Dismantling E-Waste in a warehouse. (Photo courtesy of Escrap)

2012 starts the final countdown for a decision to be made in Argentina about its electronic waste. Whilst last year the Minimum Premises for the Management of Electric and Electronic Waste (e-waste) Bill was passed in senate with 54 positive votes against one, it is now waiting to be formally discussed in Congress for it to be nationally instituted, after a meeting at the end of last year failed to achieve quorum.

This portion of urban solid waste, which includes not only mobile phones but also computers, batteries, television sets and other household appliances, is growing faster as people renew their electronics more often than ever. Only in the last year, one million computers, ten million mobile phones and 400 million batteries were discarded in Argentina. Each inhabitant throws away an average of 3kg of e-waste a year, totalling 120 thousand tonnes nationwide. This problem, however, is not unique to Argentina: worldwide, it is estimated that between 20 and 50 million tonnes of e-waste is discarded every year.

“We need a regulatory framework for environmental protection at national level and [we need to] especially regulate the management of electrical and electronic equipment waste,” said senator Daniel Filmus from Frente Para La Victoria, who originally presented the proposal in 2008.

The 28-page long proposed law suggests that producers be legally and financially responsible for the management of electronics that are no longer used by consumers, as well as the prohibition of toxic substances to be used in the manufacturing of new products. It also establishes the creation of a national infrastructure for disposal, storage, transport, reuse and recycling of electronic waste in coordination with the Secretary for Environment and Sustainable Development.

According to Escrap, a network of operators of e-waste and by-products industry in Argentina, only 24-32% of e-waste is currently recycled, reused or treated in any way in Argentina. So far, the rest of electronics have other final destinations.

Between 35-40% is kept in households, offices and warehouses, as people are unsure of what to do with them. The remainder, a further 30-35%, is buried in landfills or left in open rubbish piles. There is also what Escrap calls an “informal sector”, groups who will look in these piles for cables, plates, engines or plastic and then sell them in “informal markets”.

An enormous amount of battery waste is generated. (Photo courtesy of Greenpeace by Martin Katz)

The dumping of e-waste is an environmental disaster. Most products are made up of metals and plastics that may take centuries to disintegrate, but also contain heavy metals and toxic substances which are damaging to our health and pollute the air, soil, rivers and water tables, such as lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominateddiphenyl. According to a report released by Greenpeace, some of the possible effects of contamination are cancers, neurological toxicity (which may lead, for example, to memory loss) and damages to the circulatory, reproductive and nervous systems. Lead and mercury are particularly harmful to pregnant women and babies.

Greenpeace Argentina, who have been launching responsible e-waste treatment campaigns since 2007, have publicly expressed their discontentment with the lack of commitment from the government to reach a decision on the subject. “People talk a lot about how e-waste is the ‘garbage of the future’,” Yanina Rullo, the coordinator for the e-waste campaign at Greenpeace said. “It is not the future’s garbage: it is the garbage we already have now.”

She added that she thought the bill had “real financial potential” as it could generate jobs. So why is the government taking so long to reach a decision?

“Last year was a complicated one legislatively because of the national and the city elections and the lack of development of this law was because of that. These activities took four to five months from the regular statutory dynamics.”

However, she seems to think positively about the future ahead. “This is a bill which does not have serious opposition from the manufacturers, they have an understanding that this is something that will eventually happen as it did in Europe in 2003,” she explained. “Even the National Institute for Technological Industry [INTI] has supported and has been working on this issue for a few years now, as well as other environmental organisations. This has been a problem of political structure, which hopefully will be sorted this year.”

However, another critical point is the lack of recycling technology. In Argentina there are only around a dozen qualified operators who recycle between 2-15% of the e-waste, while the rest is exported to Europe where countries like France and Germany hold the technology to deal with more complex treatment of this kind of waste. With this law, the government will have to encourage the development of new recovery and treatment technologies in the country.

