Biography
Bajofondo Tangoclub fuses Argentinian tango with electronica into a modern sound that still honors longstanding local traditions. Producer Gustavo Santaolalla (b. 1952, El Palomar, Buenos Aires, Argentina) reportedly came up with the idea after encountering Portishead at a gathering and realizing that the Bristol, England-based band’s introspective textures could merge effectively with tango elements. Already known for his Latin alternative productions with Juanes, Café Tacuba and Molotov plus his contributions to the Mexican films Amores Perros and The Motorcycle Diaries, Santaolalla then joined forces with Uruguayan producer Juan Campodónico along with an extensive roster of writers, players and programmers that included Luciano Supervielle, Martín Ferrés, Verónica Loza, Javier Casalla, Gabriel Casacuberta and Adrian Sosa. The collective blends multiple electronic idioms—house, trance, trip-hop, dub and drum ‘n’ bass—with tango by sampling vintage recordings and fashioning original material. Their approach proved effective at updating the older form while opening fresh avenues for its continued development. Argentinian journalist Enrique Lopetegui captured the project’s intent in the sleeve notes to the album: ‘If tango is the sound of the Buenos Aires streets, Bajofondo Tango Club is the soundtrack for the porteños of the new millennium: tango and electronic music.’
The recording first appeared in Uruguay and Argentina in 2002 through Vibra, an imprint of the Latin/Hispanic alternative label Surco created to explore electronica without severing ties to its regional roots, and it received the 2003 Premio Gardel for Best Electronica Album. Within the Bajofondo Tango Club framework, individual pieces were attributed to the Orquesta Del Plata (the Santaolalla–Campodónico alias), Campo (Campodónico’s alias), Emilio Kauderer, Didi Gutman, Moviola, Jan Blas, Luciano Supervielle and Diego Vainer Fantasías Animadas, thereby allowing for separate releases modeled on the Buena Vista Social Club approach. Supervielle issued the first such album, an acclaimed 2005 set, which was succeeded by a remix collection featuring reworkings of tracks from both Bajofondo Tango Club and Supervielle by Calvi & Neill, Capri and Omar.
During the mid-00s Santaolalla earned Oscars for his scores to Brokeback Mountain and Babel. He reassembled the ensemble in 2007 under the abbreviated name Bajofondo for the album Mar Dulce, which included guest contributions from Elvis Costello, Nelly Furtado and Ryota Komatsu.
The recording first appeared in Uruguay and Argentina in 2002 through Vibra, an imprint of the Latin/Hispanic alternative label Surco created to explore electronica without severing ties to its regional roots, and it received the 2003 Premio Gardel for Best Electronica Album. Within the Bajofondo Tango Club framework, individual pieces were attributed to the Orquesta Del Plata (the Santaolalla–Campodónico alias), Campo (Campodónico’s alias), Emilio Kauderer, Didi Gutman, Moviola, Jan Blas, Luciano Supervielle and Diego Vainer Fantasías Animadas, thereby allowing for separate releases modeled on the Buena Vista Social Club approach. Supervielle issued the first such album, an acclaimed 2005 set, which was succeeded by a remix collection featuring reworkings of tracks from both Bajofondo Tango Club and Supervielle by Calvi & Neill, Capri and Omar.
During the mid-00s Santaolalla earned Oscars for his scores to Brokeback Mountain and Babel. He reassembled the ensemble in 2007 under the abbreviated name Bajofondo for the album Mar Dulce, which included guest contributions from Elvis Costello, Nelly Furtado and Ryota Komatsu.
Albums