Have you ever wondered what makes the music scene in Buenos Aires so irresistibly captivating? On ExpatPathways, we delve into the rich tapestry of music in Buenos Aires, where Argentina’s musical heritage defies a single genre or style.
Here, past trends coexist with new musical genres that seem poised to dominate the entire scene. It’s no surprise that tango serves as the city’s soundtrack, mesmerizing many foreigners with its melodies and dance.
However, Buenos Aires also boasts numerous musical styles that surpass tango in popularity, such as national rock and the relentless wave of urban music.
Whether you’re a digital nomad, a traveler, or an expat, prepare to be challenged and enchanted by the diverse sounds that define this vibrant city.
Music in Buenos Aires: Genres and Artists That You Can’t Stop Listening To
Tango
Which cities in the world have their own soundtrack? And we’re not referring to a musical genre or a set of artists that are popular only among the city’s inhabitants. The uniqueness of tango in Buenos Aires is not just its origin in the city, where its popularity soared after success in Europe and the rest of the world; it is a musical genre that is listened to, sung, and danced to.
Almost all foreigners who come to Argentina know that among many other artists and musical genres, there is one that identifies Buenos Aires: tango.
Although it is not the most listened-to genre by new generations, the streets of Buenos Aires are still imbued with the melodies and lyrics of great tango artists like Carlos Gardel, Tita Merello, Julio Sosa, Roberto Goyeneche, Osvaldo Pugliese, Francisco Canaro, Enrique Santos Discépolo, Edmundo Rivero, Aníbal Troilo, and Mercedes Simone, among many others.
National Rock
Buenos Aires has embraced rock music since very early times. After the frenzy of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, and other Anglo-Saxon rock stars, the genre found a strong cultural and artistic expression among the new generations in Buenos Aires during the 60s, 70s, and 80s.
There is no consensus on what the golden age of national rock was, but we can mark a significant period in the 1970s and 1980s. During this time in Argentine history, rock had to navigate the difficulties of censorship and persecution by de facto governments and a segment of Argentine society that did not look kindly upon its lyrics.
However, as always happens, especially in musical art, repressing a cultural expression of such magnitude only strengthened its acceptance among Argentine audiences.
Bands like Soda Stereo, Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota, Sumo, Virus, Serú Girán, Divididos, Los Abuelos de la Nada, and many others from both the old and new school (Airbag, Wos, etc.) have won over Argentines with concerts and hits.
Moreover, in Buenos Aires, you will notice a phenomenon of “tribalization” around rock bands. What does this mean? Each band has its own fans or devotees, to the point where concerts are not just live performances but also rituals or gatherings where bands and followers reaffirm their bond.
Pop
Argentine pop is a genre whose boundaries and limits are difficult to define. The main reason is that what is defined as “pop” in Argentina and Buenos Aires has changed substantially from the mid-20th century to the present.
In its beginnings, Argentine pop was closely associated with artists of the stature of Sandro, Palito Ortega, Valeria Lynch, or Diego Torres. These musical styles were identified with what was popular, although they mostly responded to romantic ballads.
But as happened with pop worldwide, since the 1980s, the genre has taken influences from rock, urban rhythms, and other musical styles, slightly changing its DNA. The traditional voices of romantic pop gave way to bands, groups, and artists who combine catchy songs, hits, and a special commercial aesthetic.
Folklore
Argentine folklore has its main roots in what is known as the interior of the nation. This concept is used (although sometimes a bit generically and anti-federally) to refer to the Argentine provinces in the center and north of the country.
While tango and milonga were enchanting Buenos Aires’ inhabitants, many of them newly arrived immigrants from Europe, folklore was the soundtrack of the rural areas of Argentina and much of the provinces.
It would be unfair to say that folklore did not have an impact in Buenos Aires, although its penetration was not as considerable as it was (and still is) in provinces like Córdoba, Santa Fe, La Pampa, Mesopotamia, Litoral, and the Cuyo region.
Mercedes Sosa, Atahualpa Yupanqui, Los Chalchaleros, Horacio Guarany, Los Nocheros, and other pioneering artists (soloists and bands) were the founders of the genre, followed by more recent artists like Soledad and Natalia Pastorutti, Luciano Pereyra, Abel Pintos, and Raly Barrionuevo.
Urban Music
Since the late 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, the Argentine music scene has witnessed the emergence of new musical genres. Many of these have a significant impact on young audiences, and although they were initially considered “low quality” or “purely commercial,” genres like cumbia, reggaeton, and trap are now clearly dominant.
In truth, this “great genre” of music in Buenos Aires has gained audiences beyond just the young. For this reason, it is very common to hear this type of music in cafes, bars, restaurants, gyms, and even commercial stores in Buenos Aires.
Duki, Cazzu, Paulo Londra, Nicki Nicole, Trueno, and the globally recognized Bizarrap are some of the artists causing a sensation in the music scene of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the world.
In terms of reggaeton, with strong influences from Colombian and Caribbean music, we find renowned and young artists like María Becerra, Tini Stoessel, Emilia Mernes, and KHEA.
A genre not as popular worldwide, but very much so in Buenos Aires, is cumbia. Initially linked to the lower classes and neighborhoods of lower socioeconomic status, it later transcended to other social sectors and non-strictly dance environments. Some of the most emblematic cumbia artists in Argentina are Gilda (who died in a car accident and has inspired a popular religiosity), Ráfaga, Pablo Lescano, Los Palmeras (from the province of Santa Fe), Karina, and Antonio Ríos, among others.
(Featured Image Source: Gonzalo Alfaro/flickr.com)
