Tanghetto


Tanghetto is an Argentinian neo tango and electronic tango music project created and led by musician and producer Max Masri. It's based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The style of Tanghetto is a blend of tango and electronic music. Their music is also influenced by world music and jazz. The experimentation in studio started in 2001, however Tanghetto was formed as a band in late 2002 and early 2003. Tanghetto's concept was developed by producer / composer / songwriter Max Masri. Then Max was joined in the project by Diego Velázquez then later joined by various guest musicians. The band's current lineup includes bandoneon, violin, acoustic piano, electronic and acoustic drums, samplers, and synthesizers. The main feature of their music, apart from the balance of electronic and ethnic sounds, is the strong presence of melody and song structure.

History and albums

Tanghetto released their first album, Emigrante in 2003. It was inspired in the economic crisis that Argentina was facing back in 2001 and also in the feelings of distress generated by the massive exile of many young Argentines, that decided to flee from their country, in a desperate move to find a future. ¨Emigrante¨ was nominated for the Latin Grammy Awards of 2004 in the category of "Best Instrumental", and later reached platinum status in Argentina in 2006 and double platinum in 2009. According to The Los Angeles Times, Tanghetto is the most seductive electrotango band that is based in Buenos Aires and the album "Emigrante" is "marked by its languid melodies, its smoky textures and the kind of delicate piano lines that would make Massive Attack proud". In late 2004 the group released an album from a side project called Hybrid Tango, in which a variety of world music styles are blended with their unique sound, including flamenco, candombe, and jazz. This album was also nominated for the Latin Grammy Awards of 2005 in the Traditional/ Best Tango Category.
In early 2005 a compilation of different electronic and neo-tango artists was released in Buenos Aires by the label Constitution Music, under the name Tangophobia Vol. 1, including five unreleased tracks by Tanghetto.
In October 2005 a new album, Buenos Aires Remixed, was released. It's an album that contains 12 remixed versions of Tanghetto songs plus two cover songs. Their version of "Blue Monday" became an alternative radio hit in the USA, and a favorite on KCRW radio station in Los Angeles. Buenos Aires Remixed reached gold status in early 2007 and became their second platinum album later that year. In 2005 they released their first controversial video "Tangocrisis", with images of the Argentine economic crisis. Their second video from ¨Hybrid Tango¨, "Barrio Sur" was their first video with rotation on MTV. In July 2006 they released their first DVD, "Live in Buenos Aires".
After consistently touring through Europe and the Americas, the band recorded their next studio album, called El Miedo a la Libertad, named after Erich Fromm's classic essay, Fear of Freedom. The album was released on March the 1st, 2008 and in July 2009 it won a Gardel Award, the Argentine equivalent of the Grammy and reached gold status in 2011.
In late 2009 after their first big tour in Brazil, they released a new studio album called Más Allá del Sur which was also nominated for a Carlos Gardel Award, this time in 2010. In 2011 they released their album VIVO which was recorded during their last two tours. The album also includes a cover version of "7 Nation Army" from The White Stripes and an electrotango version of the song "Computer Love" by German electro pioneers Kraftwerk. There's a second volume for the "VIVO" album dubbed "VIVO 'Milonguero'" with 14 live tracks, including unplugged versions recorded during the 2007 BBC Sessions and some bonus tracks, such as Piazzolla's "Allegro Tangabile". This album features a notable live version of "Libertango" also by the great tango creator Astor Piazzolla. ¨VIVO Milonguero¨ won their second Gardel Award. In late 2012 a concept album called Incidental Tango was released, with the participation of guest arranger / pianist Aldo Di Paolo. For the ¨Incidental Tango¨ album, Masri envisioned the notion that music is always the soundtrack of everyone's life, and thus Tango in all of its forms is the 'incidental music' of life in Buenos Aires. Tanghetto toured all over Europe in 2013, playing in one of the most important venues in London, The O2 Arena, and toured Romania and Poland for the first time. They also toured in Latin America, in Mexico, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Argentina. In 2014 they released the follow up to their 2004 concept album ¨Hybrid Tango¨, named ¨Hybrid Tango II¨. The album consisted of new recorded material and some songs that were not used in other albums but were of excellent artistic quality and were kept for this project. In September 2014 Tanghetto was nominated for the third time to the Latin Grammy's with ¨Hybrid Tango II¨ competing with Ruben Blades who won. In 2015 they released the album "Progressive Tango" and got their 6th nomination to the Gardel Awards. ¨Progressive Tango¨, first promo single became the number one song played from Tanghetto in Spotify. With that tour they played in Europe, America and Asia. In 2016 they released the album "Desenchufado", it was also nominated to the Gardel Awards becoming their 7th nomination to the most prestigious awards in Argentina in 2017. In 2018 they released the album "Vivo en Buenos Aires" recorded at some of the most important music halls of Buenos Aires and it features two new songs. In july 2018 the played for the first time at the iconic Lincoln Center in New York City for 3,000 people. In 2019 They played their most important show in Buenos Aires celebrating 15 years of the "Emigrante" Album, playing at the Ballena Azul Symphony Hall, with three legends as special guests: Pedro Aznar, Sandra Mihanovich and Nito Mestre.

