One of Argentina’s many offerings, Mataplantas.

Argentina isn’t exactly unexplored territory for anything fashion, film or music related. But most of what makes its way out as an export isn’t what locals are excited about. Gotan Project and Banda de Turistas are not all the rage in Buenos Aires and no one in Argentina seems to have heard of Federico Aubele, though all three can draw a crowd in New York or Berlin.

Tonolec combines art noise, breakbeat, dubstep and native chant of the Toba people, surprising hipsters and older folks alike. A performance at the national folklorico festival shows somewhat perplexed Tobas behind the avant-garde renderings of Tonolec – the band saves the display from musicology obscurity with a splash of global cool. With Tim Burton-esque costumes and sets, a Tonolec show turns the Andes into a fairytale forest where beautiful people play indigenous drums and become one with the arboles.

Tremor and King Coya are similarly bringing Andean folk music into the new millennium with touches of dubstep and IDM.

La Mona Jimenez

King Coya is composer Gaby Kerpel, whose new album includes revamps of Colombian classics in his signature, minimalist style, inviting a new audience to enjoy South American rhythms. Tremor is a trio of live musicians that use autonomous instruments like the charango and bomba leguero alongside produced original tracks for a big sound. Their video projections are as good as their amazing sound and the entire experience turns you into an instant folklorico fan.

Dick El Demasiado y Sus Exagerados and Emir Kusturica and The No Smoking Orchestra are Euro-Buenos-Aires hybrids that maintain a local following in and around the Argentine capital.

Dick Too Much is a 50-year-old Dutchman who performs in a skeleton suit, and was a key figure in starting off the Nuevo Cumbia movement with his innovative Festicumex festival. Popular new songs include the vibrant “Hijo de Fruta,” a punchy trash cumbia set in the produce aisles of the supermarket where the artist describes a sexy, illicit watermelon – “No hay amor if it doesn’t come with sabor” is basically the chorus.

Kusturica is a Serbian concoction, its namesake isn’t actually in the band but directs the group’s videos. Like much of the rest of the world, Balkan Gypsy music has carved out its niche in Argentina. Kusturica is especially loved thanks to a series of parties the band got involved with in 2007-2008 called Bubamara, the best party this author has seen in 3 years of Buenos Aires nightlife. They’re headlining Cordoba’s annual Rock Festival this year and playing a sold-out show at Luna Park in BA.

Tremor

Mataplantas makes melodic rock and roll, the kind that Buddy Holly played but with the feel of the Flaming Lips. Four hot Argentines playing great songs of an indie persuasion and having fun onstage is a win situation. One of Mataplantas’ singers, Pablo Malaurie, is currently performing solo with his album “Festival del Beso,” a collection of ethereal, haunting, whiny pop songs that the artist plays live with toys and kooky vocal reverb for almost geisha girl effect.

El Hijo de la Cumbia, Dante and Princesa show you Argentina’s urban side with a blend of cumbia, dub, dancehall, and hip hop that keeps things interesting on the dance floor. Fidel and Alika channel their reggae favorites and deliver the country’s version of Jamaican roots music. They are big with the local youth and eclipse their pop doppelgangers Los Cafres with originality and a direct connection to the hood – dreadlocks and poplocking included.

Los Manos de Filipi are the original punk rock anarchists of Argentina. Heavy-hitting, outrageous and inspiring, Los Manos hurt you with lyrical kindness taking the proverbial piss out of politicians and popes alike. When the record industry did them dirty, Los Manos released their new record independently and the insert bore a photo rendering of their ex-A&R rep, naked on the cross.

Tonolec. Photo by Carlos Coccia

Soema Montenegro, Mariana Baraj, Lisandro Aristimuño – each of these artists honors Andean folk with modern arrangements and indie rock sensibility. Like his contemporary, Juana Molina, Aristimuño uses loops and samples to accent folk song-writing but his live shows include a dancer who beats time with her heels and a full string section. Mariana Baraj plays drums and tricks her voice out alternately into a deep moan or light whisper of the wind. She makes jazz out of traditional chant. Soema Montenegro gets fierce in her renditions of local sound and then takes on the role of French chanteuse for sweet ballads.

