Hello friends, good vibes to all.
I am always a person who spends my time listening to music day and night, every time I have the opportunity to do it you can be sure that I will do it and it is in that infinite search for music where I rediscover things that I had once heard and others that turn out to be great gems. Certainly the Tiny Desk didn't come out yesterday or two years ago, in fact I think they have more than 12 years showing music the way they do.
For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, I'll quickly tell you about this phenomenon known on the internet as the Tiny Desk. It turns out that back in 2008 one of the producers of the NPR (a public radio station in the United States) when leaving a concert they were extremely upset because they could not appreciate the music well due to the large amount of noise produced by the people so as a game they said that the artist should play alone in a room. And it was as a result of that comment when finally months later the first Tiny Desk was recorded.
There have been MANY, MANY artists that have gone through this format but today I am only going to show you the ones that for me are the best in the Spanish language. Without further ado, here is my selection...
- Carlos Vives.
Latin music is synonymous with joy and joy equals Carlos Vives. Probably one of the most influential artists out there did this mini concert where it is evident that you don't need to have a great instrumentation to make a real party. With Carlos something happens and that is that his trademark is the accordion and the Colombian bagpipe, you may not know a song but if you listen to the characteristic sound of those instruments I am sure you will know it is him and that my friends is what makes artists great, that we don't need to hear them to recognize them. Anyway, a little more than 20 minutes full of rhythm and good music.
- Nicki Nicole.
Probably one of the BEST Tiny Desk I've ever heard; it's also likely that you don't know Nicole but it doesn't matter because today I'm introducing her to you. She is an Argentinian singer and songwriter who is relatively new in the artistic world, she will be about 2 years old, but that doesn't take away how talented she is. I chose this concert because of the amount of musical arrangements in it, if you listen to the original songs you will know what I'm talking about, but the truth is that the way it is produced, the way she sings and the quality of her musicians is unique. As with Carlos Vives, here we see and hear something particular and that is the "Bandoneón", a very common instrument in tango but here it is an incredible complement. Please listen to this girl, she is worth it.
- C. Tangana.
Top 3 of the best Tiny Desk that they have done in more than 10 years and look that they have passed name artists but is that the realization and the vibe that has ALL this mini concert is brutal, I do not know if I'm a big fan of C Tangana but the truth is that I think so. The women's choir, the Andalusian music and the presence of Carmona and Kike Veneno make this a musical gem; and if we add to this the hit "Tu me dejaste de querer" which is a union of bachata, Sevillian music and electronic music I think it's the icing on the cake. More versatility and fusion is hard to find nowadays.
- Ozuna.
Por temas de derechos no puedo poner el video directamente pero arriba les dejo el link para que lo vean.
Due to rights issues I can't put the video directly but above I leave the link for you to see it.
What happens with Ozuna is what happens with most urban music in general, which is nothing more than the stigmatization of it. What do I mean by this? - Well, because it is reggaeton for example, they automatically discard it and think it is of non-existent quality and there is no bigger mistake than that and proof of that is this Tiny Desk. When I listened to it the first time I was quite surprised by the quality but above all by the accompaniment of that second voice that makes the whole concert sound at a higher level. It's subtle, calm and pleasant to the ear, if you don't like the genre I understand but give yourself the opportunity to watch the video, it's worth the time.
- Los Hacheros.
The hidden treasure among so many Tiny Desk is undoubtedly this one. This is the typical Cuban son and salsa group that gets everyone out of their chairs, and the quality that can be noticed at first glance is undeniable. One of the things I liked the most was the versatility among its members, that is, the trombonist is also the violinist, the Güiro is the same of the flute who is also second voice, all have more than one talent and that tells us that we are facing real musicians. Salsa and son will always be underestimated, I don't know why, but I bring you some of the best groups I have seen in this format.
- Bonus track: Jorge Drexler.
The Uruguayan is, for me, one of the best artists, singers and songwriters in the Spanish-speaking world for quite some time now. The musicality, the lyrics, the way he transmits those lyrics, the rhythms, everything that is going to be in this Tiny Desk is pure gold. The thing about Drexler is that he makes like a mix between music and poetry/philosophy that in a way hypnotizes anyone because he is telling you a story with a very well done and very unique sound. Music needs more Drexler because there are not many artists like him left.
There were many more concerts left but in my humble opinion these are the ones that caught my attention the most for their quality of performance, for their sounds and because at some point they surprised me a lot with things I did not expect. Soon I will be back with the best Anglo-Saxon Tiny Desk.
¡Un abrazo a todos, nos escuchamos en la próxima!
Well my people that's all for today, I hope you liked it.
¡A hug to all of you, we'll hear you in the next one!