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ENTERTAINMENT

Gothenburg club and concert tips: July 25 – 26

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

Kent and Joakim Thåström

Two of Sweden’s most celebrated artists will perform at an open-air concert at Slottskogssvallen on Friday. Listeners will be treated to both old and new material, leaving no fan disappointed. Kent is probably one of the most popular rock groups in Sweden. Thåström is known chiefly for the seminal Swedish punk rock band Ebba Grön. But he has also received critical praise for his solo records. We’re very excited about the possibility of hearing some fresh material from the punk and rock legend, who is currently working on a new album.

Iron Maiden

The English heavy metal band will rock the ground at the Ullevi Arena this weekend. Iron Maiden is one of the most successful and influential heavy metal bands ever, having sold over 100 million albums worldwide. Of course, Gothenburg club life is dedicated to Maiden this weekend. On Friday, Trädgårn starts with an Iron Maiden Kick-off. On stage will be none other than Paul DiAnno (Maidens original singer)! Sticky Fingers will be throwing a pre-party with rock karaoke! Saturday is the big day. The party starts at Trädgårn 11.30, so be sure to set the alarm! Sticky Fingers is the place to head for the after-party. RAM will be playing live on stage.

Bam-bam- DJ Spin Doctor

The downtown party boat is always a safe bet on a summer night. Tonight is no different with very special guest, DJ Spin Doctor from North London. DJ Spin Doctor spins everything from hip hop, R n’ B, bashment to soul. He once described a perfect DJ session as being like the art of cooking a meal. You’ve got to start with the right ingredients, keep an eye on what’s on the stove, mix in the right amount of flavours and make sure it is hot when it hits the plate. Sure, it may be edible but it won’t necessarily be enjoyable. Ok you get the point; we have been starving for a DJ like Spin Doctor to come to town.

Baby Scratch

This is the Deal Real, a Saturday night open mic session, a phenomenon that reveals the infectious essence of Hip Hop where anything is possible. It’s not just the open mic sessions that pack the small club/restaurant in Änggården at night, it’s also the down-home feel of it. Understand what Hip Hop is all about, meet people, connect, and feel the vibe!

DJ Cubanito

Latin-promoter Edmundo is entering the Avenue. This night will be something out of the ordinary. All the way from Miami…Dj Cubanito. One of the world’s top latin DJs and producers. You will hear the hottest hits from the worlds of bachata, salsa, Latin house and reggaetón. A glittering Latin party that nobody should miss!

MUSIC

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

Spanish rapper C. Tangana was taking a big risk when he started mixing old-fashioned influences like flamenco and bossa nova into his hip-hop -- but it's this eclectic sound that has turned him into a phenomenon on both sides of the Atlantic.

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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