Melingo: Maldito Tango

What is Melingo the Magnificent's recipe? Take a pinch of Roberto Goyeneche, the passionate tango singer known as "El polaco", for some true tango roots, mix him up with a bit of Nick Cave, the bad seed of the underground, some Tom Waits for an arty vibe, add a little Gainsbourg, and all these growling, throaty voices and lived-in faces will give you some idea of the devilish Melingo, an old rascal who isn't actually that old, though he's infinitely roguish. Melingo is breathing new life into tango-cancion, the enduring musical genre associated with Gardel. Impertinent and oh-so-pertinent, our man illustrates the notion of complementary opposites. He uses MALDITO TANGO to bring the music out of the shadows and into the light as he summons the poets of both yesteryear and tomorrow. The art of tango is a balancing act: you have to sway and bend without falling over. A little like the art of finding happiness. Daniel Melingo distorts the codes of tango; he perverts and subverts them, and hey presto, they spring up anew. It is obviously no accident that Melingo is signed to Mañana, Eduardo Makaroff's groundbreaking label (Gotan Project's Argentinean member): his tango, all his music, is already on friendly terms with tomorrow...

Price: $23.98