Customer Reviews

Bajofondo Tango Club

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

You've probably heard people say in response to something, "mmmmmm, that 's interesting." Pretty much that is the response you will have after listening to this disc that it is not tremendous on either side of the spectrum but good nontheless. It is much like Gotan Project's "La Revancha Del Tango." Comparing the two, since they seem to be the only groups exploring this side of the tango(a mixture of electronica elements, genre's and sub-genre's) I'd have to tip my hat to BTC mostly because of the production skills of Santoalalla( most everything he touches is gold) that results in a slick musical stew like some type of noveau French cuisine. This music is extremely relaxing with a sort of don't wake me up from this musical trip to lands unknown. In other words it is a little spacey but has just enough tango to keep your heart ticking, head swaying and wondering what curve is coming next on this musical journey. It is very eclectic and that is what makes it so interesting, there is that word again. There are dark passages along the way but overall this is a bright addition to the ever expanding electronica field. It many respects it is an entry into chill out music. When it is more upbeat, (check out the editorial review) remember the music is all over the map, it is as fresh as any dance music out there. Maybe it is my being partial to the female voice but when they cut into "Perfume"it sends my heart a reeling. The result is a song that sounds intoxicating. The bandeon throughout keeps the tango vibe, but the piano work binds it all together for a surreal atmospheric experience; it is like sipping a martini at the milky way cafe as a seductress approaches and you offer her a rose and she places it between her teeth and smiles an invitation to tango. To really capture all the sounds that are weaved together this disc should be experienced with headphones a todo volumen(at full volume). There is enough variety on this disc to keep it from being repetitive as the various time changes, pacing and styles give it a flow that doesn't leave you bored. It is a fine example of the meshing of the old and the new for something very interesting, there's that word again. It won't blow you away but you will think it is , you guessed it , interesting.

My first contact with this music was watching Mariano "Cicho" Frumboli and Eugenia dancing to "Bruma" at a tango festival, and I was just fascinated.
The potential in mixing tango with new sounds is overwhelming. So I bought the CD - and was a little bit disappointed.
The only track that is "alive", is actually "Bruma", the rest is more or less (quite nice) trip-hop/house music with some tango samples that never taps the full potential of this fascinating mix.
Anyhow - I would buy the CD again. Get it, listen to "Bruma" and hope with me that there will be more music like this one.
Note for Tango-DJ's: Unfortunately most tracks are not
danceable for the dancer at a milonga.

I've had Bajofondo Tango Club on my watchlist for a while. But recently discovering that Gustavo Santaolalla's label was behind this effort was the key to making me check them out. This is a musical collective from Argentina that blends in styles you'd never imagine combined, and it does so both, in style and very effectively. Tango is balanced against trip hop yielding a new form of sensual chillout music that you will find appealing from the first note. While this, the first effort by Bajofondo Tango Club, works on so many levels, I recommend a bit more that you check out "Supervielle". It's a bit fresher and experimental.

Many readers interested in this composition would be advised to recall such groups as Bond and Opera Babes, that have tried to give classical music a new twist. Admirable as their efforts were, neither was able to drag themselves from the classification of just being pretty girls with talent (sort of). Bajofondo is everything they wanted to be. Instead of plastering the cover of this ablum with a photo of themselves wearing sexy little outfits, bajofondo mearly has a close up photo of what appears to be women's crossed legs, clad in fishnets. This alluringly naughty photo seems an apt description of the sound of "Tango Club".

It's a brilliant melting pot of some of the coolest types of music around. Most people acknowledge any form or use of electronica as being an up to the moment sound, but what about the classic shiek and style of the tango? Both are acknowledged in this wonderfully sultry mix. every note is deliberate and important, tearing down musical walls other artist's only dreamed of conquering. Bajofondo is essential to every musical collection.

