Tag Archive: music


The soundtrack of Valparaiso

We were sitting at a cozy corner table for 3 at a funky bar/cafe on one of Valpo’s hills, drinking cheap but nonetheless great Chilean Shiraz. The restaurant was full to the brim; conversations, laughter and guitar filled the rest of the available space.

The music, suddenly, became very quiet. What for: a speech? a live performance? This place could fit nothing more, even the waiters were having a hard time waltzing between the tables.

But came they did, anyhow.

The girl had a fresh, strong voice. And the accompanying guitar perfectly complemented the already simmering vibe in here. No fancy dance performance, no backup kicks, no pomp – only the voice and the guitar.

The sound, although a bit melancholy, still roused a smile on my face.

They walked out with their instruments and their tips, and left us in the wake of raw emotions, while I scrambled a pen and a paper to jot down the duo’s coordinates.

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I am walking down the leafy wide Avenida de Mayo trying to hide from the screaming March sun. A postcard catches my eye. It’s a painting of a couple dancing tango. A simple painting and layout, devoid of all the kitsch I hate in postcards. I stop to grab a few because, after all the video skyping and endless emails, I still believe in postcards.

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This is an old Michael Jackson video ‘They Don’t Really Care About Us’, in which the background is part-favela in Rio (could be Rocinha but wikipedia says otherwise), and part-Largo de Pelhourinho in Salvador’s Cidade Alta. The drumming and marching bands are really powerful to listen to live and follow down the uneven cobbled alleys.

I didn’t know about the video before, I received it as a reference when I described dancing on the streets of Salvador de Bahia.

hidden courtyards with more treasures

The tireless rolling streets of Olinda, party central: treasure among treasures!

the best night of the Carnaval. [Diego & Jesica, if you're reading this, muito obrigada!]

Olinda is a small colonial town, and a UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s only 20min by city bus from the centre of Recife (and its Miami-like modern skyscrapers seen here in the background). They are located in Pernambuco province on the northern coastline of Brasil.

in the Bahía de Todos los Santos (the Bay of all Saints), these two

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Not a fan of mainstream, I really loathe hearing commercial pop abroad, especially in some far off places. I guess it cannot be avoided – we all wear something Nike, have Facebook accounts and iPods.

But it is the uniqueness of distant places which makes us want to explore, not ‘globalization’. Trekking 5 days down the length of the Amazon river, then a few hours by bus into the jungle and hear Rihanna, or whoever else is dominating the US charts and downloads, is really dispiriting.

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midnight sun! full moon en route East to the mouth of the Amazon

But discovering new sounds can really give a great twist to a journey. I gather and sample suggestions, hunt down the tunes that I heard somewhere, some that have given a soundtrack to a passing but important moment, or an experience, some that have inspired me. I don’t let it pass usually, and sometimes I do it a bit fanatically, especially if I think that it’s a thread that could lead me to discovering a new genre, a new sub-culture, or something different or unique. View full article »

A-list Mykonos

Those who know “the (other) true Mykonos” hoard some valuable secrets and connoisseur obsessions, such as:

- A personal tour of Delos to unfold before you the charm of the ancient city, and a story full of money & glam!

- Diving at Tragonissi with Panagis’ boat, and ask him to take you to the cave where there is a hidden beach.

- An alternative sunset on the way towards Fanari-Agia Sophia when you camp at Faros.

- Fokos dam and the artificial lake on the way to the coast will reveal a scene of wild beauty and an exciting side of Mykonos.

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Best sunrise: At Agios Sostis, along with your first swim of the day, after stopping at the bakery in Ano Mera for a cheese pie.

Windsurfer’s paradise: Ftelia and Kalafatis. So, fly on your surfboard.

Most minimal-chic courtyard in town: Nikos Varveris’ Interni, which combines impeccable aesthetics, light home-made delicacies and a superb bar where you can start the evening with a pineapple caipirinha, beautiful people and sophisticated music.

Best rock beats: First by far, Astra remains the best nest of the island’s fans – even the ‘old’ ones who, with a few exceptions, do not go to many places any more. From midnight to dawn, outside for cooling off and inside for crazy dancing and concept parties, throughout the summer.

Noontime live: Gigs take place all summer at Bahia Blanca in Kalo Livadi.

The best tavern by the beach: Tassos’ in Paranga. Super delicious home cooked dishes and grills, in beautiful surroundings, with years of history and prices that don’t cause indigestion.

The most beautiful beach restaurant: N’ammos at Psarou. The best beach service and fun; the Sunday Times includes in among the 10 best beaches in Europe for partying.

Eight tribes of Mykonos

People who disembark in Mykonos are very different but also very similar.

Applying the science of lifestyle, they shall be classified in 7 tribes:

The Jet-Setters

(who are fed up with Saint Tropez and Saint Bart’s)

Fascinated by the architecture and seashores of the island, as they see them from the sea, they usually refuse stubbornly to leave the wooden deck and step on the golden sand and the whitewashed pavements.

And if they get bored eventually of the Apollonian sun that shines above Delos, they turn to luxurious shopping to entertain their holiday boredom and their misery for being so rich.

