Latin Noir invites the listener to an emotional discovery of melancholic rarities from the modern and traditional world of Latin Music.
Latin Noir presents the fifth edition of the exclusively packaged Série Noir by Piranha Musik in reference to an established genre for film and literature, darkly illuminating life’s brooding, melancholy landscapes. Previous releases in the series were Egypt Noir, Luso Noir and Brass Noir and Orient Noir.
The Latin Noir compilation features a selection of happy sad musical treasures from Cuba, Argentina, Colombia, New York and both sides of the Mediterranean Sea. If you are looking for hip-shakin’, hands-in-the-air party music for your next holiday cruise, this album is not for you. Latin Noir much rather pays a gloomy homage to a new generation of the wretched of the earth and their Sisyphean journeys between shipwreck and redemption, despair and hope.
The various musical styles on this deeply emotional journey span from the earthy, almost tango-like melancholy of the North Argentinian accordion via longing love songs of the Cuban Trova to touching laments about boat-refugees in a modern Latin-Mediterranean tinge.
Accordion master and Latin Grammy nominee Chango Spasiuk opens Latin Noir with Argentinian Chamamé music that fuses complex rhythms of African and Creole-Spanish immigrants with those of indigenous Mbya-Guaraní Indians and Middle European settlers.
The compilation includes rare musical treasures such as the Cuban Guaracha “La Negra Tomasa” which tells a tale about the haunting powers of the Mandinga culture. A version of the song was later made popular around the world by the Buena Vista Social Club under the title “Mandinga”.
Bonus track “La Patera” by Watcha Clan concludes the album’s journey with an emotional lament about the boat-refugees who try to break the borders between Africa and Europe.
Latin Noir was curated with a particular Sicilian perspective by Berlin-based, Italian-born electro-jazz producer and DJ Sonia Brex.
The sea never reveals all its secrets …
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