Do you feel the sizzle? That’s Canada’s Latin music scene heating up coast to coast. And now that the secret is out (NPR recently profiled Toronto’s Lula Lounge!), we thought it a perfect time to check in on four of the country’s most thriving Latin music hot spots.
Montreal’s Boogat, Toronto’s Jose Ortega, Winnipeg’s Rodrigo “Papa Mambo” Muñoz and Vancouver’s Malcolm Aiken take us inside Canada's Latin boom.
Boogat
The Quebec-born, Montreal-based son of Latin American parents tried his hand at French rap before embracing his Latino roots with his uniquely intoxicating and modern spin on world hip-hop.
When did you start playing Latin music?
A Latin band called me for a studio session. Back then I was mostly rapping in French, sometimes doing it in Spanish but always in a ''francophone rap'' context. They liked what I did on their record and invited me to rap and back vocal on their shows. That's when I realized the power of Latin music: everybody gets happy and dances, great energy. I grabbed it, flipped it and made it mine!
Why do you think Montreal has been so hospitable to Latin music?
Montreal has always been hospitable to good music, point blank; no matter what's the cultural background. In the past three years, its Latin rap scene has emerged. Before that, Latin rappers in Montreal were trying to get in the French or Anglo scenes without real success. Then we got a little more organized and now people come to our shows and love the energy. Something new and unique, fresh and hot!
How has Canada influenced your Latin sound?
I think that I don't listen to Latin music as a Latino, but as a Canadian ... so my interests in Latin music are more into minor chords, urban stuff. In general, I'm almost allergic to salsa romantica and over-Latin kind of things, the tacky-sketchy stuff that constitutes the ''cliché'' of what Latin music is supposed to be in the northern hemisphere. I think I really take the best of both worlds to craft my sound: Latin rhythmics and voicing with occidental chord progressions/catchy pop.
Jose Ortega of Lula Lounge in Toronto
The co-owner of Toronto's Latin music hub moved to America when he was five years old and says he "rejected all things Latino until the end of high school." When he started to look for media that reflected his heritage, he wasn't happy with what he saw.
"I started to look south for my culture, literature, films, music, art. I taught myself to read in Spanish and absorbed as much as I could, and it turned out I really loved it all, especially the music, I started with Celia Cruz and never stopped."
What appealed to you about Latin music?
Salsa specifically, which came from son (mixed with jazz), which came from danzon, which has African and European roots as a sort of evolutionary super music, like jazz. Because it has gone through so many changes through colonization and immigration, it has been refined and genetically altered with each moment of growth, it is so fine-tuned to the human ear and heart that it is nearly irresistible to the feet!
I love that it can be so complex, so many instruments going full throttle at the same time yet all swinging to the clave, that it makes you move ... and other times one person on a piano can move you in the same way, that swing is coded in the music, there's something perfect about that, it's a deep sort of beauty that transcends your class, geography, language and culture.
How has Canada come to influence the sounds coming out of these local Latin bands?
This has been the topic of many late-night discussions. It may not be a meld of sounds but definitely the multiculturalism of the city contributes to cross pollination across genres and artistic communities. Almost all of the developing bands are fusing influences from different cultures. Toronto provides the background and support for this experimentation and blending.
How do you see the Latin scene continuing to flourish in Canada?
Definitely, Latin music is taking hold across the country. The CBC has been instrumental in exposing audiences outside of Toronto. But there are scenes in places like London, Ontario, that have grown up independently of the Toronto scene. The audiences are becoming more and more sophisticated, learning about different Latin traditions and the African and European influences that can be found in each of those. It's an infinitely rich body of musical creation for people to explore and learn about, and Canadians are generally very interested in learning about different cultures and traditions.
You’ve started a small label and released the first compilation, Lula Lounge: Essential Tracks. That seems almost dangerous given the state of the music industry now.
Being a small live music venue concentrating on Latin and world music wasn't too business savvy, either. Every day we're inspired by all the hard work the musicians put into their projects, to be surrounded with so many talented individuals whose value system and vocabulary is rooted in the passion for making and sharing their art, it's impossible not to catch their fire, in the end we do it because they do it.
