+ + António Variações < < o corpo é que paga

[1983] [Portugal]

António Variações is a music legend in Portugal.

António Variações had moved to Lisbon from a small town in the North of Portugal when he was a very young lad. He then travelled to and lived in New York and Amsterdam.
He became a hairdresser and a very famous person in Lisbon's nightlife. Then he decided to sing.

In the early 80s Portugal had had a revolution 6 years ago and after that period of freedom and happiness, Portugal entered a gray, serious and dull moment in time. That's why he was so well received - he was an extravagant weird-looking man like no one had seen before. His music based on modern synth sounds and also on the Portuguese traditional music (he was a huge fan of Amália Rodrigues) was appealing from grandmothers to young kids.

António died in 1994 from pneumonia a few months after releasing his second album. His death is rumoured to have been AIDS-related but this was never confirmed.

+ + Raffaella Carrà < < hay que venir al sur

[1969] [Spain/Italy]

Raffaella Carrà is probably the biggest pop star from the 60s/70s/80s in both Spain and Italy. Italian born, she had great success as a pop start and TV presenter in both countries.

This is probably her greatest hit in Spanish, but there are so many that this assumption is a tough one to make.

Check out the campest video ever and the hair movement she is famous for.

+ + Fangoria < < retorciendo palabras

[2004] [Spain]

Fangoria are Alaska and Nacho Canut who have been making music together since 1977. Fangoria started in 1989 after the split of Alaska y Dinarama.

With Fangoria they pursued a more electronic focused sound, whereas before they were mostly influenced by punk and rock.

The album 'Una Temporada en el Infierno' is one of the best Spanish albums of the 90s according to the Spanish opinion makers.

'Retorciendo Palabras' - 'Twisting Words' - was the first song taken from 'Arquitectura Efímera', their album from 2004.

+ + Astrud < < bailando

[1999] [Spain]

Astrud are like the Gilbert & George of the Spanish electro pop. Although they are not partners they are somewhat pop geniuses.

Manolo Martínez and Genís Segarra started in Barcelona in 1998, and 'Bailando' was taken from their first album 'Mi fracaso personal'.

As a curious note they have written 'es que sí', a song for Andorra's selection for Eurovision in 2005, but unfortunately it didn't win. They recorded it aftwerwards and released it in their 2006 compilation of B-sides and rarities, 'Algo Cambió'.

+ + Superputa < < nintendo

[2002] [Spain]

Superputa, musical group that make songs like you make churros, in the kitchen.

They are Popita and Pecoso and hail from A Coruña. They started as a 4-piece with Jordi and Xavi from Barcelona who meanwhile left the band.

Their main principle is to spend half an hour maximum working on a theme. Although it sounds a bit silly, isn't this the way pop music should be, quick and straight to your brain?

+ + Marisa Monte < < amor i love you

[2000] [Brazil]

Marisa Monte has been for over a decade one of the most interesting Brazilian singer/songwriters. She recorded her first album in 1989 and when her second, 'Mais' ('More'), came out in 1991, she had her first big hit with 'Beija eu' which was a great mix of Brazilian sounds with intelligent pop. This has characterised her sound ever since.

In 2000, she released her most successful album which sold over 1,000,000 copies worldwide, 'Memórias, Crônicas e Declarações de Amor' - 'Memories, Chronicles, and Declarations of Love'. Amor I Love You was the first single to be released from it and it features an excerpt from Eça de Queirós' book 'O Primo Basílio' published in 1878.

Marisa Monte is currently on a European tour to promote her 2006 double release Infinito Particular' and 'Universo Ao Meu Redor'.

+ + Humanos < < maria albertina

[2004] [Portugal]

In the 80s there was this Portuguese artist called António Variações who changed the Portuguese pop music scene like no one had before. He was flamboyant, he accessorised; he liked electro but also fado and traditional music and he became a great song maker. He released music from 1982 until he died in 1984.

