Prezident Markon’s New Singles Round-Up (MOMO., Laiz & The New Love Experience, Twanguero, Tiago Caetano, Ases Falsos and more…)
15 July, 2024Phew, what a month! Elections in Britain and France, the European Championships, Wimbledon, le Tour de France – and all these new singles to get through. Right! Let’s get started…
MOMO.: “Jão”
Since I recently interviewed this charming man (Watch this space – Ed), we’ll start with a Brazilian singer-songwriter now domiciled in London who goes by the name of MOMO.. He’s mixing with the musical hipsters of north London and his forthcoming album Gira is a treat for the ears. While roughly half of it is built around long lazy grooves, the other half represents MOMO.’s stock-in-trade: concise melodious songs redolent of heroes from back home like Caetano Veloso. The first single from the album is all about a guy who likes to dance to samba songs in a gafieira. Jão, I’m told, is a kind of slang for the formal João. Equipped with such knowledge, maybe I could maybe go and mingle with the hipsters of Rio. Hey, Jão! What’s happening, man?
Laiz & The New Love Experience: “Carꞔará”
Here’s another expatriate Brazilian singer with an album scheduled late summer/early autumn. Actually, I suppose you’d call this young hip-hopster a rapper, but whatever the label, this is damn fine. Laiz is based now in Hildesheim, Germany, having left as a teenager her Jehovah’s Witness family home in São Paulo. The B-side, “Tipo Assim”, features Eric Owusu from the marvellous Berlin-based Jembaa Groove.
Superfónicos: “La Verdad”
Those funky Colombians from Austin are back with another goody – and that’s “the truth”. Their current slice of “Caribe Soul” tells the story of a juglar, which translates as a troubadour or travelling musician, this one losing his mind as he searches for his lost love. But sometimes the craziest people harbour the deepest truths. The band members apparently ask that we dance towards a place in the mind beyond struggle and strife. What a splendid notion. And a rather splendid single.
Sonoras Mil: “Me Llaman Misterios”
Another Colombian outfit now similarly guaranteed to come up with the goods. They, too, it would appear, believe in the healing powers of dance. Both video and song suggest that resistance to their brand of psychedelic salsa is frankly futile.
Cimafunk with Monsieur Periné: “Catalina”
Certainly, the rise and rise of Cimafunk would appear irresistible. Here is the serial collaborator, this time in the company of Bogotá-based ensemble Monsieur Periné, whose lead singer Catalina Algafloja seems to be enjoying her eponymous time here in front of the cameras. We all probably know about Cuba’s Cimafunk by now; Monsieur Periné’s profile, however, is maybe not quite so global despite winning Colombia’s national gold album award with their 2012 debut and winning a Latin Grammy three years later for best new artist. Together they make sweet funky music.
Panteón Rococó with Carín León: “No Sé”
The Mexican group whose 10th album is in pre-production has recently embarked on a tour of the Czech Republic and Germany, to be followed by North America. The single should whet the appetite of festival- and concert-goers. It’s a very suitable collaboration with Grammy-winning specialist in regional Mexican music, Óscar Armando Díaz de León Huez, who maybe had good reason to adopt the snappier stage name of Carín León.
Baile do Mestre Cupijó: “Morena do Rio Mutuacá”
Another specialist in regional music was the legendary Brazilian bandleader and composer Mestre Cupijó, who updated the sound of the indigenous festive siriá music from his native northern Amazonian state of Pará during a musical career that was cut short by his death in 2012. The estimable Analog Africa label resuscitated his music soon after and this 11-piece outfit continues to keep the flame burning. The clip is taken from a complete show that you can also find on YouTube, which took place on the 21st June with guest appearances by Dona Onete and others.
Twanguero: “Fue tanto el amor”
Twanguero! Now there’s a splendid moniker for a guitar-based band. Señor Twanguero is none other than Diego Garcia, born in Spain, based in LA and seemingly specialist in all styles Latino. This one’s a bolero with distinct shades of Ry Cooder, and he sees “the world going crazy and [he thinks] that [he] can offer some calmness with a bolero with congas and a haunting, nostalgic sound – honouring our past but looking to the future.” Works a treat, I reckon, and I love that pedal steel. I look forward to Twanguero’s 7th album due at the end of September, Panamerica. Twanguero… a name to conjure with.