BajoFondo is a compilation of the eclectic electronic scene of Argentina. In the path of Gotan Project but with a strong electronic sound, the soul of tango works as a guest.
Featuring Adriana Varela, the most popular singer in Buenos Aires traditional tangoscene, Perfume is the best of this work, capturing both sadness of tango and the pulse of fine house.
The marriage between tango and drum n' bass and house is not so good as I like, but the downtempo tracks of Campo, Didi Gutman and Juan Blas sounds like if you're walking Buenos Aires by night.

I bought this CD because of the good reviews it had received on this site and in hope that it would be similar to Gotan Project's Revancha del Tango. Surprisingly enough, I find this album to be very different from Gotan. And not for the better.

I am no expert neither on tango nor on alternative electronic music. But I must say that it sounds to me like Gotan uses electronic sampling to enhance the tango, while Bajofondo uses tango to bring out the best in electronic sampling! There is not a single track on Bajofondo without a modern drum beat! Which I feel have no place in tango. It takes all the feeling out of it as far as I'm concerned and makes it too much like every other kind of music that floats around in clubs. Gotan hardly ever use a drumset - the rhythm in their music is supported by the more traditional instruments as well as by the sampling, which is exactly what makes their music stand out from the crowd.

Luckily, taste is a strictly subjective thing, and it seems that most other people are happy with this. But I decided to post my view on Bajofondo just in case there were others like me out there. To me, tango is a diamond in the rough and not meant to be something that fits the regular mould every time. This time, a regular drum beat is the mould being forced upon the tango, which is a great shame as some of the tracks could have been interesting without the infernal drums...

Tango is a mood. You don't listen to tango, you "feel" tango. Tango is a way of complaining about your unhappy moments in life, to understand it (and like it) you must have lived and suffered (a boy who left you, a girl who didn't pay attention to you) and when you are 18 there's not much that can put you in a tango way...
Nevertheless, 2002 was a though year in both sides of Rio de la Plata, we all felt tragic, nostalgic, no matter how old or young we were. And there it appeared, Bajodondo, the perfect sound for those who wouldn't listen to tango. The right mix of tango mood and DJs. There's a little bit of everything you must listen to, but sampled, so give tango a try!

The fusion of Tango Music and Techno does create a nice Chill Out Vibe. I purchased this CD down in Buenos Aires at the end of August 2003 and this album was still in the Top 30 Sales Chart. Not bad for a CD almost a year old. But don't take my word on how great this CD is (strongest tracks are #3 and #12), this CD was just recently the recipient of the 2003 Latin Grammy Awards for Best Pop Instrumental. I am a little surprised that Amazon does not flag award-winning albums in their search but should do so in the future! Give this album a try--you won't be disappointed!

If you're looking for traditional Tango music (brum-brum-bum ... bum .. bumpp, bumpp ...) this isn't for you.

However, this is an excellent trip hop CD that even brilliant mixmasters and composers such as The Thievery Corporation would be proud to call their own.

It is mostly tango presented trip hop style - for listening or dancing, you'll sprint from a tango hall to a rave within the same song.

Several tracks tread into garage, straight techno and electronica - less dance and trip hop but more ambient - a cool score to a crime caper set in Rio.

It's all excellent - only a minor quibble in that the tracks seem random instead of flowing into one another - there are definitely lots of tracks you want to grab for a mix whether you're having a boisterous party, mixing tracks as a DJ or something more intimate but to me personally, not a CD you can drop and just hit PLAY ... some assembly required :-)

You will like this music if you enjoy electronic - lounge - techno, that is the base, sometimes even some hip-hop fuzzy flavor. But over that base lies a complex variety of sounds of the beautiful tango of Buenos Aires and Uruguay. Not necesarily the full shape of a tango song, but just enough to produce a fascinating CD with an array of sounds that will take you on a trip to the Bajofondo.
I am waiting for more. (Actually, I just got more: "Supervielle", the latest release from BFTC is out and is as good as the original compilation.)