Sergent Garcia – Beaver’s #1 Male World Fusion Music Artist

August 26, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Like me, Sergent Garcia has a long standing love affair with Caribbean and Latin music styles. He has combined many of those styles to create some of the world’s coolest fusion music.

Not surprisingly then, Sergent Garcia is my Numero Uno contemporary male fusion music artist.

Sergent Garcia

This is ‘Fusion Music’

From the time of Beaver’s birth I should have just used Sergent Garcia’s music to demonstrate how Beaver on the Beats would define fusion music:

…Music with a distinct blend of different musical flavors from different musical styles/genres, creating a delicious, interesting and unique musical meal.

The Musical Meal 

Deliciously diverse!

Listen to all his albums and you will be amazed at how many different genres of music you’ll find mixed together. More than any other artist I can think of right now.

Styles I love – salsa, cumbia, hip-hop, raggamuffin, reggae, scratching, flamenco, jazz, dub, Afro-Cuban. Some styles I like a bit of (meringue & dancehall).

Sergent Garcia

The Cooking 

Good fusion music is so much about the blend I recently decided. Sergent Garcia has mastered the quality and innovative blending together of many different musical styles …

…to create really great, really unique songs.

…played with fantastic musicianship.

…with delicious horn lines throughout!

Enjoy the Feast

Listen yourself. But remember MP3 versions are crap sound quality. You’ll find all the musical sounds on the original Sergent Garcia albums. They are easy to buy from just about anywhere you are in the world.

Una y Otra Vez

Una y Otra Vez (2011)

Yo Soy Salsamuffin

Memi Si

Mascaras (2006)

Mascaras (2006)

Toi Tu Es La Bas

Non Words

Sin Fronteras (2001)

Sin Fronteras (2001)

Gigante

Je Sais

Un Poquito Quema'o (1999)

Un Poquito Quema’o (1999)

Amor Pa’ Mi

Acabar Mal

Mamaye

 

I’m sure you can hear the many musical reasons why this artist is my numero uno contemporary male fusion artist? Oui? Si? Yes.

Bienvenue France

Born in France, Sergent Garcia starts the Beaver on the Beats ‘France’ category. Bienvenue France!

Filed Under: France, Sergent Garcia Tagged With: , , , ,

DJs With Bands = Musical Diversity +++

August 12, 2013 by 1 Comment

Many of the fusion bands I have heard live in Colombia (and/or have on CD), have a DJ in the musical mix.   Those DJ’s play a fundamental part in the diversity of sounds created by the band as a whole.

Live music is the ultimate musical experience for me.

A great DJ to dance or listen to is also an awesome musical experience.

The 2 combined: DJ + a band = musical diversity +++, live.

A DJ can create any and as many different sounds as he/she wants yes?  Musicians can’t do the same thing with instruments, can they?

Combine the musicians and the DJ’s (+ of course emcees & vocalists), and you have complete musical freedom to be as diverse as you want yes? The sound possibilities are endless.

Or no? 

Add a VJ into the mix and you have visual diversity with the auditory yes?

Official sites of these groups: Bajo Fondo – Bambarabanda – ChocQuibTown – Dubioza Kolektiv – Mitu – Papaya Republik – Pulenta – Sidestepper – Systema Solar – Troker – Zalama Crew

 

Reviews of gigs, sample music & other info about these groups by Beaver on the Beats @: Bajo Fondo –  Bambarabanda –  ChocQuibTown – Dubioza Kolektiv –  Mitu –  Papaya Republik –  Pulenta –  Sidestepper –  Systema Solar –  Troker –  Zalama Crew

Filed Under: Bajo Fondo, Bajo Fondo, Bambarabanda, ChocQuibTown, Colombia, Colombian Music, DJs, Dubioza Kolektiv, Electronic Music, Fusion Music, Mitú, Papaya Republik, Pulenta, Sidestepper, Systema Solar, Troker, VJs, Zalama Crew Tagged With: , , , ,

Reggaeton Plague Spreads to Australia!

July 15, 2013 by 3 Comments

The reggaeton plague has spread to Australia.  I couldn’t be more dismayed at stumbling across this ad.

"Road to Riches"

“Road to Riches”

I heard reggaeton for the first time in Colombia 6 years ago – coming out of cars, houses and nightclubs everywhere in Cartagena.  At very first listen it was a bit of a novelty. A fusion of sorts, put probably too simply, of reggae/dancehall and hip hop. Some of my favourite genres – “Great idea” I thought. It certainly was danceable.

My Colombian friend told me that once I learned some Spanish I wouldn’t like reggaeton at all, because the lyrics are all the things I despise – sexist and degrading of women, homophobic, materialistic, opportunistic etc etc.  As Batori from Papaya Republik puts well – “Reggaeton is for the uneducated. The lyrics neither tell a story, nor have a conscience”.

Mauricio ¨Batori¨ Pardo - Papaya Republik

Batori and my friend were right.   By the time I left Colombia I not only had a better understanding of the mindless lyrics, but more importantly realised that nearly all reggaeton is made with computers, with the same monotonous, generic beat.  It all sounds the same.

You can’t imagine my disappointment when I got to Cuba, where I went solely for the music, and found reggaeton blasting from bars, houses and cars everywhere there.  The musical plague was in Cuba too.

Six years on, reggaeton is stronger than ever in Latin American parts of the world.  It is a big part of popular mainstream music. It’s a musical and social travesty but unfortunately (I think), it is now part of history, and the present.

'I hate reggaeton'

‘I hate reggaeton’

But a reggaeton concert in Australia?  The other side of the world? The musical plague has travelled way too far.

“Road to Riches” is the tour name.  Gives you some idea of what you can expect to find on stage and in the crowd, if you were inclined to go to this concert.

There is only one quality exception in the reggaeton genre that I know of.  That is Puerto Rican band Calle 13.  Their lyrics are intelligent, satirical and have a social conscience. They also make and play interesting, eclectic music with real instruments.

Los de Atrás Vienen Conmigo (2008)

Los de Atrás Vienen Conmigo – Calle 13

Ven Y Critícame – Los De Atrás Vienen Conmigo (2008)-Calle 13

If you know of any other decent reggaeton music to recommend to try to change my perspective on reggaeton, let me know.

I will be beside myself if I hear any reggaeton in Jamaica these coming weeks!

Filed Under: Calle 13, Colombian Music, Puerto Rico, Reggaeton Tagged With: , , ,