South American music and culture magazine

Venezuela’s Cuarto Poder are most definitely on the rise. They have shared the stage with acts such as Calle 13, Tego Calderon, Molotov and Gustavo Cerati over the past few years and surely more are soon to follow. Hailing from Caracas, the group perform a style of “criollo rap” mixing the lengua of the streets with traditional rhythms and samples. Today we have a new mix from the collective, a follow-up of sorts to their last album In Tha House. Continue Reading

Santiago de Leon de Caracas – better known simply as Caracas – is the capital and largest city of Venezuela. Caracas is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuela coastal mountain range, the Cordillera de la Costa. Lying close to the Caribbean Sea, the Caracas valley is separated from the coast by the so-called “green guardian” – a steep mountain range rising north of Caracas, named Cerro El Ávila. Culminating at Pico Naiguatá, 2,765 meters above sea level (9,071 ft), the city’s many skyscrapers and multi-storey buildings sit dwarfed at the foot of this mountain, which nestles among the clouds. And it is here in these mountains that an unexpected refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city can be found. Continue Reading

Venezuelan music has always been hard to characterise. Salsa is their national music – despite being more associated with the Caribbean or New York, and their successful exports have included groups as diverse as the Símon Bolivar Youth Orchestra and Los Amigos Invisibles. Continue Reading

Venezuela appears to becoming more and more of an enigma – especially to people outside of the country – with contrasting levels in murder rates and levels of happiness, a government whose relations with other countries and media outlets can be called temperamental at best, and one of the largest sources of oil in the world. Continue Reading

There is little doubt that La Lucha Constante, the debut album from Venezuela’s Algodón Egipcio will rank high in our Best Albums of 2011 list at the end of the year. The album showcased the talents of Cheky, also a member of Jovenes y Sexys, as he forged his own distinctive sound somewhere between shoegaze and electro, a sound that he has also applied to remixes of El Sueño de la Casa Propia, Las Robertas and El Columpio Asesino. We wanted to ask Cheky about his work as Algodón Egipcio, when Jovenes y Sexys will release some new material and also about the Venezuelan music scene in general. Here’s what we found out… Continue Reading

Take one international hero. The liberator of a continent. A man venerated to the point of deity. Add one populist leader of the people. Add a dash of paranoia, a sprinkle of delusion of grandeur. And cook together a conspiracy theory impossible to prove. Continue Reading

It all started with a band called Jovenes y Sexys from Venezuela, or it did for us anyway. Their quirky electronica and pop styles on the Bruno EP were some of the most refreshing sounds we’d heard in a long time. Seemingly Jovenes y Sexys are now on hiatus, but half of the duo, calling himself Algodon Egipcio released an incredible album of forward-thinking electronic music this year. Now La Vida Boheme have stormed out of Caracas, causing a stir in the US with their wild, punk showcase. It seems as if Venezuela really has something going on! Continue Reading

La Vida Boheme have just played a secret show for MTV Iggy in New York. I think it’s fair to say this band from Caracas, Venezuela who mix punk and 80s pop with a ridiculously energetic live show are on their way up. Especially now that their debut album Nuestra has been picked up by Nacional Records. We decided to have a chat with the group to find out what all the fuss is about. Continue Reading

You’ve got to give it to the guys at Happy Jazz Radio – they certainly know their stuff. After supplying us with incredible Argentinian, Brazilian, Peruvian and Chilean mixes, we know get their take on the music of Venezuelan, and it’s a pearler. Full of great jazz and salsa, it’s a perfect mix for the evening, afternoon or morning. Continue Reading

There are few cities that follow the lines and heights of Caracas. Interesting would be a compass that revealed the tale behind each cardinal, how the north is a green and luscious mountain, el Avila, the city’s lung and a mammoth landmark, orientating from its height as the skyscrapers suddenly cower in reverence. Man just can’t compete. Beyond the mountain lies the sea, the Caribbean sea, a temperamental promise, because when it rains, how it rains, but when it doesn’t, the promise is yellow, white and blue; kilometres of beaches lined by gentler waves. Here, in Caracas’ north, is the story of slavery and resistance. Barlovento, the city’s “black” coast is where drums beat hardest when it comes to the festivals of San Juan, celebrating the mulatto saint, a mixed-race deity for a Venezuelan people. Continue Reading

Simon Bolivar is a name that echoes across South America. His name appears in titles of countries, currencies, and numerous place names and statues throughout the continent. Go anywhere in the Spanish-speaking world and people will know his name. Yet he died on his way to exile, convinced his life work would crumble. Sounds and Colours takes a look at the life, times and legacy of the man known as “El Liberador.” Continue Reading

Stephanie Kennedy, Sounds and Colours Venezuelan correspondent, takes a close look at life in Caracas’ slums, reacting to both the consequences of recent bad weather, and the release of Hermano, a new feature film set in the area.

The recent rainfalls to have hit Venezuela, as well as its neighbour Colombia, have been devastating, with both countries now in a state of emergency as thousands have been left homeless. The National Guard and the army, along with countless other civil servants are now operating to appease the damage, whilst schools and other governmental institutions have opened up as shelters. In Venezuela, 37 deaths, 136,000 people without homes and many still missing, draw an alarming picture. Continue Reading