Bajofondo’s Presente Is an Energetic Tour de Force
By Jane Croft
Bajofondo’s album Presente is now available through Sony Masterworks. That’s your cue to rejoice, world. This band creates music that bleeds passion, with jabs of shocking funk scattered throughout. It’s amazing.
Bajofondo official photo by Pix Talarico ~ courtesy of facebook.com/bajofondo
Presente is Bajofondo as you’ve never heard it before. The band creates the contemporary sound of the Rio de La Plata, the river that both separates and unites Argentina and Uruguay. Unlike previous efforts that dropped energetic dance floor bombs from the get-go, the new album opens on a low-key, string-based note: it’s the mysterious beginning of a brand new Bajofondo trip that takes the listener to the high-octane energy of its live shows and its ingenious experimentation in the studio. It’s as if every track could be set the ambiance of the greatest spy movies ever.
The production team of Santaolalla and guitarist Juan Campodónico have once again captured the common links and individual features of the music found on both sides of the river, but this time with a decidedly international approach that turned Presente into Bajofondo’s most ambitious album to date.
The Latin Grammy-winning will tour throughout North America in March and April in support of Presente ~ an epic 21 track high-energy tour de force that seamlessly blends a multitude of traditionally dichotomous genres.
The incredible group also recently released the colorful animated “Pide Piso” video directed by band founder and producer Gustavo Santaolalla. The animated video imagines the track as a 1980s 8-bit video game with romance on the streets of Latin America at its heart.
Bajofondo is slowly spreading across all platforms of media ~ maintaining infectious music at its heart ~ and we are lucky enough to witness it.
Bajofondo @ SXSW
3/13: Radionica Showcase, co-sponsored by KCRW @ Austin Convention Center, Radio Day Stage, 2pm
3/14: NPR Showcase w/ Café Tacuba @ Auditorium Shores Stage, 6pm
3/16: National Geographic showcase @ At The Stage on Sixth, 1am
North American Tour Dates
3/18: Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda Theaters
3/19: San Francisco, CA @ Bimbos
3/21: Seattle, WA @ Neumos
3/24: Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural center
3/25: Chicago, IL @ Old Town School of Folk
3/27: Boston, MA @ Paradise
3/28: New York, NY @ Stage48
3/30: Pittsburgh, PA @ Rex Theater
4/2: Washington DC @ 9:30 Club
4/4: San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Cuartel De Ballaja
4/5: Miami Beach, FL @ North Beach Bandshell