Video Jukebox - Sunday!

Video Jukebox: A Night of Amazing Latin Music Videos Curated by Club Fonograma

If “video killed the radio star”, then Latin music and video are conquering the airwaves. Latin America Cinemateca of Los Angeles presents a wide-ranging survey of new and classic Latin American and Carribean music videos and shorts. Because music transcends language - you'll want to join us for this program no matter what language you speak!

Sunday August 8. Free Admission. 8:00 PM
Grand Performances at California Plaza
300-350 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90071

This is a very special invitation to one of the best projects I’ve put my hands into. A few months ago, I was contacted by the Latin American Cinemateca of Los Angeles to curate a gorgeous event on music video. As you probably know, we’re one of the few digital outlets out there that actually takes some time to review the music video format, and this is what VIDEO JUKEBOX is all about, a night of amazing Latin music videos, curated by Club Fonograma. For a guy who is clearly in love with music and who is also, a Film & Media major, it’s needless to say I’m honored by the invitation.

This night of music videos will be part of this year’s Grand Performances at the California Grand Plaza. It will feature much of Club Fonograma’s favorite videos including some classics. This includes videos from Rita Indiana y Los Misterios, Julieta Venegas, Los Rakas, Plastilina Mosh, Nortec’s Clorofila, Gepe and Systema Solar, just to name a few. The event will be introduced by the great Josh Kun, admission is free, so there really is no reason for you to skip it, do yourself a favor and attend if you’re around.

Read more at LACLM & Grand Performances.

A Cazar Tigres... Club Fonograma's 2nd Anniversary

drawing by Burbusoda

A few months ago we announced (via Twitter) we were going to shutdown Club Fonograma, only to discount the statement after reading hundreds of wonderful comments telling us not to. But we’re glad we didn’t, as we continue with this thing, we found ourselves overwhelmed by the amount of love our blog has received over the last 12 months. And it’s that realization, CF going from a thing to a blog what’s pushing it forward. While we would like to think there’s only a few of you paying attention, we’ve come to comprehend that it’s way more than that. Today is our second anniversary; we have yet to find our purpose on the web and don’t really know where we’re going, but damn, this is fun! We would like to thank some special people that have made another year of Club Fonograma possible (thanks for the love & the RTs), we’ll probably forget a bunch, but you know we love you.

We'll be celebrating our second anniversary this upcoming Monday, with the release of Fonogramaticos Vol.7, in the meantime, we would love a comment.

Thank you: FONOGRAMATICOS, Andrew Casillas, Jean-Stephane Beriot, Juan Manuel Torreblanca, Julieta Venegas, Cheky, Josh Kun, Rulo, Carla Morrison, Rita Indiana, Camilo Lara, Antonio Jiménez, Toy Selectah, Juan Campodónico, Astro, Emilio José, Javiera Mena, Luis Fara, Gerardo Naranjo, Paul Dryden, Ulises Hadjis, Loocila, Rafa Saavedra, Lido Pimienta, Sr Amable, Jergas, Amylulita, Joe Crepúsculo, Carlos Pesina, Uriel Waizel, Gael García Bernal, Karen Thompson, Diego Labora, Natala Linares, Luis Cleriga, Allisonn Montenegro, Triangulo de Amor Bizarro, Balún, Moih, Aldo Álvarez, José Luis Mercado, Burbusoda, Dr. Lacxos, Fernando Yáñez, Ceci Bastida, Derek Evers, Mario Torres, Niña Dioz, María y José, Nuuro, Roberto Polo, Natalia Lafourcade, Los Amparito, Lynn Fainchtain, Bam Bam, En Ventura, Quiero Club, Reclu, Valerie Miranda, Esteman, Hello Seahorse!, Nuria Net, Claire Frisbie, Furland, Bul, Gil Cerezo, Ximena Sariñana, IL Gimón, Mexacriticos, Los Macuanos, Rafa Mateo González Bufi….

