The Best Websites about Argentinian Music
26 November, 2010This is our selection of what we feel are the best websites devoted to music from Argentina. These aren’t sites peddling the new thing, or catering for rubbish whimsy and caterwauling nobodys, these are sites all about devoted, impassioned individuals who happen to play a bit of music, and like to have a good time. If you feel we have missed anyone out please jump into the comments section and let us know about it!
Zona Indie – a mightily fine blog which is, in its own words and translated badly by myself: “dedicated to spreading the word about independent music in and around Buenos Aires.” We therefore get a steady stream of news, videos and music from some of the great artists either hailing from Buenos Aires, or who are playing there, or that are just really good. When writing this entry the blog featured entries on Onda Vaga, Javiera Mena and Marcelo Ezquiaga, which sums it all up really.
Mamushka Dogs – home to some of the finest indie music in Argentina. Mamushka Dogs is a record label releasing music by some of the finest new artists in Argentina, including A Banda de Turistas, Los Brazos Largos and Go-Neko! Best of all, it’s all free to download. Album after album of great indie and rock music, all for free – it really can’t be bad, and in fact it isn’t, it’s great! Find this out for yourself by listening to the mixtape Mamushka Dogs made for Sounds and Colours here.
ZZK Records – ZZK is the home of digital cumbia, helping the genre grow through its Zizek club and flourish via the records and tours which take Argentina’s digital cumbia artists all over the world. Artists include El Remolon, Tremor, Chancha via Circuito and Frikstailers. Read our interview with the label right here to find out more.
Sonido Ambiente – creators of original music videos for the likes of Norma, Onda Vaga, Faunos and Mañana en la batalla piensa en mi. Positioning itself as something of a TV station, with each episode acting as a glimpse into the work of a different Argentine indie group, this is a great place for discovering new music, music which can be enjoyed with your eyes also thanks to the delightfully saturated visuals (there is a definite hint of Vincent Moon here).
Premio Mr. E – this Mr. E fella is a bit of a legendary chap. Starting in 2008 he has been giving away his ‘Premio Mr. E’ to what he feels has been the best rock album of the year. Winners so far have been Norma in 2008 and Mi Pequeña Muerte in 2009. Who knows who will win in 2010? But if you want a bit of a sneak peek why not check out the article Mr. E wrote for Sounds and Colours, looking at what he believes are some of the finest Argentina has to offer.
Club del Disco – this site covers a wide variety of music, featuring many home-grown Argentinian rock, folk and indie performers, but also those coming from other countries to perform in Buenos Aires. True to its name it is also a club. I’m not entirely sure what joining the club gets you but I imagine it can’t be bad. I just like to look at their calendar and see what interesting Latin artists will be playing in BA.
La Pata Maldita – this is one of those great blogs that posts rare and forgotten albums that you never thought you’d be able to hear but now you can. This one has a bit of a Latin mix but definitely a strong Argentine flavour (I believe this is where the blog owner is from) and is a good place for doing a bit of research. There’s some great collections of Atahualpa Yupanqui for download here.
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