美国国家公共电台 NPR Alt.Latino's Favorite Music Of 2017 (So Far)

 

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

We've just about reached the year's midpoint. So some of our friends at NPR Music are taking this month to look at the year so far in music. Felix Contreras from Alt.Latino is here with some of his faves. Good morning, Felix.

FELIX CONTRERAS, BYLINE¹: Good morning. Good morning.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: So what are you noticing about the music that's come out over the past six months?

CONTRERAS: You know, it's always fascinating in our little corner of the music business - the Latin Alternative world - because it's full of artists who push or even ignore boundaries - take risks, make us think, make us feel. And it's always well outside of the mainstream² spotlight³. And so far, it lives up to the promise.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: OK. I can't wait to hear. What have you brought us to listen to?

CONTRERAS: OK so check this one out.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PRELUDIO")

IFE: (Singing in foreign language).

CONTRERAS: This is the sound of Afro-Cuban music reimagined, OK? It's amazing musical vision of Otura Mun and his band IFE. Now, Otura Mun is a Santero, which is a practitioner⁴ of a particular branch of what is commonly known as Santeria. The rhythms and chants on the record are the same. But they use electronic instruments and effects on the vocals⁵ like we're hearing right now to make the most ancient music sound futuristic.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PRELUDIO")

IFE: (Singing in foreign language).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Oh, I dig this.

CONTRERAS: Look at that, right?

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yeah, no, this is good. And this is Cuban music from the island?

CONTRERAS: They're all Puerto Ricans who are practitioners⁶ of Santeria. So it's Afro-Caribbean, essentially⁷.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Right. OK.

CONTRERAS: And Otura Mun, actually, is African-American from the Midwest who ended up in Puerto Rico because the airline screwed up his ticket basically. And he fell in love with the culture and the music. And he produced this great record. It's called "IIII+IIII." And, again, the band is called IFE.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: All right, that sounds amazing. All right, what's next?

CONTRERAS: OK. Great Latin music from Kansas City.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Of course.

(LAUGHTER)

GARCIA-NAVARRO: The band is called Making Movies. And they're members with roots from all over Latin America. They have a great new album. Their second album is called "I Am Another You." And in the age of singles, this is a concept album.

And it's telling a great story talking about the immigration experience life in Kansas City and just being young and having dreams. OK, it's produced by Steve Berlin from Los Lobos. It's sonically and lyrically one of the best albums of the year so far. Check this out.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TELL ME THE TRUTH")

MAKING MOVIES: (Singing) So tell me when the season ends and teach me how to make amends⁸. I heard you speak, baby. Come again?

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Just shows you how wide the world of alternative Latin music is. It's - yeah - completely different from what we just heard. Beautiful.

CONTRERAS: Yeah. And it's all under the - whatever you want to call the umbrella of Latin music, which I think is almost used up. You can't even use it anymore.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: You think so?

CONTRERAS: You know, because - I mean, listen to that. It's - you know?

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yeah, it's just - it comes from all sorts of different backgrounds. And they bring all sorts of different things to it.

CONTRERAS: That's a deeper conversation for a longer show.

(LAUGHTER)

GARCIA-NAVARRO: All right, we'll move on. All right, we'll move on.

CONTRERAS: OK.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: What's next?

CONTRERAS: OK. Lara Bello - and she's a vocalist from Spain - does a mash⁹ up of Spanish song form, jazz, flamenco, classical. She released this great new album called "Sikame." This is the title track.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SIKAME")

LARA BELLO: (Singing in Spanish).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: (Speaking Spanish).

CONTRERAS: Right? (Laughter).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: This Spanish from Spain accent and Lisp - beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. All right, Felix Contreras from Alt. Latino. Thanks so much for being with us.

CONTRERAS: Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SIKAME")

BELLO: (Singing in Spanish).

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

3 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

4 practitioner   

n.实践者，从事者；(医生或律师等)开业者

参考例句：

• He is an unqualified practitioner of law.他是个无资格的律师。
• She was a medical practitioner before she entered politics.从政前她是个开业医生。

5 vocals   

（乐曲中的）歌唱部份，声乐部份( vocal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Also look out for soaring vocals on The Right Man. 另外，也可留意一下《意中人》中的那高亢的唱腔。
• Lazy bass line, lazier drums, lush violins, great piano and incomparable vocals. 懒惰的低音线，较懒惰的鼓，饮小提琴，棒的钢琴和无比的声音。

6 practitioners   

n.习艺者，实习者( practitioner的名词复数 )；从业者（尤指医师）

参考例句：

• one of the greatest practitioners of science fiction 最了不起的科幻小说家之一
• The technique is experimental, but the list of its practitioners is growing. 这种技术是试验性的，但是采用它的人正在增加。 来自辞典例句

7 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

8 amends   

n. 赔偿

参考例句：

• He made amends for his rudeness by giving her some flowers. 他送给她一些花，为他自己的鲁莽赔罪。
• This country refuses stubbornly to make amends for its past war crimes. 该国顽固地拒绝为其过去的战争罪行赔罪。

9 mash   

n.麦芽浆，糊状物，土豆泥；v.把…捣成糊状，挑逗，调情

参考例句：

• He beat the potato into a mash before eating it.他把马铃薯捣烂后再吃。
• Whiskey,originating in Scotland,is distilled from a mash of grains.威士忌源于苏格兰，是从一种大麦芽提纯出来的。