Tiago Caetano: “Só Quero Viver”
It’s high time we had something sweet and delicious. Ice cream anyone? No? How about this succulent song from an expatriate Brazilian minstrel – another in the line of Sessa, Bruno Berle et al, it would appear – who was born in Rennes, one of my favourite French cities [A very good record shop there and good crèperies – Ed] and is based now in Paris. As far as my limited Portuguese will tell me, it’s his first single from his first album due em novembro, and it was recorded in France, then mixed by the splendid Leonardo Marques in Brazil. Very nice – but then I’ve always had a bit of a sweet tooth.
Jackie Mendoza: “Besos y Café”
A charming song and video now from a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who was born in California and grew up in Tijuana. The single, described as a psychedelic cumbia pop song (and I certainly wouldn’t take issue with that), seems to come from Jackie Mendoza’s debut album on ZZK Records, Galaxia de Emociones.
DJ Andino: “Panamericana”
After all that sugar we need some electronic dance music to cleanse the palate. Andrès Feldman – or DJ Andino to the dancers at the Namasté club in Ibiza, where this Argentinean music-man lives and performs – is a multi-faceted artist, who directs films, makes pre-Columbian ceramics (don’t ask) and runs one of the apparently best ice cream parlours in Europe. This is one of three tracks from his debut EP, Baila Contigo.
Ases Falsos: “Fresco y desubicado”
The Chilean “Latin alternative rock” band once known as the Fother Muckers have decided to take an indefinite break after the release of this chapter-closing single. The title translates as “fresh and misplaced”, which may or may not have something to do with an an encounter with a giant mouse on entering their rehearsal room at the beginning of the recording session. Outside of their native Chile, they’ve built up quite a following apparently in Peru, Mexico and Argentina, so one hopes that they will rise from the ashes of their indefinite break to strike another guitar chord.
Los Tipitos & Andrés Calamaro: “Silencio”
A little more rock now, courtesy of the venerable Argentinean group formed in Mar del Plata back in 1994. No wonder they’re looking a little grey these days. If my minimal Spanish doesn’t deceive me, the single re-visits one of their most popular releases, Armando Camaléon from 2024. For the 20th anniversary, they’ve hooked up with national treasure and Argentinean rock icon, Andrés Calamaro. The result is something every bit as polished as one might imagine, even if it sails close to the hull of yacht rock.
STEFA: “Sonambula”
“With each of Stefa’s songs,” according to Them, “the crowd sank deeper into a cocoon of self-love too often denied to trans and nonbinary people in everyday life.” As far as I know, I’ve only once in my life engaged in a spot of somnambulism, but there’s certainly something trance-like about the current single from the Colombian-American artist raised in Queens, New York, recorded with cohorts from the Combo Chimbita outfit. It’s taken from STEFA’s album memorably entitled Born With An Extra Rib.
Disstantes, BNegão, Seu Cris – “Sangre de Barrio”
We’ll wind up where we started with a couple more from Brazil. First off, a rap group from Rio who manage to transform a cumbia beat into something ear-catching by fusing rap and electronic music. The song apparently speaks of the strength and resilience of pan-Afro-Latin American communities. I’ll just have to take their word for it.
JR.Bass: ” Baião em Zabelê”
I’m fairly sure that this innovative musician and composer has featured on this site before. If not, he should’ve done. This is a heavily atmospheric fusion of different rhythms and styles from the country’s north-east – and in particular, as the title suggests, the traditional baião rhythm. The artist’s catchy strap line could be, “celebrating regional traditions while pushing musical boundaries.” I’d ask for a contribution to the Prezident Markon Foundation, only I stole it from the publicist.
That’s quite enough for this month. Apologies to anyone I might have missed, but your busy MC selector has got to put down his mouse, take up the secateurs and dead-head some roses. It’s all go at the prezidential palace. Be seeing you…
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