Some funny stuff is going on with reggaeton. I've watched as one particular salsera who was initially pretty resistant to it, if not outright hostile, has decided that maybe it's not all bad after all, and maybe it could even end up having a lot of the social relevance that salsa had in the 70s. (Heck, I used to say 99% of it was crap, but I don't find myself saying that any more.)
While reggaeton might not be the exact type of next big thing certain sectors were looking for, it's making a big impact in Puerto Rico (well, it already had, obviously), throughout Latin America, among and Latinos in the US. Also, the frequency enthusiasm with which reggaetoneros and salseros are collaborating is pretty striking. (Unfortunately, the salsa singers who get involved aren't always the most appropriate for collaborations with reggaetoneros. It tends to be based on the commercial status of the singer, rather than stylistic affinities. For example, you have Victor Manuelle collaborating with Tego Calderon on a recent compilations (Cocorocos), and yet someone like Luisito Carrion who has more of a street/calle vibe might be a more obvious choice. (Except where commercial considerations enter into it.) Or how about Jose Alberto even, who I think has a higher commercial profile than Luisito Carrion?
(None of this is to say reggaeton is necessarily going to gain a huge share in my listening habits, but it already has a larger slice than I would have expected at one point. Oddly, a lot of that is thanks to pandora.com. I might actually start buying some of this stuff.)
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Also, check out this in-depth Peter Scholtes article about reggaeton in Minneapolis:
http://citypages.com/databank/27/1355/article14906.asp?page=1
― Kali Pachanguero (RSLaRue), Wednesday, 29 November 2006 03:56 (seventeen years ago) link
Peter is the man. How many other weeklies have given reggaeton that kind of coverage (I doubt many). I also share his interest in New Orleans sounds, dc go-go, and the Clash...
I think Jose Alberto has appeared at multi-act concerts with reggaetoneros, so you would think he would be next to do a collaboration...Those hiphop mixtape outfits sell reggaeton mixes, I wonder if they have any reggaeton/salsa mixes...
― cornyrocker (DC Steve), Wednesday, 29 November 2006 18:03 (seventeen years ago) link
I've had the opposite reaction. When it came out I listened to it probably twice in the first 2 months I had it, and now I have it on constantly. It could use a bit of editing, if not for bad songs, just simpply for sheer length. (40-minute platters am I.)
I think Tego's stylistic exercises feel a lot more natural than Calle 13's. (I know, no one brought them into this.) Everything he does (on that record at least) seems like a natural outgrowth of his personality.
I mean, blues + reggaeton sounds like A Bad Idea, one that could easily descend into Wyclef Jean "do you see how novel this is? I am teh clever!"-isms, but "Mardi Gras" makes it sound like Tego does that shit in his sleep (in a good way).
Slow != bad.I didn't say slow, I said draggy, which rhymes with saggy.
I don't hate the album, I just don't find myself wanting to listen to it much, and wanting to skip more and more songs. I mentioned this to my friend N. yesterday and she said her Underdog playlist was now down to six songs. Anyway, I still think someone should lace his weed with some PCP.
I think Tego's stylistic exercises feel a lot more natural than Calle 13's.
That seems reasonable. Although artifice != bad.
― arthritic hand golden fist (RSLaRue), Wednesday, 13 December 2006 14:20 (seventeen years ago) link