Thank you: Nacional Records, Reactor, Panamerika, 8106, Village Voice, Reactor, Rock en las Americas, Sala de Espera, Pitchfork, LAMC, Mushroom Pillow, Canana, Delhotel, Matinée as Hell, Gorilla vs Bear, Remezcla, The Poni Republic, We Shall Be Free, Oveja Negra, Decireves, ZZK Records, Mexican Flamboyant, Le Touch, Nene Records, Michita Rex, Amo Descubrir Canciones, Mercado Negro, Ibero 90.9, En Petit Comite, La Pagina de la Nadadora, Visa Mexicana, Podbean, Box, Revista 69, Sony International, Discos Tormento, Chingonsisimas, El Parlante Amarillo, Terricolas Imbeciles, Lizard King, Mantarraya, Producciones Doradas, We Like It Indie, Acuarela Records, BCore Disc, Asociación de Críticos en Línea de Mexico, Me Hace Ruido, Happy-Fi, Si No Puedo Bailar, Cazador, Radio Global, Brillo Monthly, Revista Marvin, Ruidos el el Cuarto, Rock and Radio, Yo Garage, Synthetic Rocks, MUN, El Amarill0, Cause=Time, Zona Indie, Super45, Discoteca Oceano, Film Victoria, AOL Musica, Shoutcast Blog, Blogger…

Club Fonograma @ El Parlante Amarillo

El Parlante Amarillo is a wonderful video website from Colombia that carries on the rock & roll spirit and interest to spread culture across Latin America. A few weeks ago, they published a video in which they include Club Fonograma as one of ‘the most influential blogs in the Iberoamerican indie scene.’ Although we don’t distract ourselves thinking about our ‘influence’ over ‘the scene’, we’re very thankful for the kind words! My mom doesn’t know much about blogs and although the video defines what a blog is, I’m just going to go ahead and say Club Fonograma was mentioned at a really cool TV show, perhaps she’ll start reading this! And don’t forget to check out the other blogs that are mentioned, we’re particularly fans of Argentina’s Zona Indie and Spain’s Hipersonica.

Fonogramaticos Vol.4 Coming Up!

We're puting the final touches to our fourth volume of free music, again, thanks to the artists and their labels. I'll promise it will make you dance like none of our previous compilations. You should know by now that we drool over pop, but this one has very few of it. Facts: It includes 8 unreleased tracks, there are artists from Mexico, United States, Chile, Dominican Republic, Spain, Argentina, Venezuela and Colombia.20 Tracks total, 3 acts coming back from the last compilation just because we love them too much, the first true american act although you might not recognize them as they're injecting wires, pixels and a whole lot of bouncing to a norteño song, continue to have kids on the cover, and to our surprise, no artists from either The Poni Republic or Delhotel Records. Genre: Religious, Urban, Pop, Non-World.

MAP: Music Alliance Pact June

MEXICO: Club Fonograma
4 Los Amparito – Por Medio De La Lectura
Los Amparito is the mind-blowing, eccentric and absolutely sublime project of Carlos Pensina. He is relatively well known in Mexico's indie scene for his more electronic act Pepepe, but Los Amparito have enormous potential to break into international boundaries. This sound is like a distorted Mexican mirror of traditional music mashed with its own repetition, flourishing vocals and colorful sequences resulting in something between Animal Collective, Amparo Ochoa and El Guincho.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
4 Le Microkosmos – Es Un Hermoso Verano Lunar
Guillermo Beresñak and Pablo Retamero got together in January 2008 in Buenos Aires. From this union came Le Microkosmos, an electronic ensemble in constant search for new musical experiences with synths, programming, instruments, vocals and orchestral sampling. This quest led them to create their own cosmos from each sound, such as this acoustic-electronic ballad taken from their brand new album, Y Vas Donde Sonrisas Te Dan Esos Encapuchados De Un Mundo Nuevo.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
4 Dappled Cities – The Price
One of Australia's, if not the world's, most exciting indie-rock bands, Dappled Cities are back with their third album, Zounds. It was written and recorded after an extensive period of touring their previous offering Granddance, a classic album in the minds of many critics. The Price is a fantastic taster for old and new fans alike, worthy of immediate playlisting.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
4 Júlia Says – Cá
Júlia Says have just released their second independent EP, Menos é Mais ("Less Is More"), in which the duo go deep inside electronica with some strong influences of dance-rock. The name of the band was taken from a children's story and it's a thing that helps us to connect to the fragile melancholy and beauty of Cá.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
4 Wildlife – Sea Dreamer
How awesome is this song? So much so that when I saw them perform it during a soundcheck at a show in Ottawa recently, everyone in the room just watched in stunned silence and then exploded in wild cheers when it was done. To put that in context, that kind of thing never happens. But Sea Dreamer, in all its pounding, pulsing, marching-gleefully-into-the-apocalypse glory, is amazing enough to be the exception.