In 2004, a tape was passed on with songs that António Variações had never released.
To release them the band Humanos was created. Humanos are fronted by Manuela Azevedo from Clã, Camané (proeminent fado singer), and David Fonseca (singer/songwriter).

The album is absolutely magnificent and captures the spirit of Variações in a such way that some of the songs give you goose bumps.

This is one of the most popular tracks of the album, 'Maria Albertina', about this woman who has a traditional name and wants to give a tacky modern name to her daughter.

+ + Miranda! < < don

[2004] [Argentina]

I discovered Miranda! this year only through MySpace. In 2001 Alejando Sergi and Juliana Gattás (singers), Lolo Fuentes (guitar), Bruno De Vicenti (keyboards and programming), and Nicolás Grimaldi (bass) got together and started this electro pop band from Buenos Aires. They are one of the most popular bands in Argentina.

This video is for one of their five singles out of 'Sin Restricciones' their magnificent album from 2004.

+ + Las Grecas < < te estoy amando locamente

[1973] [Spain]

For the record, this is probably the best Spanish song ever recorded.

Las Grecas formed in 1973 by sisters Carmela and Edelia (Tina) Muñoz from Valladolid.

They started a mix of pop, rock, flamenco, Arabic and Greek sounds which was then called flamenco rock or gipsy rock. 'Te estoy amando locamente' - 'i am madly in love with you' - was their first single which sold over half a million copies. They were 16 and 19 then.

They had a very short career with only 4 records (the last one released in 1977) because of management problems and the fact that they had never been professional musicians and had this sudden fame in their hands. In 1983 Tina was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and her illness became famous especially after she stabbed her sister trying to kill her. Tina refused any help and after being in jail, she started living out of charity, living in the streets Madrid for a while even until she died in 1995 with 38 years old.

+ + Olé Olé < < no controles

[1983] [Spain]

Olé Olé started in Madrid in 1982 and were very successful throughout the 80s. However it was their first hit 'no controles' - 'don't control' - that became their greatest.
The singer for the first two albums was Vicky Larraz who left the band to be replaced by Marta Sánchez, herself to become a very successful solo singer years later.

This song is one of those perfect pop songs great to dance to. It was produced by Nacho Cano from Mecano. The video is from a performance at an Italian music TV show - Vicky Larraz surely knew how to move.

+ + Azembla's Quartet < < esquece tudo o que te disse

[2002] [Portugal]

Esquece Tudo O Que Te Disse - (Forget everything I've told you) was released in 2002. Directed by António Ferreira, the movie was a small but unforgettable hit in Portuguese movie making as it was a well directed, well performed, and a fun yet touching movie. (Fun is not a word you usually associate with Portuguese cinema.)

This was the movie title track recorded by Azembla's Quartet a band formed by some elements of Belle Chase Hotel and Wraygunn.

+ + Manu Chao < < me llaman calle

[2005] [Spain]

Manu Chao was born in France in 1961 from Spanish parents. He started being famous outside France with his band Mano Negra - they split up in 1995. He then decided to move to Spain to go back to his Spanish roots.

His debut solo album was 'Clandestino' in 1998 which was an international smash selling over 2.5 million albums worldwide.

In 2005 he wrote 'me llaman calle' for the Spanish movie 'Princesas' - 'Princesses' with which he won the Best Original Song award at the 2006 Goya Awards, the Spanish Cinema Academy Awards.

+ + Ellos < < diferentes

[1999] [Spain]

I love this song.
Ellos started in the late 90s following the electro pop steps taken previously by Fangoria and Astrud. They are Guille Mostaza and Santi Capote.

This track was the first single out of their first album 'lo tuyo no tiene nombre' - which could be translated as something like 'there isn't a name for what you've done' - was produced by Luis Carlos Esteban, ex-keyboard for 80s band Olé Olé.

+ + Buraka Som Sistema ft Petty < < yah!

