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Going out in Gothenburg – Weekend tips

Where to go out in Gothenburg this weekend? Monthly Magazine has the answers (Click links for more information).

Published: 27 March 2008 17:03 CET

Don’t miss the chance to see one of Gothenburg’s finest musicians – Jaqee, jamming together with the Gothenburg symphony orchestra. Expect an amazing evening of soul, folk, jazz and reggae mixed with the classical tunes of the orchestra.

Kaizers Orchestra

Another orchestra, the Norwegian kings of alternative rock, is playing on Friday – Kaizers Orchestra. They will hit the stage at Trägår’n together with the Canadian Singer/songwriter Geoff Berner. Kaizers Orchestra has become very popular with Swedish crowds, so show up early if you don’t want to use your elbows to get a good view.

The best soul party in town. Twirl and spin those hips of yours to Modern, northern and crossover soul. This is where you can definitely spot the best dancers in town. Kids with 60s haircuts and tight jeans, who’ve parked their Vespas outside, dancing like crazy on chalked floors. Tonight Dj Tommy from Oslo.

Artsy party for lovers of electronic music. Atlantis is held at the old boiler house by Röda sten. The music is described as neo-acid, electro, data-punk and techno. You may also catch glimpses of some live performance art. Röda sten is probably the best party location in town. Urban, rough and charming.

Dropkick Murphys

The Boston-based Irish punk band Dropkick Murphys will surely cause some heads to spin during their Sunday concert at Trägårn. Rumour has it that tickets might already be sold out, but if you are lucky, you can still grab one at the door. Another rumour is that they are absolutely great live. Go there, jump, scream, drink beer, all in a true punk style and you won’t be disappointed.

Meet the Spanish rapper bringing flamenco and bossa nova into hip-hop

Spanish rapper Anton Alvarez known as 'C. Tangana' poses in Madrid on April 29, 2021. Photo: Javier Soriano/AFP

The 30-year-old has emerged as one of the world’s biggest Spanish-language stars since his third album “El Madrileno” — the Madrilenian — came out in February. That ranks him alongside his superstar ex-girlfriend Rosalia, the Grammy-winning Catalan singer with whom he has co-written several hits.

C. Tangana, whose real name is Anton Alvarez Alfaro, has come a long way since a decade ago when he became known as a voice of disillusioned Spanish youth in the wake of the financial crisis.These days his rap is infused with everything from reggaeton and rumba to deeply traditional styles from Spain and Latin America, with a voice often digitised by autotune.

“It’s incredible that just when my music is at its most popular is exactly when I’m doing something a bit more complex, more experimental and less
trendy,” he told AFP in an interview.

And he is unashamed to be appealing to a wider audience than previously: his dream is now to make music “that a young person can enjoy in a club or someone older can enjoy at home while cooking”.

‘People are tired’

The rapper, who sports a severe semi-shaved haircut and a pencil moustache, has worked with Spanish flamenco greats including Nino De Elche, Antonio Carmona, Kiko Veneno, La Hungara and the Gipsy Kings.

In April he brought some of them together for a performance on NPR’s popular “Tiny Desk Concert” series, which has already drawn nearly six million
views on YouTube.

Shifting away from trap, one of rap’s most popular sub-genres, and venturing into a more traditional repertoire was a dangerous move — especially for someone with a young fanbase to whom rumba, bossa nova and bolero sound old-fashioned.

“I think people are tired. They’ve had enough of the predominant aesthetic values that have previously defined pop and urban music,” he said.

Parts of his latest album were recorded in Latin America with Cuban guitarist Eliades Ochoa of Buena Vista Social Club, Uruguayan
singer-songwriter Jorge Drexler, Mexican folk artist Ed Maverick and Brazil’s Toquinho, one of the bossa nova greats.

“What struck me most everywhere I went was the sense of tradition and the way people experienced the most popular music, and I don’t mean pop,” he said.

A new direction

C. Tangana started out in 2006 rapping under the name Crema. When the global economic crisis swept Spain a few years later, hard-hitting trap was
the perfect way to voice the angst of his generation. But after more than a decade of rapping, things changed.

“When I was heading for my 30s, I hit this crisis, I was a bit fed up with what I was doing… and decided to give voice to all these influences that I
never dared express as a rapper,” he said.

The shift began in 2018 with “Un veneno” (“A poison”) which came out a year after his big hit “Mala mujer” (“Bad woman”).

And there was a return to the sounds of his childhood when he used to listen to Spanish folk songs at home, raised by a mother who worked in
education and a journalist father who liked to play the guitar. The Latin American influences came later.

“It started when I was a teenager with reggaeton and with bachata which were played in the first clubs I went to, which were mostly Latin,” he said.

Studying philosophy at the time, he wrote his first raps between stints working in call centres or fast-food restaurants.

As to what comes next, he doesn’t know. But one thing he hopes to do is collaborate with Natalia Lafourcade, a Mexican singer who dabbles in folk, rock and pop — another jack of all musical trades.

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