Customer Reviews

Narcotango (Arg)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Once thought by many to be a dying art form, tango shows remarkable resilience as its newest banner is being unfurled by young Argentines who have discovered and embraced the music as their own. Some diehards may find it hard to accept, but the only way that tango can survive as a focal point of Argentine culture is through continuous evolution. If one accepts tango only as it used to be, then it becomes reduced to a mere curiosity and tourist attraction. Innovative,once controversial but now beloved artists like Astor Piazzolla, Osvaldo Berlingieri, and Roberto Goyeneche led the vanguard of a new way of tango expression in the decades following the Golden Era; today artists like Carlos Libedinsky and American Glover Gill take up where they left off.
I first experienced Narcotango when a friend brought me a CD back from a dancing trip to Buenos Aires. When I first played it my first reaction was that the group did quite a good job melding the traditional with the new. I like tango in general, whether it be guardia vieja, orchestral, or nuevo tango. So I had no trouble accepting Libedinsky's marriage of tango and electronic dance club elements.
My favorites here are the slow and sultry Vi Luz y Subi', the trance-inducing Plano Secuencia, the melancholy of the guitar and violin based Otra Luna, the driving and jazzy Un Paso Mas Alla', the unusual take on Gardel's classic Mi Buenos Aires Queri..., the touch of Piazzolla in Trancetango, and the slow-burning Humo that closes tha CD.
I'm going to check out the Gotan Project and the Bajofondo Tango Club mentioned by some reviewers, but in the meantime Narcotango will get lots of play. If you like modern Argentine tango and haven't heard this CD yet, then I recommend that you try it out. I'm certainly glad that I was turned on to it!

Yes, the album gets a little depressing toward the end and the samba/salsa/tango mix of Mi Buenos Aires is a little on the 'if', but do not despair. If you're a tango dancer into unconventional movement, this will be fun for the dance floor LATE into the night (that's why the album was created anyway) or at those melancholic milongas when not enough follows arrive early.

Summer of '04, I had the opportunity to hear the group live in Buenos Aires during the 2nd world tango championships, and let me tell you, the dancers really brought every agonizing nuance to life. Like I said, as far as dancing, the album's best if your a hardcore nuevo addict, someone tettering along those lines, or even a seasoned milonguero looking to broaden those horizons. Of course, I HIGHLY recommend Bajofondo Tango Club as well as some of the greats such as Osvaldo Pugliese, Alfredo De Angelis, and Juan D'Arienzo. Besitos y sigue bailando!

This album is amazing. It's more sophisticated than Gotan Project or Bajofondo Tango Club, and deserves more recognition. It is also far better for dancing, and it makes you dance better, than do those albums. When I say 'dance' of course I mean Argentine Tango!

I'm a big fan of the tough and sweet old Tango masters: Di Sarli, D'Arienzo, De Angelis, Donato, Rodriguez, Canaro etc. ... and Carlos Libedinsky obviously likes them too! His compositions are thoughtful, emotional, playful, not repetitive, and yet ultra-modern. Recommended to anyone, of any generation, without hesitation.

This is great modern tango for lovers of liquid tango - new tango with an eclectic edge. I love dancing to almost every track and if only I could find enough great partners out there I'd be dancing non-stop as there's so much potential to create fantastic dances in response to it. However, if you're a non-dancer this is still a great CD with wonderful tracks that will be great backdrops for any laid-back social gathering or to chill out with a coffee on a lazy Sunday morning.

Narcotango is a great CD...especially for slower paced Argentine Tango dancing. It is haunting and pulsating and allows one to dance in a creative and flowing way. At times the pieces kind of run together...lacking distinct individuality...but overall it is a great dance CD.

This Cd contains about three or four danceable tracks, and it is without any question one of the best electrotango-albums.
Yet some of the beats sound quite amateurish, and some of the bandoneon melodies are not relaxed and smooth enough to be "electrotango".
The result is music that is not groovy and cool enough to be played in Dance clubs and Lounge bars, but is great for experimental milongas where people don't go bananas if they have to listen to electronic music that is a bit unhip.
The tracks are not very repetitive, and thats a great plus anyway.

The album is good except for the production that is a very low budget effort. Anyway after hearing the record i wanted to kill myself.It is a little bit depressing I guess. The midi sounds are out of use now but I keep hearing them on the cd.

Worth having. Better than a lot of the dirge out there. It's a bit half-baked compared to Narcotango2 (a far superior album). In fact, it sounds a bit like a dry-run of Narcotango2. If you're new to the genre, go with Gotan.

Great dvd. I heard the band live at a milonga in Buenos Aires, Argentina and it took my breath away. I had never heard anything like it. Simply gorgeous music...especially if you tango or bellydance!

I went to Argentina last March and went to a street fair in San Telmo. A vendor was selling a CD of techno tango music....loved it the first time I heard it. I have a number of modern tango CDs and I think Narco Tango is the best one.