NPR Music

Alt.Latino: All About Chile

By Jasmine Garsd

Published October 14, 2010 at 6:17 PM EDT

As we approach the end of the year, we're already starting to tally up our favorite music releases of 2010.

One thing that stood out to me, as I made a list of the year's most exciting new music, is how many of the artists are Chilean. Without a doubt, this has been the year I rediscovered Chile's music scene. Whether it's bone-cracking rock 'n' roll, infectious pop, hair-raising new folk or sick hip-hop, Chile's got it all.

On this week's episode, we review some of Chile's most promising artists. We start off our adventure with La Reina Morsa, a new indie-rock band with folk sensibilities; its nostalgic songs convey childhood memories nicely. Before we knew it, we were listening to two young folk-rockers who inject new life into the genre: Camila Moreno, whose raw vocals will haunt us in the days to come, and Gepe, who mixes traditional sounds with digital beats as if they were meant to go together.

There's a theme of folk music here, and that's no coincidence: Chile has a rich legacy in that regard. We invited rapper Ana Tijoux to share her favorite Chilean hip-hop artists releasing new albums this year. When asked why she thinks Chile has such a strong love affair with rap, she said it's in part the tradition of poetry and spoken word.

We also make time to get down and savor some sweet Chilean pop tracks. As mentioned in an earlier show, I have a personal problem with Alex Anwandter, who makes music so contagious and danceable, it gets stuck in my head for days and sends me into fits of spontaneous singing and dancing in unusual places.

We tried to fit as many of our favorite Chilean artists as we could in one show, but it was impossible to get them all in here. This is really just the tip of the iceberg, and there are many more artists I would have included if I could. In fact, in our blog we've dedicated a good amount of coverage to Chilean artists not mentioned in today's show, like Fother Muckers and Dënver. And, as usual, we're counting on listeners to expand our knowledge. What bands do you recommend we check out?