CHILE: Super 45
4 Valentina Fel – Circo Podrido
Full of aggressive beats, explosive sampling and social protest lyrics, Valentina Fel is the most logical evolution of a riot girl - punk almost in the realm of grime, do-it-yourself attitude with dancehall as a commodity and flamenco-injected defiance. Her long-awaited upcoming debut -to be release in the next few months - promises to be a massive earthquake in the dancefloor that nobody could anticipate.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
4 Vomit Supreme – Versus Love
A new project by Mattis Jakobsen and Malte Hill of Straight To Your Face, Rock Hard Power Spray guitarist Frederik Valentin and recently joined by bassist Karsten D. Johansen (Strawberry Slaughterhouse), Vomit Supreme have long been an All Scandinavian favorite. Punk aggression spoon with pop hooks and with the mighty Versus Love spearheading their campaign, world domination should be nigh.

ENGLAND: The Daily Growl
4 Fanfarlo – I'm A Pilot
I'm A Pilot, the opening track on Fanfarlo's debut album Reservoir, sets the scene for what's to follow. It's a rich, heady brew of heavily orchestrated indie-pop which at times even feels like it's pulling its punches. It's the sound of a young band comfortable in their own grandiosity and as Reservoir carefully unfolds, it's impossible not to be swept along. From now until July 4 you can download the album from the Fanfarlo website for just $1, so you've no excuse for not owning it.

FINLAND: Glue
4 TV OFF – Car Is On Fire
What a summer hit song! Cool and sexy! Singer Sara delivers delicious pop melodies over Markku's electro bits and sounds. This duo from Helsinki are putting the final touches to their debut album, but they have already gained attention around the world, playing in London and Tokyo. Soon TV OFF will take over the world.

FRANCE: ZikNation
4 Phoenix – 1901
For too long Phoenix have been overshadowed by Daft Punk and Air, but no more. Even though Phoenix are four albums into an increasingly fruitful career, 1901 is possibly the most immediate and loveable thing they've ever created. An anthem for indie kids, a dancefloor filler for disco dwellers. It's for everyone really.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
4 High Voltage Humans – Laser Symphony (Catastrophy)
High Voltage Humans are a Munich-based electronic duo. The featured song is heavily energetic and balances guitar riffs with synth melodies sounding a bit like 80s space electro. It's a concrete four-to-the-floor flour-dust explosion.

ICELAND: I Love Icelandic Music
4 For A Minor Reflection – Óhljóð
For A Minor Reflection are a quartet from Reykjavík who play energetic, melodious, instrumental post-rock. They have earned comparisons to Explosions In The Sky and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Óhljóð, which means "discordant noise", is taken from their 2007 debut album Reistu Þig Við, Sólin Er Komin Á Loft... ("Rise and shine, the sun's up...") on Blippr.com. Guitarist Kjartan Holm's older brother Georg plays bass in Sigur Rós, whom they supported on tour last year.

IRELAND: Nialler9
4 Sleep Thieves – Osumi
Taken from It Was Only A Satellite, the debut EP from this Dublin three-piece, Osumi showcases the bleep-assisted electronic edge of their sound before diverting into heady post-rock guitar progressions, while singer Sorcha repeats a mantra atop like a prototype Natasha Khan. Their yearning indie-electronic-pop sound is reminiscent of Lali Puna, Broadcast and The Notwist.