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The Vacationers

(Landowners in a cosmopolitan Porto Heli)

They have sealed their relationship with the island by a multimillion contract; they buy a piece of land with a view (land without views is non discussable) they build, according to their personal taste, small rustic villas with design arcs and windswept embroidered curtains.

The virgin beach at Agios Sostis – they believe is their own secret utopia and they curse anyone for revealing to infidels the path to bohemian sunbathing.

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The Serial Mykonians

(They always say that they will never come back, but each year they reappear)

Each time they enter the ship to Patmos, they get off at Mykonos, as they harbour guilty love that binds them to this isle. They will appear with full bohemian chic outfits at Panormos, the beach that lonely riders used to favour, which has lately become a place to see and be seen.

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Home to breathtaking Victoria Falls and spectacular Safaris, Zimbabwe is an exotic country with incredible landscapes brimming with diverse and exotic wildlife in their native and undisturbed reserves.

Eastern Highlands, the Zambezi Valley, Hwange, and Matobo Hills bear environmentally sustainable wealth due to the lack of mass tourism during in the past decade.

The people have realized the potential of their nation’s resources and their capacity, not only in making profit from sustainable tourism, but revitalizing that offer to build its reputation and establish a standard by taking pride and respecting their environment and their territory’s assets and attributes.

Certainly, it will take time for the country to develop new infrastructure and upgrade the existing deteriorated facilities but the changes that are gradually re-shaping Zimbabwean society are valuable and long-term.

Following that socio-political upheaval, the country faced a brief state of economic sanctions and national moratorium, which may have been a wake-up call as it has emerged stronger and refreshed.

A restored regard and respect for a constructive and efficient social order and promising future generated new collective and individual ambitions.

The music scene reflects a time-honored folk roots that people feel ties them to their heritage and spirituality, which they tend to celebrate and reinforce through communal connections, believing that the music strengthens it.

Many western travelers will appreciate the free spirit of Zimbabweans and their street scene where the warmth of people and the spirit of the community will be felt through music – its ability to unify and pacify people and create a positive attitude.

la ville éclairée

Paris has long been considered the city of dreams.

For centuries, it was regarded as the art capital of the world and attracted many painters, sculptors, architects, writers, poets, musicians, filmmakers, who all together moulded it into a city with a very unique and strong character.

Its elegance, diversity, and exclusivity has attracted millions of visitors, travellers, migrants, and expatriates to admire it, celebrate its appeal, and be a part of it.

The 70 million annual visitors are not all new visitors. Those that reappear again and again do so because Paris is the kind of destination that perpetually reinvigorates itself, and it also has so much to offer that one visit, no matter how long, is certainly never sufficient.

Strikingly beautiful, with wide, flowing tree-lined boulevards, classical Renaissance architecture and monumental sites, it is regal and nobel.

What attracts millions of visitors and immigrants that keep pouring into its heart is its uniqueness. It remarkably triumphed above many others as it managed to retain its true personality. Rather than become engulfed in the metamorphosis, it embraced it.

In a seamless and well-suited fusion of old and new, Paris still manages to be perfectly duplicitous – this incredible symbiosis between the past and present accents its uniqueness.

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soundtrack of life

♫     ♪     ♫

Once, on an entirely pointless and trivial questionnaire, I was asked if I had to, would I rather choose to be deaf or blind.. and I said – I couldn’t endure life without hearing music or seeing the world, but I could live without bragging about it, so I would choose to be mute : x

Music has a very strong presence in my life, a strong influence, I feel it’s an integral part of me and something that I pursue simply because it’s satisfying..

Just by chance, an idea dawned on me to compile a so-called ‘soundtrack of life’, a selection of songs that have come to symbolize or embody certain moments in the past, some significant events, life chapters, important people – all those elements that made an impact or left a mark.. songs that instantly throw me back in time and consolidate memories.. songs that touch the soul.. It’s a very nostalgic collection that personify me (or used to..) by principe of association. Some of them span years and countries, as well as my own journey through metamorphosis.. some are ephemeral, but crucial. And that’s life.. that’s life (in a boom box).

My soundtrack of life, a work in progress.

I am pursuing a few similar thematic projects – it’s incredibly satisfying (the process of reminiscing, but also diagnosing perceptions of moments in life, either now or in the past). Once it is completed – and it may never be entirely complete, as we change, forget or simply, perhaps, don’t want to remember.. – it can, easily, be your own intimate guide.

When you can’t get away, how do you get away?

but some world music into your step!

One of my favourite worldly music ensembles is Gotan Project. Their sound is very unique and a blend of some genres, predominantly a spin on classical tango, with nu jazz, electornica, new age.. The sounds are very moving, yet complex and tranquil.

have a taste:

una musica brutal

la revancha del tango

differente

Moving along the same lines: Ojos de Brujo is a Spanish group, also with a distinctive style and sound, tastefully merging elements of flamenco with rap, electronica, and rhythm & blues.

They’re very energetic and remarkably passionate.

Sample, hope you have sangria on hand:

piedras vs. tanques

todos mortales

nueva vida

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