Monday, March 23, 2009

Koop (Sweden)



This group is nothing I would expect from Sweden. Swedes are so versatile. I was checking out a blog, the blog is on the list of blogs I follow, and the song was on the music player. Not to sound to cliche but I felt a bond between the pictures on the blog and the song. I never that way before and I was happy that I had discovered this new group. The blog is about Mexico City life viewed through the images of the creator. From that point on I would haul Koop in my iPod every time I'd walk around Mexico City.

There was a Jazz radio station here in NYC, Smooth Jazz 101.9, which no longer lives but there was always great music being played and I was an avid listener. A group like Koop would have been an ideal group to have on their rotation of music being played but the radio station never lived long enough for me to be able to present them with my thoughts about this. 

Of the 3 albums they have recorded I have been able to find via iTunes 2 of their albums, which I own: Waltz for Koop & Koop Islands. A song of Koop's which I will bring with me to he grave is Whenever There Is You. This song is too much to talk about. I do hope you come to listen and preview their albums because they are worth having. Thank you to that blog creator. 





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Sunday, March 15, 2009

Masters At Work (United States)




This is essential New York house music. I did not come to hear of Masters At Work until recently, about two years ago. I was watching, it was more like listening, a video on youtube; A song by Jamiroquai, Canned Heat, remixed my Masters At Work. I loved the remix that I wanted to find more remixes by Masters at Work. Another remix was to a song, I Like, by Shanice -have no idea who this was- and compared the original with this mix. The end result was an awesome remix.

The three albums I have of theirs are: Masters At Work: The Album, Nuyorican Soul, and Our Time is Coming. All are essentially New York, in other words the sound is a true New York House sound, I'm not great in describing certain characteristics. I will confess that of all the three albums I have fallen in love with a Single of MAW that you will not find on any of the albums: Pienso En Ti (House Mix) by MAW feat. Luis Salinas -a post of his to come soon. This one Single has been everything to me. If it is not on my iPod it's because that's not my iPod. 

If you really are interested in hearing this awesome Single, the best way is to look for it on iTunes and check out the 30-second preview, if it is still available, or search for it on google typing MAW feat. Luis Salinas Pienso en Ti (House Mix). I will guarantee that you will like the mix. 

I leave you with an awesome house duo from New York City and with music that was a part of a changing city during the 90's. 





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Friday, March 13, 2009

Ximena Sarinana (Mexico)



I was on one of my many week-and-a-half vacations in Mexico when I first heard Vidas Paralelas, a song by a very chill and very relaxing Ximena Sarinana. To me she is someone of Natalia Lafourcade -I will post about Natalia soon as well- other half. Both artist could be in the same category, to me. Vidas Paralelas would be one of those songs that would end up playing one too many times whenever I drove anywhere, of course I would never forget to listen to her in my iPod.  

A fellow blogger, Puebla Chic, is someone I have to thank for. If it were not for her I would have left this post for a much later time. To me it was better to post about her because her kind of music is one of the few that can actually help me relax and zone out, something I need the majority of the time. 

I was at the house of one of my cousins friend. My cousin, Laura, and her friend were bugging me when they found all the female artist, including Ximena, that I had in my iPod. They asked me how did I know about Ximena Sarinana because they were sure that here in the USA Ximena was not as popular as in Mexico. I tend to not listen to the radio when I find myself on vacation in Mexico because I always carry my laptop and listen to my iPod but I can't help being curious as to how radio programming in Mexico differs from the US. And that is how I came to listen to Ximena. That was my explanation to them.

Although she only has one album, the album I have, Mediocre, I am sure Ximena will record another because I will be one of her many fans waiting to download the album as soon as it is on iTunes. I am sure you will compare Ximena with someone that you may have heard of but Ximena is Ximena and not only is she a good musician she is a good actor... she was in Ninas Mal, aka Charm School. 





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Friday, March 6, 2009

Sara Montiel (Spain)



There is a radio program that I have been dedicated to since I could remember. This radio program, here in NYC, airs only on Sunday mornings from 8am to 12pm. It's called Senor Bolero and the majority of the songs are ballads from way back before I was born and probably during the times when my Mom was still learning how to walk. I can't explain why I became so fascinated with ballads, maybe I was exposed to this kind of music early in my baby years. I have been an avid fan of ballads and have been trying to collect as many songs and albums from the artist that are all over Latin American, the Caribbean and Spain. 

I may have heard of Sara Montiels music even before the internet and once I listened to one of her songs on a movie, Bad Education by Pedro Almodovar, "Quizas, Quizas, Quizas", I quickly bought an album of hers on iTunes. Ballads are not for everyone, thats a fact, like is music in general. Ballads however, have lasted forever, as it seems, and I have become one of the many that have fallen in love with this genre. 

Sara Montiel is an artist that takes me back into times I never lived in. It's something called helping me use my imagination and it's great. There I times when I start researching Design from the 70's because her music had overloaded my thoughts and I could not bare sitting around and not digging up info on what I had in mind. 

Sara Montiel is, was, and will probably be someone to never forget for those in love, in the same way as I am, with this genre. I had to write about Sarita, as she is also known, because I could not bare to watch Bad Education for the millionth time and hear her song.

The two albums I have of hers are: Un Placer and Viva La Diva


"Quizas, Quizas, Quizas" by Sara Montiel


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Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Violadores Del Verso (Spain)


Another Rap group! Let me be honest, after the great rap/ hip-hop of the 80's & 90's everything went down regardless of how much money was made on the garbage that was being produced. I hate to say that I hate certain music but when it comes to hip-hop you cannot call someone rapping about having killed people, art. It's garbage. 

The reason I love this group, other than pertaining to a genre I am still fond of, is because they do it better than artist here in the USA. It would be nice if people could understand more than one language. I think in Europe there are many people who know more than 2 or 3. Here all we know how to speak is English and Spanish. 

Back to this post, Violadores del Verso were, once again, a discovery. After having been fascinated with La Mala Rodriguez, another rapper from Spain, I found VDV because I wanted to hear more of this genre from Spain. 

The only album of theirs that I do have is Vivir Para Contarlo, their last album out. I have listened to a few songs from their previous albums and all I can say is this group is amazing. I'll say it again, it would be nice if some people would be able to understand languages other than their native language because there are some things worth listening to such as Violadores Del Verso. Good Group, Great Music.







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