12 July Orquestra Imperial - Koko 15 July Bajofondo - Koko
18 July Bamboleo - HMV Forum
23 July Café Tacuba - HMV Forum
8 Aug Calle 13 - HMV Forum

With temperatures set to soar in London this summer Picante! brings a dance inferno with the biggest names in contemporary Latin music with the UK debuts of Puerto Rico’s Calle 13 and their hip hop/reggaeton mash up and Cuba’s most popular salsa group Bamboleo. Brazil’s Orquestra Imperial bring their hip, youthful take on dancehall samba, 2 time Oscar winner Gustavo Santaolalla presents his 21st Century Tango outfit Bajofondo from Argentina and Mexico’s Café Tacuba show off their wild mix of rock, electronica, ska and indigenous sounds.

Orquestra Imperial
Sunday 12 July
KOKO
1A Camden High Street,
NW1 7JE
7-11pm
£17 in advance
Tickets: www.comono.co.uk
Tel: 0870 145 1115

Rio’s 18-piece retro samba band Orquestra Imperial makes a rare UK appearance. Their hip, young version of Rio’s golden age takes samba back to its dancehall roots and they are credited with reviving the passion for vintage samba which is now the latest craze for Brazil’s young generation.

Orquestra Imperial features some of the best-known names in Brazilian rock, pop and electronica. At the heart of the project is Kassin, one of Brazil’s most sought after producers whose manifold successes include production for Marisa Monte and Bebel Gilberto. The line-up also includes Rodrigo Amarante (of rock giants Los Hermanos), Moreno Veloso (+2) and veteran samba legend Wilson das Neves (Os Ipanemas).

The group has played across the US and Europe, and they were a highlight at London’s Barbican Tropicalia festival in 2006, a show described by The Independent as ‘a sublime delight’. Orquestra Imperial are true inheritors of Brazil’s incredible musical heritage and with them, it not only lives, it swings and dances cheek to cheek.

Bajofondo
Wednesday 15 July
KOKO
1A Camden High Street,
NW1 7JE
7-11pm
£18 in advance
Tickets: www.comono.co.uk
Tel: 0870 145 1115

Bajofondo is the twenty first century tango group led by Gustavo Santaolalla, double Oscar winning composer of the Babel and Brokeback Mountain scores and director of Café de los Maestros tango film. The band hail from Buenos Aires and Montevideo, and feature young, fast virtuoso musicians, stunning visuals and extraordinary brokeback beats — tonight’s is their first London show for two years and is likely to contain tunes from Santaolalla’s soundtracks as well as Bajofondo favourites.

“DJ Juan Campodonico triggered drum loops and samples that cross-fertilised with the more traditional tango ensemble of violin, bandoneón – an accordion- like instrument – and double bass, all of which were brilliantly played by masters of their instruments. The crowd went wild for it, invading the stage at the end and cheering for more with a standing ovation.” Financial Times at La Linea 07

Bamboleo
Saturday 18 July
HMV Forum
9-17 Highgate Road,
NW5 1JY
8.30pm – 2am
£20 in advance
Tickets: www.comono.co.uk
Tel: 0844 847 2405

Bamboleo, formed in Cuba in 1995 and one of the biggest bands with lovers of Cuban music ever since, are finally making their UK live debut. Back in March Cuba’s Los Van Van delivered a stupendous night of Cuban-style bump and grind (also courtesy of Como No) and Bamboleo promise similar levels of onstage and dancefloor exhilaration with their unique confection of Salsa, Timba and Reggaeton. Also, London’s top Cuban music DJs, Javier La Rosa, Dr Jim and DJ Rich, play for the dancers until 2am.

In this, the 50th year since the Cuban Revolution, the HMV Forum will experience its musical fruit as provided by children of the revolution. As a live performance, and dancefloor phenomenon, Cuban music has swept all before it in the UK over the past few years. Bamboleo, as one of the island’s hottest exports, will undoubtedly prove that Cuba remains one nation under a groove.

Café Tacuba
Thursday 23rd July
HMV Forum
9-17 Highgate Road,
NW5 1JY
8.30pm – 2am
£18 in advance
www.comono.co.uk
Tel: 0844 847 2405

Legendary Mexican band Café Tacuba celebrate their 20th anniversary this year with 20 shows in 20 cities around the world. Tonight is London’s special night. With its mix of rock, electronica, ska and traditional Mexican sounds of their country’s indigenous people Café Tacuba has been one of Latin America’s most successful and innovative bands since their inception.

This is only the band’s third ever show in London, although the group’s lead singer Rubán Albarrán paid personal homage to The Clash at the extraordinary World-premiere collaboration “Spanish Bombs” event, as part of La Linea ‘09, at the Barbican in May and, according to The Times: “revived the original punk spirit of the group with a snarling ‘I Fought The Law’…”.

In celebration of Café Tacuba’s 20th birthday they’ll be publishing 2 books and putting together a documentary of their last SINO tour of Japan.

The rock en español luminaries are Arthouse enough to be covered by the Kronos Quartet and Urban enough to have built a raucous fan-base from the streets of Buenos Aires to the barrios of Mexico City. They have also contributed to soundtracks such as Amores Perros and Y Tu Mamá También.

Calle 13
+ DJ Jose Luis (La Bomba)
Saturday 8th August
HMV Forum
9-17 Highgate Road,
NW5 1JY
8.30pm – 2am
£20 in advance
www.comono.co.uk
Tel: 0844 847 2405

UK debut for Puerto Rico’s mighty Calle 13 (pronounced Kayay Tracey and meaning Street 13), unarguably the most exciting and innovative group to come out of Latin music in the last 10 years. Led by Residente & Visitante, Calle 13 bring their riotous big band performance to the Forum in Kentish Town in August. Calle 13 have set the bar high for new Latin music from their early break through with Atrevete to their latest collaboration with Ruben Blades on La Perla – a tune that has modern classic written all over it.

“Variety alone wouldn’t make Calle 13 so remarkable. The omnivorous music, complete with horn-section hooks and women singing pop choruses, underlines the conviction that all potential listeners …. should unite, both on and beyond the dance floor, as lighthearted rebels. Few hip hop or urban acts, in any language, match so much ambition to so much fun.” New York Times
“A fearlessly experimental style of urban music unlike anything else out there.” All Music Guide “The rapping is in Spanish; the music is from Puerto Rico, Macedonia and Nigeria; the sensibility is from Mars. Grammy-winning duo Calle 13 have no analogue in U.S. hip hop: They’re pop-savvy hitmakers with globe-trotting tastes and a riotous sense of humor.” Rolling Stone