Gotan Project in Montreal this Sunday!

[Guest Low Roller]

Gotan Project, one of my favorite bands, will be playing in Montreal two nights, Sunday and Monday, at the Spectrum.

For those of you who have not heard of Gotan Project here is a transcript from their web page:

“...Fusion of world music dance music are almost ubiquitous but Gotan are exceptional. They are real live musicians, a band led by the classic tango bandonéon (accordion), with guitar, violin and piano, and an accomplished Argentine singer, Cristina Vilallonga. Behind this group, beat-programmers Philippe Cohen-Solal and Christoph Mueller subvert the traditional instrumentation into a dubbed-out, funky groove. It’s an irresistible mix, and if you missed the show, almost as cool, on their disc, La revancha del Tango...”

I'll say it now: Gotan Project has nothing to do with jamband music. But if trip-hop or lounge sparks your interest, and most definitely tango, then check them out!

Gotan Project

I may head down from Ottawa for the show, but as of yet, I am totally undecided. I can be easily convinced.

[M]

Here's an article in this week's NOW magazine on them.

TANGO IN PARIS

GOTAN PROJECT TAKE TANGO TO THE CLUBS

***GOTAN PROJECT at the Opera House (735 Queen East), Saturday (October 25). $25. 416-870-8000.***

There are few sounds that haven't already been hoovered up by dance music. Whether it''s the beat-heavy rhythms of Brazilian samba and Afrobeat or less likely styles like Finnish jazz, Chinese folk music and Bollywood breaks, they''ve been sampled, stolen, reworked and recontextualized.

Gotan Project found one of them.

The Paris-based trio is the first group to bring the seductive sound of Argentine tango to the contemporary dance floor. Mixing acoustic instruments, 3 am vocals and wheezing bandoneons with softly shuffling house beats, their La Revancha Del Tango disc knocks the stately milongas of Astor Piazzolla into the 21st century.

The result sounds organic, a little unearthly and entirely unlike anything else. And it''s caught on. La Revancha Del Tango has gone from being a cult underground hit to a mainstream success that''s sold almost a million records and become the sophisticated café platter of choice around the world.

One explanation for the fact that no one thought of it before them is that so many others had already discounted the music.

"I was completely ignorant about tango before working on this project," admits Gotan Project founder Philippe Cohen Solal from a Vancouver tour stop. "I thought it was old music, which is completely wrong. We''ve travelled all over the world with this, and in every city there are young people dancing tango every week."

Cohen Solal''s goal was to make a record that would appeal specifically to these dancers but also take the music further out.

"We could have put down a dance loop and asked a bandoneon player to improvise over it," he reasons. "That would sound like tango and a bit Argentine, but it wouldn''t be very interesting, because it would have been a collage. We wanted to go deeper into the music of Argentina and also get involved in the whole culture of tango, from the images and the fashions to the politics.

"The good thing is that because we were the first to do this mixture, there were no rules. We can do exactly as we want and what we want to hear."

La Revancha Del Tango sounds like an Argentine record, not like a record made by three Paris electronic music heads. Even though dub echoes and plenty of obvious studio tricks run through the tracks, cuts like Triptico and El Capitalismo Foráneo sound live and keep their rootsy appeal.

"We wanted to keep that raw sound," Cohen Solal confirms. "All the sounds we use are quite dirty, and we mix the feel of the acoustic instruments with the abstractness that a computer can offer to make it dreamier and dubbier.

"We were also inspired a lot by film music. We all do soundtrack work on the side, and that creeps in here. The music reminds me of the atmosphere of an Almodóvar film. Almodóvar is obviously Spanish, not Argentine, but he has that same sophistication and decadence."

As much as La Revancha Del Tango draws on Argentina for inspiration, it''s clear that the album could only have been made outside the country. Tango is like religion in Buenos Aires, where entire television and radio stations are dedicated to the music.

The real test of Gotan Project''s authenticity will come when they bring their new tango swing to Argentina early next year.

"Last year we were DJing in Buenos Aires. I was in a taxi coming from the airport," Cohen Solal says, "and said to a friend that maybe it was time to change some of the rules in tango music. The taxi driver just stopped, turned around and said in a tough voice, 'Tango will always be tango. There can be no change.''

"Our record has been bootlegged heavily in Argentina. That''s a good thing, because it means people are excited. The man in the car aside, I think people are excited about something new. It''s not pure tango, because there is no pure tango. Tango is already a fusion of African and European music.

"This goes just one step further."

Gotan Project’s Christoph Muller (left), Eduardo Makaroff and Philippe Cohen Solal

[Guest Low Roller]

Thanks M.

Like I said- nothing to do with jambands. Awesome nonetheless.

I'm there on Sunday night!

[Guest Low Roller]

Awesome. Fucking awesome.

The Spectrum was packed last night in Montreal (about 600 people) for Gotan Project and the band certainly did not dissapoint... violin, guitar, piano, accordion, DJ, beat-programmer, and a sexy Argentinian vocalist made up the band, and each of them outdid the previous with their blistering solos. The violinist was most impressive due to the pedals he was using with his violin. A sustain pedal, a sampler, and a weird pitch-shifter or something.

The band began the show behind a projection screen. On screen they would show weird visuals while the band was highlighted through the screen appearing more like ghostly apparitions than real people.

The DJ was spinning records, even going as far as mixing in Eminem while the beat-programmer dropped heavy bombs that still kept a very present tango influence.

The crowd forced them to several encores, constantly clamouring for more. The crowd was awesome: dancing, clapping, enjoying the show. It's a sharp contrast to the comatose crowd in Toronto for Radiohead.

Overall an amazing show that makes my top 5 for the year. They are playing in Montréal again tonight, so if you're in town I highly recommend it.

I'm considering going back tonight because last night was so awesome. I just don't feel like driving... so if anybody feels like going for a drive to Montréal tonight, let me know.