ITALY: Polaroid
4 My Awesome Mixtape – Me & The Washing Machine
I would have never expected to listen to an Italian band mix diverse sounds such as Anticon and The Postal Service, but when I heard My Awesome Mixtape I just had to change my mind. Infectious melodies and tight grooves, these young kids just seem to be unstoppable.

NEW ZEALAND: Counting The Beat
4 Lisa Crawley – Brother
Lisa Crawley is a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter who stands out from the crowd because of her voice and the playful arrangements of her folk-pop songs. Brother, from her second independently released EP Hello, Goodbye And Everything Inbetween, would be great on the basis of its plinky-plonk piano alone, but it's the trombone that lifts it to another level.

NORWAY: Eardrums
4 Firetop Mountain – How Can You Dance At A Time Like This?
Firetop Mountain are four boys and a girl from the Oslo area, who play indie-rock with a strong melodic focus. Just last week they released their debut album Indians Aren't Afraid Of Heights on their own label. Their music is sometimes powerful and energetic - songs you want to jump around to - and other times more laid-back and sensitive. Good songwriting all the way.

PERU: SoTB
4 Mi Jardín Secreto – Yo No Quiero Bailar Esta Noche
Mi Jardín Secreto's debut album, La Ciencia Y El Arte De La Falsificación, contains 11 songs that flit between new wave, alternative rock and the sound of modern bands. The theme of the lyrics is a mixture of the warmth and coldness of the city of Lima, with characters who have adventures in a place and climate familiar to us all.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
4 :papercutz – A Secret Search
What started as Bruno Miguel's music project is now a trio with female vocalist Marcela Freitas and multi-instrumentalist Francisco Bernardo. After appearances on various international compilations :papercutz are now signed to Montreal's Apegenine label, who released their debut album Lylac in February. In April, they were winners of the 'off the beaten track' category in The People's Music Awards in London.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
4 Luna Amara – Floodmoses
Luna Amara have been around for almost 10 years, during which they've managed to create an image and a name for themselves in Romania. From mellow alternative to angry metal sounds, their music is powerful and never fails to deliver its message. Floodmoses is taken from their recently released third album Don't Let Your Dreams Fall Asleep.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
4 The Seventeenth Century – Traffic
If Arcade Fire's Wake Up moved you to your core then get ready to fall in love with Traffic. It has that soaring choral majesty, that sprawling orchestration and The Seventeenth Century clearly possess ambitions that are no less lofty. Having had a listen to the young Glasgow band's forthcoming In The Place EP, we can say without hesitation that you're looking at the best new band in Scotland.

SINGAPORE: I'm Waking Up To...
4 Concave Scream – Fiction
We visit one of Singapore's finest indie bands of the 90s with Concave Scream. Fiction, taken from their third album Three, hints at the flavors of DJ Shadow, The Cure, U2 and Butler-era Suede. It is a fine tune that could sum up the entire record with its use of ethereal vocals, otherworldly chorus-effected guitar lines and a blistering rhythm section. These days, Concave Scream are pushing the envelope of their musical whimsicality by releasing an instrumental fifth album that can be found on their website.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
4 The Plastic Day – I Miss Me Myself
Post-punk/grunge trio The Plastic Day released their first full-length album, 30 Seconds Between The Dreamer And The Realist, only last month but already they've gotten unusually high coverage in Korea-related English language media online. With an intense rock sound paired with English lyrics, there's no reason why they won't get even further. I Miss Me Myself might be one of the softer songs on the album, but it's one that instantly spawns an impulse to hit the repeat button.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
4 Chuck Morgan – The Best Of You
I don't know if there's a term for the sound of Chuck Morgan. The last post I did on this Gothenburg-based troubadour tried to peg him as "romantic indie-pop". His new song, The Best Of You, continues that sound but adds even more electronic beeps and blips to the mix.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I'm Floating
4 Janelle Monae – Sincerely, Jane
The name Janelle Monae might ring a bell - she has guested on several OutKast songs and recently signed to Diddy's Bad Boy label. After seeing her energetic performance at Bonnaroo a few days ago I can say that she'll be one to keep a close eye on. Even if Sincerely, Jane doesn't do much for you, check out some live clips on YouTube to get the whole picture.

To download all 24 songs in one file click here.