Politics, Business & Culture in the Americas

Arts Innovator: Tonolec, Argentina



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Often associated with melancholy tangos and chart-topping rock en español, Argentina’s music scene is taking a techno/traditional turn with the band Tonolec (www.tonolec.com.ar). The Buenos Aires-based duo, Charo Bogarín and Diego Pérez, have introduced indigenous musical traditions from their native Resistencia (in Argentina’s northeastern Chaco province) to the mainstream. Their electronica-fused traditional indigenous compositions are challenging preconceptions of Argentine music and introducing listeners to the country’s cultural and linguistic diversity.

Layering haunting indigenous melodies over playful rhythms, Bogarín plays an array of traditional instruments and sings in both Spanish and Toba (the language of the indigenous group the music draws from). Pérez plays the keyboard and guitar and mixes tribal recordings with electronic beats…

Listen to Tonolec!



Tags: Argentina, Charo Bogarin, Diego Perez, Tonolec
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