La Mona Jimenez and Pablo Lescano are old-school standards that stay fresh. They get plenty of play from locals in working class neighborhoods across the country.

Alika. Photo by Susana Mutti.

La Mona is known as Argentina’s James Brown with outrageous live shows that include high-energy dance and multiple costume changes. “The Monkey” Jimenez is a wild guy from Cordoba who works the crowd into a frenzy with cuarteto favorites.

Pablo Lescano is the leader of Damas Gratis and the godfather of cumbia villera, Argentina’s version of gangster rap. Like a musical Maradona, his life is rife with drugs and degradation and his fans adore him. He recently made his way to the New York Times in a video appearance with Los Fabuloso Cadillacs playing his signature porn, air-brushed keytar.

Make sure to bookmark Matador’s extensive Argentina coverage!

Community Connection

Check our 50 Music Sites That Matter for great places to find new music. Interested in music from other countries? Lend your eyeballs to what people are listening to in Chile, Brazil and Canada.

You’ve heard a lot about Palermo in Buenos Aires but you’re not sure where to begin? Matador gives you a sleek list of options for all tastes, in a city that doesn’t really seem to sleep but only takes siestas.

1. Niceto

Most good weekly parties happen at Niceto – they pretty much have the monopoly on hipster nightlife in BA. From Compass to Zizek, Niceto is a solid choice at least four nights out of the week. You often hope to try other spots but find yourself back at Niceto because it’s where the cool party is that night. Visiting bands like Battles and Eek-A-Mouse and a consistent local scene make it the destination. Just don’t forget to put yourself on the list and avoid the line.

Why Niceto? It’s not only in the top 10, it’s #1 in Palermo. It’s the difference between Buenos Aires and every European discotheque whose soundtrack has made you want to vomit – i.e. you won’t hear “What is Love” on the dancefloor.

2. Miloca

Centrally located with a great garden and terrace, Miloca is the house you feel entitled to own in Buenos Aires. High ceilings, hip furniture and lighting, and a backyard bar scream “I’m so cool I live in Buenos Aires.” Even for just a few days. They have a great happy hour but beware of the top shelf liquor. What is your standard at home may be pricier in Buenos Aires; stay off the Patron and opt for a local favorite, like Pisco!

Why is Miloca in the top 10? Miloca is a favorite with locals and travelers alike and manages to straddle posh and chill with a lounge-y interior and laid back garden. It’s a good compromise for diverse tastes.

3. Unico
Set in the heart of Palermo Hollywood, Unico is the bar you can fall back on. It’s usually more crowded in front than inside and it always has a “hey baby” kind of vibe, but in a good way. You’ve heard the people in BA are friendly? At Unico the meet market is friendly but not overly intrusive. If you care to mingle, you can; if you care to stick with your click, that works too.

Why opt for Unico? Unico is a bar that’s almost always crowded and when you can’t decide where to go and you’d like to be out, or when you want a teaser before the late night scene, Unico is a standard.

4. Sullivan’s

Sullivan’s is the Irish pub in the heart of Soho with live music upstairs and a summer terrace. It’s everything you want in a pub – Guinness on draft, bartender banter and attitude, and a dim, cozy atmosphere. Plus it’s in Palermo Soho, full of gorgeous people who have no concept of stress or hostility and have never met the phrase “bad drunk.” As they say (in English) on a popular radio show here in Buenos Aires, “You’re a winner!”

Why Sullivans? Because sometimes you need to go to a pub where you’re not the foreigner freak, where you understand the menu, and where everybody knows your name – or at least they aren’t surprised that it’s Frank, and not Francisco.

