Album Review: Mar Dulce by Bajofondo

Bajofondo are a collective of musicians and producers whose avowed objective is to blend tango and electronica, and in so doing, illuminate the music of Argentina and Uruguay for a worldwide audience. An octet with added six-piece string section, the group includes both a bandoneon player and someone whose primary responsibility is VJ; the group is obviously quite unlike most of what listeners will hear on a major label. Mixing traditional and contemporary is a method well suited to crossover -- it practically doubles your audience while often drawing in those who like the idea much more than the actual sound of traditional forms -- but it's certainly not an easy task to attempt.

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Bajofondo are easily dismissed as the mercenary project of a Hollywood-hungry super-producer, with Gustavo Santaolalla in the Ry Cooder role. A former folk singer - his early records were penned in a hippy commune - then rock producer in Argentina and Los Angeles, Santaolalla went on to contribute to the soundtracks of films such as The Insider and Babel. Alongside Santaolalla, the Uruguayan DJ and producer Juan Campodónico and the pianist and DJ Luciano Supervielle assembled a mixture of well-known tangos, electronic beats, and sampled or invited guest vocalists and musicians.

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