Gustavo Fernández Protomastro, the director of Escrap at a waste site (Photo courtesy of Escrap)

The subject of infrastructure, however, is relevant because although the government would be made responsible for establishing annual progressive goals in terms of the amount which is processed and also creating “reception centres” (to accommodate e-waste), the way these are managed, and how they will be able to cope with a sudden flow in e-waste, has not been clarified.

One organisation that is already working in the recycling front is Escrap, which is responsible for promoting the sustainable use of electronics from production to final disposal. They collect e-waste from companies and municipalities, separate their components (glass from metals, etc) and send them to smelters. The platelets (such as motherboards and keyboards) are sent to Europe to recover raw materials so as to be reused.

The director of Escrap, Gustavo Fernández Protomastro, does not seem concerned with the current lack of infrastructure. “This (bill) is certainly going to attract local and international investment to meet the demand.”

However, he was clear about Escrap’s goals. “What we want is for the government to establish a law which will speed up recycling and not the burying of products. It is easier to send the garbage for burial than recycling but it is not sustainable,” he said. “When people bury garbage, they don’t understand that there are those who they might be hurting or killing when they do it. We cannot bury forever. In the future, a battery will be recycled, not buried.”

Unlike Rullo, Fernández Protomastro is not concerned with the amount of time the government is taking with passing the law, arguing that “in Europe this decision took almost ten years”. He believes it is more important to create a law which is simple, coherent at both local and national level and within the understanding of both consumers and producers. This is because consumers need to be aware of returning their electronics to green spots and manufactures need to be prepared to cover the costs of collecting these goods and sending them to appropriate recycling and reusing centres such as Escrap.

“But it’s all a matter of cost-effectiveness. Unless money is involved, it is hard for people to do something about it. It’s like when buying beers, for example. If I return the used bottle it is cheaper the next time I buy beer. If there was some scheme like this with electronics, it would be easier for the law to work, because voluntarily it won’t. We humans do not understand the importance of caring for the environment, but it is necessary to manage that.”

Maybe 2012 will be the year when Argentina will do just that.

To find out what locals think of the issue, click here.

Like most developing countries, Argentina is becoming more of a consumer of electronic waste, and what to do with these products when they end their natural life cycle is a growing burden. The vast majority is currently left in landfills or on rubbish dumps, taking hundreds of years to decompose and releasing heaving metals and harmful toxins, which are dangerous to public health. However, there are upcoming discussions in government to sign a law to ensure that the producers are responsible for the safe disposal of their products and to generally regulate the safe management of waste electronic equipment. The Indy hit the streets to ask the public Buenos Aires what they thought about this pertinent subject.

Cesar Benites, 38, Quilmes, works in the restaurant industry

The government should encourage people to recycle more especially as nowadays electronic items are very popular. I try and sell my electronic waste as it can make useful items. Everyone needs to play their role though and not just leave it on the street. I am aware of the dangers that the contamination of electronic waste landfills can cause and it is definitely a problem that needs to be addressed by the government.

Clara Canchi, 21, Villa Crespo, student

We just put all of our rubbish on the street as there aren’t that many options to recycle. There is a place in Villa Crespo where we take our old electronic goods and they recycle them and use the materials inside them to make other things. Maybe the government should encourage more people to recycle these things so that we are more aware.

Saravia Gianella, 35, Moreno, housewife

I am from Peru originally and it is much the same as here, we just put our rubbish onto the streets. We do try and recycle some things like clothes but I wouldn’t know where to go to recycle electronic goods. I do know that the waste is dangerous though, especially in the form of water contamination.

 
Luis Queros, 55, Palermo, chef

I do recycle old electronic goods such as computers and they go to worthwhile places such as hospitals and schools. Most people are too lazy to care though and throw out old phones and other electronic goods onto the street. I think it is terrible, people need to start to care more and instead of leaving everything in the landfill site, we should recycle things more so it is less polluting for the environment.

Jamie Eidman, 70, Palermo, works in an electronic store

Yes, of course it is such a bad thing that we don’t think and our society creates so much damaging electronic waste. Not just in Argentina but everywhere especially in US. We should put all of the electronic waste in the sea and cover it with cement, that way we would not have any contamination. I am old but this will be a big issue for young people and the government should address the issue as soon as possible.

