Video: Dani Umpi feat. Marabish - "3 Pasos"

Uruguayan polyrhythmic maniac Dani Umpi is celebrating the release of his first proper reference the only way he knows how to: contemplating (and eventually exploiting) pop as a fetish. Countdown pop numbers are always fun, and although Umpi’s clip for first single “3 Pasos” is decoded in a simple one-two-three bracket, it gives Beyonce’s “Countdown” a run for its money as far as stylistic narratives go. Brand sneakers, soccer jerseys, and cool haircuts outline a street transaction led by the singer who seems to have visited Yo Gabba Gabba! (or the Derbez sitcom) right before paying his gangster duties. Novel director Luciano Demarco is the sober-yet-fearless accomplice someone like Dani Umpi needed to transpose his eccentric proposals. The chronic use of polivision (the neglected tool of the aughts) here is quite intriguing, mainly as it’s used as a prime meridian rather than a time partition. “3 Pasos” is the first single off Umpi’s Mormazo, which is severely weird on every track and features guest appearances by Fito Paez, Lido Pimienta, and Wendy Sulca.

Video: Dani Umpi - "Ambiente"

Uruguayan pop maverick Dani Umpi is like a lost child of David Bowie, or something of that nature. Dani’s extravagant songcraft is playful and flirtatious, the music is always upbeat, and when looking for melody, I love how he seems to masticate words before they’re outspoken. Multi-visual artist Roberto Jacoby recruited Dani Umpi’s abilities on his latest piece of work “Ambiente.” This project consists of a visual montage of infrastructure folklore that also happens to be a great slice of pop art. The clip directed by Teddy Williams was shot at the ruins of Villa Epecuen (Buenos Aires, Argentina), a town that in 1985 was completely submerged under water and that recently came back to surface due to an unsuspected drought. The ghost town is amazing in itself, the timer (and current-event timing) is appropriate, and the clip’s quest for multi-layers brings even more revelations to the surface (which I won’t spoil for you this time around).

Via El Amarill0

MP3: The Calefons - "Boochies" (feat. Dani Umpi and Bebe&Pichon) + "Sentimental Whoopie Mood"

Get three or more cumbia-loving chicks in a room and you pretty much have made your weekend fantasy into a reality. That’s pretty much what’s put into record with Argentina’s all-girl band The Calefons. They became a sort of MySpace sensation back on the day when MySpace was the ideal source for media (it’s still great for music). This is the kind of band that has no problem filling up any gig venue in Buenos Aires, their contagious funky cumbias melt in the dancefloor, along with body fluids. We’re actually years late with this one, the trio has been around for years, but it seems like they have yet to transcend outside South America. They released Lápiz Japonés in 2007, a great pop record less tropi-punky than Kumbia Queers, but more aggressive than Los Labios.

We came across “Boochies” by accident, and we’re obsessed with it. This random 'discovery' also translates into the song, it’s all over the place; it’s a mix of cumbia, reggaeton, musica andina, funk, hip hop, boleros and a spice of Asian. The song is a collaboration with the eccentric Dani Umpi and Bebe&Pichon, both from Uruguay. It's so outrageous we forgot to ask them about the meaning of “Boochies” (Snoochie Boochies?), but whatever they’re singing about, we’re in. We’re also attaching an extra song (in English) titled “Sentimental Whoopie Mood”, which sounds like The Ting Tings on crack. The Calefons are finishing up a brand new EP to be released next month.

♫♫♫ "Boochies"
♫♫♫ "Sentimental Whoopie Mood"