We also want to show what’s happening in Toronto’s uniquely multicultural scene. Toronto has become a real cosmopolitan centre that feels different from others like Paris and New York. For the most part here in Canada, we enjoy a respectful co-existence of many cultures. Canadians have a deep interest in learning about one another’s music and heritage and as a result we have very supportive audiences, hungry to learn about new music.
Rodrigo 'Papa Mambo' Muñoz
The godfather of Winnipeg's Latin music scene was a 12-year-old refugee fleeing Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship when he landed in the Prairies with his parents. "As a kid under the protection and love of my parents, I had little trouble adapting to our new home," he says. "It was basically a new adventure."
What appealed to you about Latin music?
My first musical experience was at the age of eight, when I picked up a guitar, and the first thing I learned was Chilean folk songs. I continued to play folk music once in Canada when I became the leader of an Andean folk band called Millarapue. One of the highlights of this group was playing at the Winnipeg Folk Festival in 1981 and Folk on the Rocks in Yellowknife the following year. At this time I was studying music at the University of Manitoba, specializing on classical guitar, and once I finished with school I started my own band.
[Eventually] I formed Papa Mambo and the Gringos (the Gringos was dropped soon after) ... and we recorded our first self-titled album in 1991 and after almost 24 years, Papa Mambo is still going strong.
What makes you passionate about the music?
Well I'm a very pragmatic kind of a person and when touching on subjects like passion and inspiration, I tend to cringe. I do things only because I like them in different ways. For instance, some of the reasons I enjoy my work are the fact that it strokes my (giant) ego, being onstage and being the centre of attention does this nicely.... Paradoxically, it is exactly this emotion that you have to put in check for this job. I cannot tell you how many times I've gone from one gig where I am the centre of attention with people asking for my autograph, applauding me and congratulating me for the great show that we put on, followed the next day playing at some insignificant local event where you are just background music and nobody cares or notices you. This kind of thing keeps your ego in check.
How do you see Latin music continuing to flourish in Canada?
Latin music has for a long time been part of North American and world culture in general, people all over the world have been doing the tango, the cha-cha-cha, the bossa nova, etc., and because of globalization (in the good sense of the word) and technology, its popularity is on the rise and Canada is no exception.
There are more Latin music bands and Latin-influenced bands popping up everywhere. In the town of Brandon, Manitoba, my friend and colleague Jaime Chinchilla fronts his own Latin band made up of Latin and non-Latin musicians. I'm also part of a Latin music trio named Trio Bembe that's headed by a Latin musician who is actually not Latin herself in the sense that Spanish is not her native tongue, and we'll be heading west for a tour in April of 2013.
Malcolm Aiken of Mazacote and Tanga
Aiken's "love affair" with jazz turned into a role in Vancouver's once-thriving salsa scene, which in turn inspired him to go pro.
"I started TrebleFive Records in 2008 and we produce music and manage several artists in the Latin-salsa vein including [two bands I play in], Mazacote and Tanga," he says. "Right now I'm completing a record that we made in Havana last year for Tanga, which should be out this summer."
Why are you passionate about Latin music?
I love to play dance music! From my beginnings, playing in swing bands for dancers, I was naturally drawn to the dance-oriented music that is salsa and many Afro-Caribbean styles. The trumpet is a prominent instrument in both Latin and jazz music so there was a natural affinity I believe. The music has deep roots and a fascinating narrative, this is what drew me to pursue my studies in ethnomusicology at UBC from 2005–2008, to research the roots of Afro-Caribbean dance music and to explore its global reach and impact. A large part of my work was focused on a history of the music in Vancouver and the artists who helped shape the musical landscape we have today
How has Canada influenced your Latin sound?
Afro-Latin rhythms mixed with jazz harmonies is the basis for my sound as an artist. For sure there is some cultural fusion going on, but everything is a hybrid of something else musically these days. Music today really has no fixed address, everyone is borrowing from everyone else, the internet has just blown everything apart. It’s quite an exciting time to be a creative artist!
Follow Andrea Warner on Twitter: @_AndreaWarner
Follow CBC World Music on Twitter: @CBCWorldMusic
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