Darío Cataife gets ready for the show (Photo: Andy Donohoe)

The lights fell down on the stage at Niceto Club as an enthused and raucous crowd donned an array of festive masks. Similarly, up on stage the four band group initiated the festivities in their performance outfit complete with hat, sunglasses, and long, thick beards. The electronic drums kicked in the sound system, and at the first sound of the Jewish traditional melody, the crowd erupted into a jumping frenzy.

Eight months ago Niceto Club’s electro Jewish rave band, the Barmitzmidis had its conception when three synthesizer keyboardists and an electric drummer met rehearsing as part of a synthesizer orchestra for the group Michael Mike.

The dead time from practice with Michael Mike allowed the group which is composed of Jean Deon on electric drums, and Pin Deon, Pablo (Peta) Berardi, and Darío (Turco) Cataife all on synthesizers to let loose the creativity which Darío refers to as “some crazy moments of improvisation.”

“The musical direction came a little bit naturally. The melodies that were heard when we jammed in the practices had a little bit of everything that there is in Barmitzmidis. A little bit of Cumbia, a little bit of festive Jewish music, the rhythms had to do with this as well,” says Darío.

The idea of forming together as a band with four plugged in instruments wasn’t too conventional, and as a result the group figured their sound should also take on a unique characteristic. Jean says that it was the cultural link to Jewish heritage that drew the group members towards the culture’s traditional music.

“I think it is infrequent that you go to a party that plays electronic Jewish music, and so we liked this idea, says Jean. “Some of us have the tradition, and so it seemed fun to make a modern version of Jewish music, to bring something traditional to 2011.”

The group uses a heavy electronic rhythm to evoke a powerful pulsating dance beat, while the synthesizers mix in and out combining different melodies that contain a suggestive Jewish style. The musical result more often than not generates a fanatical fever of collective jumping.

Dario mentions that he loves to perform the traditional songs from popular Jewish culture because they come just as naturally as their own written songs, and admits that these songs are what usually bring the audience into a full blown ‘Hora’ dance.

“Almost everyone or at least every Jewish person has had a good time in a Jewish wedding when they are passed around in a chair, or the Barmitzvah which has all the spirit of the party,” says Jean. “This is the spirit we try to bring to the concerts in places like Niceto Club or other night clubs.”

The electronic Jewish and Klezmer rhythms and melodies make up the bulk of the groups song list, yet their creative influence also extend to their Latin roots.

“Being from here [Argentina] you’re an automatic mix of things. So this happens when we write songs,” says Pablo. “Generally we all write together, playing at the same time, and we all support the result of this creation, sometimes there is an idea of the more traditional Jewish songs, but then someone puts together an idea with Cumbia.”

Similar to the festive Jewish music they play, Barmitzmidis uses the slower unique rhythm of Cumbia to naturally connect the tempo speed from the typically fast Klezmer dance music to the slower Latin cumbia. Dario says that the mixing of music is just another element that comes together during group jam sessions.

“We always arrive to the studio and we never know what we are going to do. We get together and play,” says Jean. “I play a rhythm and another begins on the keyboard with the melody, and then one follows the other, and that’s how we form the ideas, then suddenly the four of us are happy that we’re all playing the same song.”

The Barmitzmidis know the importance of band success and have almost a year into their existence used the results of their electro jam sessions to provide another club alternative to live music lovers in Buenos Aires. In their last show at Niceto Club they wowed the masked audience with video projections of images of Jewish traditional dance as they finished off an energetic set with their own rendition of the Klezmer classic Hava Naguila.

An exasperated crowd came to a dancing halt, but the quick exit after a set of less than 40 minutes gave the impression that while they’ve mastered the 2011 Jewish party soundtrack they still had some songs to write and jam sessions to rehearse before they’re ready to make a full album and a huge breakthrough outside of the niche experimental electro market.

