The Latin Grammy's are tomorrow Thursday November 21st. In preparation for the biggest night in Latin Music, Latin Times spoke with Juan Campodonico composer, musician and producer from Bajofondo which has been nominated for three of the biggest awards of the night for their album "Presente": Album of the Year, Instrumental Album of the Year and Best Alternative Song for the track "Pena En Mi Corazon."
Bajofondo is a group made up of eight musicians who create a musical sound inspired by the culture on either side of Rio de la Plata. As Campodonico explains, "Rio de La Plata is the river that divides Argentina from Uruguay, but for us it's really a river that joins us together, because for ten years now we have been four Argentinians and four Uruguayans working together."
This is the key to Bajofondo's incredible sound: they are a blend of tango, electronica and a multitude of other local and international influences. Campodonico says that this eclecticism is what truly defines the group: "we were first labeled as 'electronic tango.' I never disagreed with the label, but we have so many other influences: pop, rock, hip-hop and other folkloric sounds...it is really a contemporary expression of the music of this valley."
Bajofondo's first album, Bajofondo Tango Club, was met with tremendous success: it won a Latin Grammy for best Pop Instrumental Album back in 2003. Bajofondo's second album, Mar Dulce was similarly well received by fans, featuring artists such as Nelly Furtado and Gustavo Cerati.
With Presente, Campodonico admits that this "is a new stage for us, a kind of reinvention of the group." While Campodonico lauds the participation of previous guest artists, this new album "is a lot more focused on the band." Significantly, this is the first album where the members of the group themselves perform the vocals.
As Campodonico admits, "the style of Bajofondo is now recognizable as a musical personality." When asked why the group's unique sound has been met with such success, Campodonico credits the fact that they are a group of many influences: "we're not your typical group of four guys from the same neighborhood. We're from all over."
Indeed, Latin American music seems to have taken over the alternative and world music scenes to some extent. Campodonico offers some explanation into this phenomenon: "American music, and I mean music from the whole continent not just the USA, is a very new music to the rest of the world. It's a music that is a mixture of so many different sounds: African music, Latin music, and indigenous music, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese music. This has given it great interest around the world."
For Campodonico this album is somewhat of a culmination for the group's work, for while it only took two years to record, "Presente" was really ten years in the making. Key to the album's success also was multiple Grammy and Oscar-winning producer Gustavo Santaolalla who Campodonico admits "has been a huge inspiration for me, he really shaped me as a producer." However he emphasizes the fact that "all our members have played a key role in this album. We are made up of some incredible musicians."
Indeed the incredible eclectic mix of musical styles and international influences seems to have paid off with three Latin Grammy nominations. While Campodonico suggests that "this is the world of art where winning prizes is not the ultimate goal" he admits that "the recognition is really nice. It's great to know people are enjoying our music."
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