Argentine “Renaissance Man” Axel Krygier prepares Pesebre, his first international release

By 10 September, 2010

After watching the video for “Pesebre” on Youtube last month, released in anticipation of the new album by Axel Krygier, also called Pesebre and which will be released by Crammed Discs on 27th September, it’s been impossible to keep my enthusiasm in check. Previous releases such as Echale Semilla, only released in Argentina, showed a real talent, and “Pesebre” really showed that talent blossoming. A funky, electronic tune not too far from bands such as The Avalanches and Air France it showed a move away from the worlds of ‘electro tango’ and ‘digital cumbia’ that he is normally associated with into more experimental territories.

Here’s what the press release has to say about Axel:

A vocalist, composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist, Axel Krygier is a central figure in the alternative music scene in Argentina, where he’s considered a modern-day Renaissance man, having run the gamut from playing in rock bands (including with La Portuaria, the ‘Argentinian Talking Heads’), writing scores for acclaimed playwrights, and being a forerunner of the digital cumbia movement. After two acclaimed albums in his own country, Pesebre is his first international release.

And this is what Pesebre is all about:

Pesebre means manger, but Axel Krygier’s Nativity is one where the Three Kings play Latino twist (as in the track Cucaracha), Peruvian surf music (Esclavo de Olor), bluegrass from the Andes (Serpentea El Tren) and electronic cumbia (Cumbieton Rutero), where Joseph is into tropical klezmer (La Fiera), the Child plays the melodica, and the Ox and the Sheep sing a carol to hip hop beats. The album was recorded in Buenos Aires. Axel produced, sang, played keyboards, clarinet, sax, accordion, bass and electronics, and his friend Manuel Schaller engineered and co-produced. Axel created the artwork, as well as the animation video for Pesebre.

Here is that video for “Pesebre”:

More info:
Crammed Discs
Axel Krygier’s Myspace


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