5. Ocho7Ocho

Secret bars, hidden restaurants, and clandestine parties spell exciting and different. Here in BA they’re called “los puertos cerrados,” closed doors, and make for added culinary and cocktail adventures. Thames 878 is home to a lounge that feels entirely exclusive and appeals from the moment you enter the expansive, festive space. It’s not so fancy that you’re outclassed but it has an element of mystery that it makes you feel like you’re special for having found it out. Good appetizers and fresh fruit mixology satiates, but beware the sugar onslaught. “Sin azucar” (without sugar) could be the one Spanish phrase you master instantly, when you forget to use it and end up with a slurpee instead of a “daikiri.”

Why pick Ocho7Ocho over any bar in the traffic circle on Honduras? You didn’t come all the way to Argentina to slum it with the eighteen-year-olds, in from the city outskirts via public transit.

7. Mundo Bizarro

Neon signs, vinyl booths, tattoos, pop art – sometimes you need a little Southern California rockabilly in your foreign travels. Mundo Bizarro explores the car bomb drinker side of you with an eclectic cocktail menu and someone’s Bizarro version of soul food. Located on Serrano just off of the plaza, Mundo Bizarro is a great alternative to standard Argentine partying. Unless it’s exactly what you were looking to get away from.

Why go Bizarro? Pum Pum art in the bathroom and rockabilly on the jukebox makes you feel all urban cowboy/gaucho inside. The crowd is way cooler than your average nightclub or “after office” and will welcome your tattoos. Or cause you to feel naked without them.

8. Kim y Novak

If you only have time for one blowout night, make it a Kim y Novak night. A combination of decent deejays and a good cocktail menu compliment the sixties-mod, “Barbie’s First Diner,” décor. The bar attracts a hip crowd that runs the gamut from normal Argentines-out-to-play, to fading rock and film stars looking for last hurrahs. On the biggest party nights, there’s a consistent blend of good-looking garbage and high-quality spectacle. In a town full of seductive nightlife options, Kim y Novak is the sexiest.

Why is Kim y on the hotlist? It’s the nuthouse you always wanted to party in – totally bananas at times, and perfect for nightlife veterans.

9. Salon Pueyrredon

Set in an old house, this rock venue is the real deal. It’s the CBGB’s of Buenos Aires with bands every night and cheap beers and covers. You climb the stairs and enter the parlor with red walls and a black bar of beer and wine. Straight ahead is the living room with raised stage and bawdy band. There’s almost always a good crowd and “una buena onda” (a good vibe) with a rock edge.

Why rock Argentina style? This is the city where the Ramones played three back to back nights in the River stadium. An earthquake registered in the area when the entire stadium started pogo-ing, i.e. 60,000 kids jumping at the same time. Argentines take their indie and hard core very seriously. Coverse sneakers is the uniform of Generation Porque and it’s a great town to get out and enjoy local bands all night.

10. Congo

Congo, at the crossroads of Palermo Soho and Hollywood, will make you understand why BA is so often called the Paris of South America. It is fancy in that je ne sais quoi kind of way. A booth on the terrace with a bucket of champagne and you will quickly forget any worries you may have, like how annoying it has been to get change for the hundred peso notes you get out of the ATM, or how hard it is to decide which tango show to attend.

Why go Congo? The bar is a pleasure, with multiple rooms and a great staff. You will feel so fabulous you’ll forget your backpack and hostel mates entirely and make new Argentine friends at the bar like you’re a local.

11. (Bonus) Ciudad Konex

Konex isn’t exactly in Palermo, but it’s close enough and it manages to have the greatest Monday evening you’ll ever experience. Replete with trapeze artists and a twenty-five-person drum circle/orchestra, Ciudad Konex Mondays at 7pm is why you travel. The party is exciting and different and it’s set in a converted factory. Come back Saturday night to shake something on the dance floor that was once a parking lot.

Why is Konex necessary in your Palermo life? You came here to get to know the city and this is a mini version of young Buenos Aires – like Ibiza in the South American concrete jungle.

Community Connection!

For more picks on hot night spots in Palermo and the greater BaAs, get in touch with Zento, Christian, Anthony or Durban–or our BsAs expert, Ryan.