ARGENTINA: Indie Bands Find New Outlet on the Web

• by Marcela Valente (buenos aires)
• Friday, January 07, 2011
• Inter Press Service

'We try to find musicians we like and who move around on the independent circuit, without a record label behind them,' Carla Sanguineti of Sonido Ambiente, one of the original production companies that, for now, are non-profit, told IPS.

The performances are not concerts, because there is no audience -- except the odd neighbour who might be leaning out a window while the band records on a rooftop, or a customer who happens to be shopping in the market where the musicians are playing.

The result is a high-quality recording, in image as well as sound, and revealing in the case of artists unknown to the mainstream public.

The new trend in Argentina was inspired by the French web site, La Blogotheque, which has been producing Les Concerts a Emporter or Take Away Shows since 2006. But they point out that there are now similar experiences in neighbouring Uruguay and Chile, with which they would like to start making co-productions. None of them are familiar with similar developments in Brazil or other countries in the region.

The rock band Onda Vaga filmed an impromptu performance on the walkway along the stunning Perito Moreno glacier in the southern province of Santa Cruz. Others have filmed in a nature reserve, with birdsong in the background.

The producers, who work without external financing, have taped nearly 30 songs since they began a year ago. At the start, they contacted the musicians and invited them to perform. But now bands come looking for them.

'We have become a sort of pole of attraction,' said Sanguineti, one of the founders of Sonido Ambiente. 'Now we're an audiovisual production company, and we are in talks to do some things on television.'

The team is made up of young people who, besides being music buffs, have studied filmmaking, design, photography and sound recording. Each director films with his or her own style, and the only rule is there can be no cutting or editing -- every performance is filmed in a single shot.

The videos that can be seen on the Internet include Rosario Blefari singing in the bell tower of a basilica, Simja Dujov and his musicians playing in the El Progreso market in Buenos Aires, and a band playing on a carousel.

'The other day we went with a singer to the Parque Centenario (in Buenos Aires), where there are used book stands, and we asked one of the vendors if he would let us film there, and we did, without prior warning,' Sanguineti said.

But Sonido Ambiente is not the only production company of its kind. Others are En la Terraza, Offderecord and Indiefolks, which also combine non-conventional venues with new or established artists -- and the occasional bark of a passing dog.

En la Terraza films bands playing on rooftops in Buenos Aires. In some of the videos, the backdrop is a wall covered with plants, in others the building across the street or a view of the city from a tall building.

The En la Terraza team also works for the love of art, and they are experts in music, photography, filmmaking and artistic production. The quality of image and sound is optimal, they say.

'We are patrons of rock 'n roll, without money but with great passion,' says José Lataliste, one of the creators of Indiefolks, laughing.

'In Argentina there is a fascinating underground music scene, and there is a lot of interest in it,' he told IPS. 'They contacted us, for example, from a music channel in California to broadcast our videos.'

Lataliste, who is from Spain but lives in Buenos Aires, said the new mode of sharing unique live recordings of music has taken off in the last year in Argentina. 'We have a ton of work, we produce bands every day. We started out filming the ones we like, and now they contact us.'

The producer, whose partner is a music loving filmmaker, said that what they have been doing for a little over a year is to develop a platform that allows artists to show their work.

'Our stage is the street, which is free; the key is choosing a good location,' he said. 'We finance the production resources like cameras and sound equipment ourselves, and hope to recoup our investment at some point.'

Lataliste said brands of clothing and beer have approached them with proposals, but that the initiatives were frustrated because 'they haven't come on board with our concept.'

The new trend has generated heated debate among producers and musicians -- but for now, the music is winning out.

© Inter Press Service (2011) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service

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