However, the group sees positive aspects to their natural progression so far. While they continue getting together to record in keyboardist’s Pablo’s recording studio their ability to creatively contribute their own musical influences into jams which they record and then listen to again allows them to pick and choose elements they wish to further incorporate. The group composition also helps all members actively participate and contribute their ideas.

The band understands that in order to capture a bigger fan base through live performances they’ll need a clear goal in mind. An album of electro Jewish anthems is in the works but Jean explains the Barmitzmidis’s plan right now is to make every show big or small into a huge party!

If you’ve slithered your way through tango steps, acquainted yourself with the canon of rock nacional, head-bobbed to digital cumbia and whistled along with folklóre Argentino and are left wondering what Argentine music has yet to show you, then you’re due for a dose of Tremor. This three piece band’s inventive sound blends cutting edge electronic composition and sound manipulation with traditional folkloric influences. Acoustic instruments such as the charango, ronroco, bombo legüero, flutes and violin are spliced together with chunky rhythms that bump into each other, pile up and are topped off with glitchy electronic ambience.

Photo by Brian Funk

The opening sequence of the musical and visual presentation of Tremor.

Tremor’s unique sound is the product of composer Leonardo Martinelli’s restless explorations of different musical expressions. As a teenager Martinelli attended the Manuel de Falla Conservatory in Buenos Aires, where he studied various styles of guitar, percussion and folkloric music. After graduating he proceeded to delve deeper into theories of composition with the accomplished classical and jazz composer Marcelo Katz, who Martinelli describes as “my master, my yoda”.

Before his formal training had yet begun, Martinelli had already started experimenting with various electronic instruments and recording processes. He had become fed up with the fickle stylistic leanings of his teenage bands, and was drawn to the opportunity of playing and recording on his own using synthesizers and samplers. The immense creative potential provided by the electronics became a central element of Martinelli’s artistry. He explains, “that’s what Tremor is about, it’s about using technology to make a collage.”

Photo by Brian Funk

Band leader Leo Martinelli experiments with musical compositions from recordings of many different instruments including even household objects.

Martinelli has utilised some highly unorthodox ingredients in his collages. He has recorded and then manipulated sounds produced by electronic printers, silverware, wine glasses filled to various levels, coins, furniture, cake pans, ping pong balls, telephone tones and many more. He is quick to point out that these sounds are not added just for novelty’s sake, but that he arranges the sounds to form genuine musical elements or patterns: “I think the difference between noise and music is that music has a logical pattern, or discourse; so when I use those kinds of sounds I try to make them say something interesting.”

For example, in the track ‘Surco’ the humming of an old printer slides along on top of the rhythm and propels the track forward. In ‘Dedalo’ the differing tings of wine glasses form a melody that heightens the piece’s crescendo.

These two tracks were assembled from a massive sound bank that Martinelli compiled before recording his first Tremor album, entitled ‘Landing’, recorded in his small home studio, and released independently in 2004.

He expanded on this recording technique to create the innovative ‘Defecto Primario: Suite Para Esencias Instrumentales’, which won first prize and a grant from the F Arts Awards, organised by the Artistic Experimentation Lab and Faena Group. In creating ‘Defecto Primario’, Martinelli followed strict self-imposed limitations. Each track of the ensemble was created using a single instrument or tool. Martinelli amassed separate sound banks consisting of all the melody and rhythm-related sounds that he could muster from each instrument, and then cut and pasted the fragments together.

‘Particulas Elementales’ stacks up various “vocal emissions” to create a bouncy and slick track. Martinelli told me that while he enjoys playing live - “I feel a ton of adrenaline when composing” - and these tracks ooze with the kind of enthusiasm for the studio expected from a musical mad scientist. He warns the sonically conservative, “the project is a bit crazy, you probably don’t want to listen to it while having dinner.”

Photo by Brian Funk

All three members of Tremor come together for a Quena flute jam.

Martinelli’s experimental musings have led him to projects in other art forms as well. In 2005 Martinelli collaborated with a friend on the play, ‘The Theatre Machine’, which competed at the Plateaux Festival in Frankfurt, Germany. There were no actors in the ‘The Theatre Machine’. Instead, it featured a gaggle of contraptions on the stage being triggered by a computer: lighting effects, videos flashing on and off, assorted objects descending from the ceiling, the raising of an inflatable doll and mouse traps being triggered by golf balls – just to name a few.

