June 2006 | Art & Soul
Music Reviews
Lunatico
Gotan Project (GotanProject.com)
Tango is a dance of passion, a tryst of sanctimonious denial and release.
Born in the bordellos of Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the early 20th Century, it had, almost a century later, been relegated to the musty ballroom dance circuit — totally unhip and uncool. But in 2003, electronic outfit the Gotan Project released La Revancha Del Tango, a heady, bass-driven, club-oriented reworking of the “sexiest dance music in the world” — and the world sat up and took notice again.
Three years — and a lot of thought — later, these self-styled tangoholics bring us Lunatico, a sophisticated blend of modern sheen and authenticity to satisfy nostalgist and futurist alike. Recorded at ION studios, the fabled Buenos Aires studio which produced so many hits of the genre, and making use of ION studio musicians, Lunatico evokes past tango superstars like Carlos Gardel and Astor Piazzolla while leaving its own indelible imprint on the sound of tango for today.
The Gotan Project fleshes out this new tango palette with electronics and guest artists like Calexico, Jimi Santos and writer/historian Juan Carlos Caceres. Unlike much of contemporary synthesized and sampled tango — which they decry as “cynical” — Gotan Project sticks closely to the original architecture of tango throughout, weaving their own tapestry from tradition and possibility. The result is a very contemporary expression of the moonlit sensual ballet that is tango, eminently suitable for both listening and dancing pleasure.
— Derek Rath
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