Federico Aubele

An Argentine singer and songwriter who has cultivated a global audience, Federico Aubele weaves together several musical traditions, above all downtempo electronica, dub reggae, tango, and bolero. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, he left for Berlin in 2001 during the height of Argentina’s economic crisis and remained there for several years before relocating to Barcelona and later returning to Buenos Aires. While based in Berlin he joined the roster of Eighteenth Street Lounge Music, the label run by Thievery Corporation, and issued his first recordings in 2003 as three double-sided 10-inch vinyl releases: Postales (b/w “El Amor de Este Pueblo”), Contigo (b/w “Ante Tus Ojos”), and Esta Noche (b/w “Malena”). The full-length Gran Hotel Buenos Aires appeared the following year and gathered those tracks plus six additional songs; Thievery Corporation received production credit, and the album’s dub basslines and downtempo atmosphere closely echo the duo’s own sound. Sumaia O and Gabriela Mairu supplied vocals on several tracks apiece, with Aubele also singing.

His second album, Panamericana (2007), shifted emphasis toward a stronger singer-songwriter identity and reduced the electronica component. Aubele performed most of the instruments and half the lead vocals, while Natalia Clavier sang the remaining half; Eric Hilton of Thievery Corporation is listed as producer. After the album’s release, ESL issued the 12-inch EP La Esquina/Corazón, which featured the two standout tracks plus accompanying remixes. Amatoria followed in 2009, drawing on influences that ranged from downtempo and trip-hop to reggae, boleros, flamenco, tango, and salsa, all rendered with his customary restraint. On Berlin 13 (2011) Aubele revisited his signature blend of acoustic guitar lines, weighty rhythms, erotically charged dub atmospherics, and seductive vocals. Guest appearances came from Jesse Harris, Karina Zeviani, Natalia Clavier, and Mauro Refosco of Forro in the Dark and Thom Yorke’s live band.