He has also worked with film. He was in charge of the musical arrangements for a short dance-related film called ‘Interio.Baño.Noche’, which won first prize at the 2004 Latin American Dance Video Festival in the artistic creation category.

Of his many artistic engagements Martinelli says, “I’m very curious and I also get bored really easily.”

However, for the last few years his focus has been firmly set on transforming Tremor into a successful live band. ‘Landing’ received wide critical acclaim and the exposure drastically altered the course of the project. After seeing Martinelli interviewed on television, percussionist Camilo Carabajal contacted him by email. Carabajal was enthusiastic about the two collaborating, though he wasn’t quite sure what they should work on.

Photo by Brian Funk

The back screen visuals silhouette the three members who make up Tremor.

Martinelli performed at a few shows with Carabajal’s band, more of a rock outfit, and the two began jamming and experimenting at the sound checks. They decided to record a three track EP. Laughing heartily, Martinelli recalls asking Carabajal, “hey, so what’s up, are you waiting for an invitation to work on Tremor?” Carbajal responded jokingly, “What? That invitation already happened!”

Two months later the two met keyboard and melodica player Gerardo Farez and Tremor took on its current manifestation. The three began reworking the tracks from ‘Landing’ and creating new compositions for their performances.

The emotive power of Tremor’s music, slightly obscured by the electronics on the albums, comes crashing through during their performances. Carabajal primarily plays the bombo legüero, a massive bass drum which is played standing up. He bobs and weaves over the drum like it’s a boxing opponent, delivering thundering blows and precise, nimble rim shots. Farez switches between an assortment of keyboards and the melodica, threading sinuous melodies through the tracks and sweeping the crowd along on discursive excursions. Martinelli mostly alternates between a keyboard, electric guitar and charango (a small stringed instrument in the lute family), usually swapping mid-song to initiate a dramatic change of mood.

The tracks become more expansive and intense when performed live, often venturing into sections of highly charged tension and eeriness. This intensity is augmented by the psychedelic imagery projected behind the band by video artist ‘Matapixels’, who has created a series of images and videos that accompany each track.

Photo by Brian Funk

Group leader Leo Martinelli plays the bombo legüero alongside percussionist Camilo Carabajal.

The three artists recorded the second tremor album, ‘Viajante’, as a group. While Martinelli still composes most all of the music, he says that his band mates play a vital role in the process: “their essences are there in the production.” Clearly informed by Martinelli’s composition training, ‘Viajante’ masterfully transitions between different moods from subtle, melancholic introspection to fierce, thumping outbursts.

Turning the Tremor project into a performing band led to collaboration with the local music collective Zizek Urban Beats Club. Martinelli describes the collective as a fertile ground for sharing musical ideas and influences, which has also helped to develop Tremor’s sound. Involvement with Zizek has also led to both US and European tours.

Along with further touring in the coming months, Martinelli is currently making the music for a documentary film, working on tracks for the third Zizek compilation album and recording both a Tremor remix collection and third studio album. He promises me that, of course, the sound is transforming. This is exciting news for all of us who appreciate music being pushed into brave new territory.

Both Tremor albums, ‘Landing’ and ‘Viajante’, can be purchased and downloaded from itunes and Amazon. The new remix album, ‘Para Armar’, will be released in June, and the third studio album should be out by early next year.

The next scheduled Tremor show will take place on 6th June as part of the Ciudad Emergente Festival, Sala Villa Villa.

For more information please visit: www.tremormusic.com and www.myspace.com/thesoundoftremor

Lisandro Aristimuño in concert (Photo: Beatrice Murch)

Lisandro Aristimuño is a young singer from Viedma, in Río Negro province, Patagonia. At the age of 31, he is releasing his fourth album ‘Las Crónicas del Viento’ and has already toured several times in Europe. Music critics like to compare him to an Argentine version of Radiohead singer, Thom York. The singer has had an unusual career worth knowing to better understand independent music in Argentina.

