by Iván Stemberg
The guys at Sadness Discos are digging deep into their bag of tricks. For one night only, the label is presenting the first annual edition of 70 Segundos Antes Del Knockout this Friday at Salón Real, a collision of artistic galaxies that will unite the live acts of Dietrich, Furies and Val Vento into one singular performance, with dj sets by Villa Diamante (ZZK), Nico B (Levitar) and Dj Joven (Gálaga), an interactive installation by Colectivo Toranzo, and an audiovisual exposition by Helicóptero Estudio and a photo exhibit. Everything was dreamed up as a pure collective action, a spontaneous and unrepeatable experience that will ask the public to have a direct role in the action.
Val Veneto promises to grease up the dance floor from one of the three stages that will enclose the audience in the middle of the scene. Their fiery caldron of Afrobeat, Central American cumbia and other dance rhythmss will interact with the hypnotic symmetry of Dietrich and the spacey rock of Furies. “We like the mix of bands that are all coming from different places and roots that work with Sadness Discos, who truly value music,” commented Jonah, member of the currently disbanded Alamos and clarinetist for Veneto.
The band has been playing together since June of last year. The name, Val Veneto, refers to an old Spanish monastery that took its name from the barrio that it´s situated in, Balvanera, better known for its three distinct neighborhoods, Once, Congreso and Abasto. The melting point of nationality, cultural tradition and the bustling activity of people that live and work there might serve as the example for the mixture of musical styles that froth out of this ensemble. According to Jonah, “We chose not to play a style or genre. Instead we chose to play us. It was a process that took almost a year before we had something worth sharing. We like the revolutionary music of Zimbabwe, like The Green Arrows and Thomas Mapfumo, and we also are attracted to the work of American minimalists like Steve Reich.”
In late 2010 they recorded their first EP with Estudios Ion with Ivy Lee from Nairobi – with four excellent tracks “El Paraguayo”, “Last Chance”, “La Yegua” and “Black Sabbath” – which can all be listened to on the bands bandcamp. The members of the group all come from distinct backgrounds: Poli and Andrés (electric guitar), Joaquín (drums), Gavilán (trumphet) were originally a part of Los Álamos with parallel projects like Springlizard and Los Palos Boarrachos; Lucas (bass) was a part of Pornois; Nacho (Baritone Sax) is currently part of Los Hermanos McKenzie; Nano (trumphet) was also a part of Onda Vaga, topped off by Maxi (percussion) and Mariela (trombone).
The night is going to ex-plode . I´ve been to one of the shows before, so what I´m about to say is neither clairvoyance nor hearsay, friends, I was a witness: live music that crosses from one end to the other, filling your head with sounds until it burst from the seams; playful little games from the Colectivo Torazno, drool inducing videos from Helicóptero Estudio, warm-up sets by Nico B and DJ Joven and the big dance party by Villa Diamante, whose energetic mash-up might make you throw your neck out. Go for whatever you want to go for, but don´t let your friends tell you what you missed the next day.
