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Bajofondo, formerly known as Bajofondo Tango Club, is an Argentine-Uruguayan tango fusion collective led by Grammy-winning producer Gustavo Santaolalla. Bajofondo fuses acoustic tango with electronic music in a contemporary style representative of the Rio de la Plata music scene in the 21st century. Bajofondo is touring 78 cities in the U.S. this year--including D.C.'s infamous 9:30 Club--to promote it's newest album, Presente.
BAJOFONDO - SECRET MISSION
Jessica Zappia for Tango Dancers Blog
But beyond Santaolalla, on the stage, Bandoneonista Martin Ferres has always been the rock star and center of attention. He plays his instrument as both a musical and theatrical tool. He hops up and down on his right leg, so much so that you can see a noticeable difference in his left and right calf muscles through his skinny jeans. But Presente highlights the other members of the band in a fun way, through instrument swaps and vocals. Particular highlights from Presente included drummer Adrian Sosa doing vocals while violinist Javier Casalla covered the drums on Cuesta Arriba. The surprising role switch captivated me. I seemed to pay more attention to them now that they were playing “foreign” instruments.
Exploring, changing, growing – I’m a fan. I’m along for the ride. But this is my confession as a tanguera: my favorite song on the new album is La Trufa y El Sifon, the song that probably most resembles their previous albums. I understand the need to evolve, but I sincerely hope that tango will continue to be a strong and present influence in future albums. Ultimately, whatever strange and wonderful influences drove the creation of Presente, Bajofondo accomplished its mission: TO DANCE.
© Jessica Zappia / Tango Dancers Blog