He released his first album ‘Azules Turquesas’ edited by the independent label Los Años de Luz Discos in 2004. It was cited as one of the 50 best albums of the year and Lisandro was selected as Best New Artist by Argentina’s Rolling Stone and Les Inrockuptibles. He was also a finalist at the Carlos Gardel award in the new forms of folk music category.

In November, Lisandro gave four concerts to present his new double album, which is divided in two chapters. Chapter 1 was recorded in a Buenos Aires studio and is closer to electronic music. It involves Lisandro’s band (also called Los Azules Turquesas) and a few guests. “This is more a group album, made by friends, it’s more like a chat, a symbol of communion,” says the singer about the first part of his new album.

The second chapter was recorded in a house in Spain. Lisandro claims his intention was to produce a more rustic and homely sound. In the past, the singer has always recorded his music at home. “It gives an amazing dimension of imperfection to the sound,” he says. “In the background, you can hear the sound of the street, your breath or just your own silence … That’s what gives originality and authenticity to a record.”

Lisandro describes his new album as the tale of his Patagonian childhood recounted by the wind. “Being born in Patagonia, I have been told when I was younger that the wind tells you lots of things, and I have chosen to sing them to people.” The singer compares himself to a bird, lifted by the wind and observing his land from different view points.

Strong wind on the pampa (Photo: Antoine Hubert)

After attending one of Lisandro’s concerts at ND Ateneo, I realised that although a bird can fly on its own, it often needs to fly in a group, and Lisandro’s band plays a big part in his work.

From the first song, ‘Es todo lo que tengo’, I can tell the prominence of his voice is clear. However, I thought the mix of electronic effects and jazz instruments was very enjoyable. The band consists of five musicians, composed of a clarinet, a double bass, a saxophone, drums and a keyboard. Every musician was also a backing vocalist. The folkloric music was brightened up by various electronic effects which made it more experimental and even more exceptional.

Lisandro has always been into the independent distribution scheme, a mode that is getting bigger and bigger in Argentina. Independent labels represent 23% of the music industry in the country and sell three million records a year for $41.2m.

A music production is said to be independent when it does not belong to a multinational company. It may include some self-produced artists although some labels have a market insertion comparable to the multinational enterprises. The two types of labels are mainly differentiated by the selection they make in their catalogue. Multinationals look for safe bets, basing their offer on large-scale launchings of similar products. They want quick results on their investments which reduces cultural diversity.

The importance of independent labels is recalled by Carlos Ulanovsky, music journalist and head of Radio de la Ciudad, when he sings the praises of Los Años Luz Discos. He says, “how difficult should it be to build a balanced catalogue that call attention and generates diffusion, public relations, sales and stays authentic. It is genuine public interest.”

Many of the large record companies in Argentina are not looking for new artists anymore. This important mission now relies on independent labels. However, independents have always had a tough life in competing with multinational record companies. They often lack the resources to sell through several media (records, video, movies, TV and the Internet). Mainstream Argentine radio, for instance, is known to be mainly talked-based radio and the music slots are already dominated by larger labels.

For a long time, the government has kept quiet about the topic but the recently approved media law has a few promises for independent artists. In radio broadcasting, 30% of music will now have to be Argentine music, with 50% of those artists being independent. For law makers, it is the artists who own the commercial rights of their own recordings. The government has also recognised the necessity of creating a fund in favour of the music industry of which 2% will be intended for the creation of a national music institute.

Another issue is distribution. In order to have your distribution to work you need two main investments. The first is advertising, but prices are too high for independent labels since the cost for an ad broadcasted twice a day for a month can reach the price of $5,200. This is a major investment for small labels that does not guarantee an effective promotion of their product. The second is distribution fees that take between 25 and 30% of the selling price and make it a hard job for small companies to survive off their sales.

But there is some hope as there are a large number of independent labels already in existence – there are some 70 in Buenos Aires alone – something that guarantees large musical diversity.

