments, “This is the first time I’ve cleared a sample as big and familiar as ‘Darkest Light.” I hope that we can hold up to the many classics that have been made from this tune. As a crate digging producer, there is a certain unspoken rule to sampling songs that have been used before, and if you do it, it better be good.”
The new single is out on the tastemaker imprint Americano Label and is part of a year’s long worth of releases coming from El Dusty & the homies. In the meantime, can catch El Dusty’s livestream regularly on Facebook and Twitch, and pre-save the new song here: https://music.empi.re/saxriddim.