Current live lineup

Special guest:
Albums
Singles
YearSongAlbumNotes
2006Barrio SurFrom Hybrid TangoFirst Tanghetto video to be played on MTV.
2006TangocrisisHybrid TangoContains uncensored footage from the December 2001 riots in Argentina
2006BiorritmoTangophobia Vol. 1Track later re-recorded and included in the "Más Allá del Sur" album
2007Blue MondayBuenos Aires RemixedNew Order cover, shot in London in 2006
2007Mente FrágilEmigrante First tango and electrotango video with LGBTQ characters. It received MTV rotation.
2008Alexanderplatz TangoEmigrante Shot in Berlin, Germany
2008El DueloHybrid TangoShot in Rome, Italy
2009Buscando CamorraEl Miedo a la Libertad
2010Tango MísticoMás Allá del Sur
2010La MilongaMás Allá del SurUnofficial video
2014Quién Me Quita Lo BailadoHybrid Tango IIArchive footage from the 1950s in Montevideo, Uruguay

Awards

Tanghetto was nominated to the Latin Grammy Awards for the first time in 2004 in the "Best Instrumental Album" category with their album "Emigrante ", released in late 2003. The category was won by sixteen-time Grammy winner and violoncello virtuoso Yo-Yo Ma. The following year Tanghetto was again nominated for a Latin Grammy, this time in the "Best Tango Album" category with their album "Hybrid Tango". In 2009 they won their first Gardel Award with their album El Miedo a la Libertad. In 2010 Tanghetto was nominated again for the Gardel award with their album "Más Allá Del Sur". Both live albums "VIVO" and "VIVO" Milonguero, as well as 2013 studio album ¨Incidental Tango¨, were nominated for "Best alternative tango album" in 2011, 2012 and 2013 respectively for a Gardel award. VIVO Milonguero won the Gardel award in 2012. In 2014 Tanghetto was nominated to the Latin Grammy's for the third time with "Hybrid Tango II". Tanghetto got nominated again to the Gardel Awards in 2013, 2016 and 2017 combining seven gardel Award nominations.
In 2012, as producer and songwriter of Uruguayan tango singer Tabaré Leyton, Max Masri was nominated for two Graffiti awards, one Morosoli and one Iris award. The album "La Factoría del Tango" ultimately won one Graffiti, the Morosoli Bronze award and the Iris award.
In 2018 Max Masri won the Graffiti Music Award of Uruguay for the second time with "VIVO por el Tango" the third album by Tabare Leyton, where Max Composed, Produced, Mixed and Mastered.
YearAlbumAwardCategoryResult
2004Emigrante Latin GrammyBest Instrumental AlbumNominated
2005Hybrid TangoLatin GrammyBest Tango AlbumNominated
2009El Miedo a la LibertadPremios GardelBest Electronic Tango AlbumWon
2010Más Allá del SurPremios GardelBest Instrumental / Fusion / World Music AlbumNominated
2011VIVOPremios GardelBest Alternative Tango Orchestra AlbumNominated
2012VIVO MilongueroPremios GardelBest Alternative Tango AlbumWon
2013Incidental TangoPremios GardelBest Alternative Tango AlbumNominated
2014Hybrid Tango IILatin GrammyBest Tango AlbumNominated
2016Progressive TangoPremios GardelBest Alternative Tango AlbumNominated
2017DesenchufadoPremios GardelBest Alternative Tango AlbumNominated