Lisandro Aristimuño on stage (Photo: Beatrice Murch)

Lisandro’s career is an important inspiration for Argentine independent artists. The singer represents international success while applying the rules of independent labels. His four performances in the ND Ateneo and the one in Rosario have been the only way he has promoted his album. On the day I went to discover the singer, there was hardly a free seat. Much of the audience was already fan of the Patagonian singer and sang along to the songs they knew.

Independent labels are more and more accepted as a working alternative to commercial distribution. In the international music industry, well-known artist have shown great support to the concept. Back in 2007, British band Radiohead released their album ‘In Rainbows’ through their own website a few months before the physical release. Customers could give whatever payment that they wanted including nothing. The site only said was “it’s up to you”.

Resemblance between Lisandro Aristimuño and Thom York was right to be tackled. Not only are the two artists linked by their music style but also by being both ambassadors for independent music. When Radiohead would be more on the international scale, Lisandro’s move is an important step forward for independent artists in Argentina. It will hopefully make people turn their back on commercial labels and convince them to support more fair-minded practices.

For more information about the artist, visit www.lisandro.biz For upcoming tour dates go to www.myspace.com/lisandroaristi

To understand Madre Maravilla you need to understand Buenos Aires. Likewise, to understand Buenos Aires, it would help if you understood Madre Maravilla.

While the city is unquestionably difficult to pin down or sum up, Madre Maravilla, a four-piece band whose motto is ‘to define is to limit’, is equally difficult to review. But this, of course, is no bad thing.

The Rolling Stone Magazine, Página 12 and La Nación, have all done their best to give this group, established in 2005, a pigeon hole. The general consensus, up until now, is that Madre Maravilla best fit the ‘experimental’ box along with all the other raggy dolls of the music world who refuse to comply with the factory settings.

Oscillating between electronic, folkloric, hardcore, bossa nova, pop, bolero and cumbia, often within the same track, the band more often than not leave you wondering what the hell just happened. What you are certain of, however, is that what you heard wasn’t confused, but rather infused. And, that you want more. You think.

A set spent with Madre Maravilla is like a new-comer’s taxi ride from Retiro’s villa miseria, along Recoleta’s canyon of decadent hotels and European-inspired architecture, down the open roads of Libertador and up through the Palermo parks where cross-dressing prostitutes joke with policemen. Yes, definitely more, please.

So, to Diana Molina (vocals), Roberta Ainstein (vocals and keys), Juan Antar (bass) and Federico Lanzi (drums), the question had to be, how do you come up with the music?

“The songs tend to be stories, or fables which are sometimes true or sometimes just made up. As a band, we often play the paper game where someone starts with the first line of a story, folds the paper and passes it on to the next person who continues, etc.

“We like to investigate different genres and reinterpret them – a process from which also come lyrics, melodies and sounds.

“Other times, like the track ‘Sos un Sol’, for example, the song relates a dating experience I had with a guy who I really had nothing in common with and who, for the duration of the date, kept telling me I was so crazy, so arty, until I couldn’t take it anymore,” says Diana.

Just to add to the mix, and in keeping with the Buenos Aires reality, the songs are often interspersed with snippets of English, French and Portuguese. But what exactly is it about Buenos Aires that inspires such creativity?

“Imagination is key to survival here. Most will agree that you have to be extremely imaginative come the end of the month. It is everywhere here, from the people that stand at the traffic lights selling anything from hair pins to volleyballs, to the fashion in the shops and the music from the bands,” adds Diana, a part-time waitress in a Palermo restaurant.

The group’s friendship is clearly key to their fruity, intoxicating, avant-garde musical cocktails, while their popular first album, ‘Primogénito’, plus plans for another early next year, prove them to be more than just a wacky fad, a flash in the pan.

If you love Buenos Aires you will love Madre Maravilla, for the two go hand in hand. Stand them alone and questions remain unanswered, opinions difficult to qualify. Put them together and everything makes perfect sense.

For more information on the band and their up and coming gig dates visit www.madremaravilla.com