[2006] [Portugal]

How about mixing kuduro and urban beats? Kuduro is a very popular African rhythm that originates from Angola, so it has been quite popular for a long time in Lisbon as well.
It never crossed over though, not until now when Buraka Som Sistema created what it is being called progressive kuduro.

Buraka Som Sistema are Riot, LilJohn and Conductor and they have just released their first limited edition EP "from buraka to the world".

+ + Doce < < bem bom

[1982] [Portugal]

Doce started in 1980 formed by Laura Diogo, Lena Coelho, Fátima Padinha and Teresa Miguel and they were the first girl band in Portugal.

This is one of their most famous songs, 'bem bom' - something like 'so good!' which they took to Eurovision in 1982, where they came 13th (Bucks Fizz won that year).
Europe wasn't ready for their lyrics:

Uma da manhã, hey
[One in the morning, hey]
Bem bom, duas da manhã
[So good, two in the morning]
Bem bom, já três da manhã, hey
[So good, three in the morning already]
Bem bom, quatro da manhã
[So good, four in the morning]
Bem bom, cinco da manhã, hey
[So good, five in the morning, hey]
Bem bom, já seis da manhã
[So good, six in the morning already]
Bem bom, sete da manha hey
[So good, seven in the morning, hey]
Bem bom, oito da manha
[So good, eight in the morning]
Bem bom, cafe da manha para dois, sem saber o que vira depois
[So good, morning coffee for two, not knowing what will come afterwards]

Doce tried 3 other times to go to Eurovision [1980 - doce, sweet / 1981 - alibábá (um homem das Arábias), alibábá (a man from Arabia), and 1984 - o barquinho da esperança, the little boat of hope] but failed.

They will always be remembered by their loud dress style and by their great pop sound.

+ + Camela < < nunca debí enamorarme

[2003] [Spain]

Technorumba anyone?

Camela are probably the tackiest band in Spain. They created the technorumba genre - a mix of techno and rumba. They are Dioni, María Ángeles, and Rubén (Dioni's son) and they write all their lyrics and music.

They are Spain's media worst nightmare - no ones wants to talk about them, play them or put them on TV, but they are probably Spain's music best sellers of the past 5 years - every album goes to #1 and stays there for weeks.

The video for 'el calor de mi cuerpo' won them Best Spanish Video award for RockDeluxe magazine two years ago. It features a lot of tv-friendly kitsch and techno pop band Ellos play a small part on it - Camela become cool'n trendy.

I don't mind them at all - in fact they are much better than much of the light crap that we are subject to every day. (of course I don't live in Spain and don't have to put up with them)

Here's the über-sickening-kitsch video for 'nunca debí enamorarme' - 'i should never have fallen in love'.

+ + La Buena Vida < < qué nos va a pasar

[2001] [Spain]

Basque band from Donostia-San Sebastián led by singer Irantzu Valencia and singer/guitar Mikel Aguirre. They started in 1993 but it was only with album Hallelujah (2001) they became famous with this song.

Because Irantzu sings like she is constantly hugging a tree while reading poetry to it, they are one of the exponents of the Basque ñoñí-pop circuit.

This song however is an exception and it is indeed very beautiful - Irantzu actually decided to sing in tune for once.

[Also, in 2001 I happened to move to Barcelona and fell in love with the song.]

+ + Mocedades < < eres tú

[1973] [Spain]

Mocedades started in 1967 in Bilbao as Voces y Guitarras which translates as Voices and Guitars. The band was initially formed by 8 people: 4 Uranga brothers, 2 Blanco brothers, and two others with surnames Ipiña and Panera.

They changed the name to Mocedades a few years later, and as a band of 6 (some had already left) had their first hit with 'Eres Tú', Spain's Eurovision entry for 1973. Spain came second in the competition right behind Luxembourg's Anne-Marie David (whoever that is) and before UK's Cliff Richard.

The song was also quite famous in the US and got to #9 on the Billboard Top 40 chart of 1974 renamed 'Eres Tu (Touch The Wind)'.