The return of La Charo, the Chaco girl who amazed Rosalía with her Guaraní hood, indigenous folkloric singing and electronic base

It happened at the end of last month: Charo it had a very strong impact Rosalia with powerful music and a striking look with a Guaraní hood and futuristic dress by Luz Arpajou, the designer chooses María Becerra for her shows.

The group Cindy Cats played at the Ferro Stadium along with the usual surprise guests, with the famous Spaniard in a kind of box when the singer performed Elf carnivalby Cuchi Leguizamón, with a mix of folklore played by rock, pop and jazz sessions, complemented by an electronic base. He later sent him his brand new vinyl record Earring.

La Charo is nothing less than the stage name of the soloist career of Charo Bogarinthe artist born in Formosa and raised in Chaco, who has been inspiring the local and international scene with the duo since 2005 Tonolectogether with Diego Perez. It was a time of new fusions by musicians such as Lisandro Aristimuño, Gaby Kerpel, Tremor and Arbolito.

Charo and Diego decided to combine Argentine folklore with electronic music and singing in indigenous languages ​​such as Qom and Guaraní. They won an MTV competition, recorded half a dozen albums and toured the world, with stops in China and Europe.

Today La Charo has released a fourth solo album that marks a return to her roots with Tonolec, with her songs in native languages ​​that combine the ancestral with the contemporary. He worked with producers Juan Sardi and Juan Blas Caballero to take the step back into the world tribal electronic sound after venturing into more classic territory.

On Guarani, Earring means “true time” and includes the participation of indigenous singers Ema Cuañerinative of Formosa and Carina Carriqueooriginally from Bariloche, plus samplers of Guarani children’s choirs from the Argentine coast. Both singers will be present Friday December 19th at the Niceto Club.

Ten days ago, in a conversation with Clarion On the same day that he traveled to Madrid to take part in the Ibermúsicas program, Charo shared details about that show at Ferro.

“I didn’t know the guys from Cindy Cats, but a few days before the concert Lito Vitale called me and asked if he could give them my contact: ‘There are some young people who are very talented and who want to invite you to sing with them.’ I said yes because I love collaboration, and even more so with these new generations who push boundaries with their format, which I find very nourishing.”

He adds: “First the singer called me, then one of the producers called me and told me that they always invite someone from the folklore industry and would like me to do it.” Elf carnival by Cuchi. I added a song of mine and asked to announce the concert on December 19th. It turned out fantastic and on top of that, Trueno was there, with whom I recorded on his album.”

-They didn’t tell you that Rosalía was coming.

-Nothing. Nobody knew. And when I see that, then it was in front of me! Then the possibility arose that someone from Soiny would give him my record.

-What will the show be like in Niceto?

– We got this appointment a month ago because they created a small space for us. What I want to do is mind-blowing because all these years I’ve done Café Berlin and Torcuato Tasso, which are for an audience of 150 people. I wanted to reach 300 and I think the room with the people standing is beautiful. I will be playing in a power trio with Lucas Herrero and Juan Sardi. We’re trying to go back to those golden ages of electronics, but with local sounds and anchoring indigenous languages, a unique sound.

It is a culture that is alive and has new elements that can continue to contribute to the songbook. For this reason, this album contains a song by Mapuche Tehuelche singer Carina Carrillo, who studied the song of the Onas in Tierra del Fuego. I compiled the Sound Library of Indigenous Sound Art for INAMU, a collection of hundreds of indigenous songs from Argentine territory.

-What reaction have you had in other countries?

– Let’s see, the Czechs are excited about this album now. There are people in Canada who become aware of my work because I have given concerts at the Museum of Anthropology. There are people from Chile, and I went to New York last year to play American Society. I also went to bars and the Kennedy Center with 100 people in Washington DC. It was fabulous!

-What happened to Tonolec?

-We turned 20 this year and right before we met with Diego to see if we could take it up again, we met and said it would be better to save it for later. Luckily, everything flows for him. It was always like that. Nothing forced. Nothing that forces us. We are such revered brothers.

-What do you remember from these beginnings?

– At the age of 20 to 30 I was a graphic journalist for El Diario de Resistencia, Chaco. I used to be a dancer and got the idea of ​​singing when I was 19 when I bought my first microphone, guitar and keyboard. At the age of 27-28 I met Diego and we had the experience of calling the WAV laboratory before Tonolec, where he composed the electronic fundamentals from Córdoba. It suited our style of working remotely and it went smoothly. We won the competition on MTV and went to Madrid where we said, “Well, let’s give it our all, compose and give shape to the whole thing.” We also collaborated with designers and that was one of our trademarks.

What I want to do is create color with this spirit of timelessness, a space where we feel like we can celebrate, be together and not worry about anything else.

-How are the shows going?

-This is the opening. From the end of January to February 15th I’m doing a Patagonia tour through Neuquén, Bariloche, San Martín de los Andes, El Bolsón and more. In April I will go to Córdoba and we will prepare the tour of the NEA and, if possible, Spain, Lisbon and the Czech Republic. We exercise independence and self-government, and I think we function better that way.