Barrio Tango

Over the past few years Madrid-based label Galileo has been licensing a number of talented and distinctive Argentinian tango bands and artists, in a bid to introduce Europeans to tango that is neither ambient nor ancient. This 20-track compilation is a sort of sampler (or repackaging exercise, if you will), featuring the soft electro-acoustic sound of Otros Aires, the tight orchestral work of La Camorra, three gutsy La Chicana tracks, as well as two solo compositions from the latter’s frontman Acho Estol. We also get four songs each from electro-Weimar fusioneers Tango Crash and dark electro-classical outfit Tango Siempre. There’s also the surprising inclusion of two songs by Fernando Samalea, who plays tango with knobs on – computer knobs, that is – and his pieces are somewhat overloaded with textures, pulses and beats. In fact, synths are pretty ubiquitous in one way or another on most of the album’s numbers, but are used with subtlety and craft. Barrio Tango is a great advert for Galileo, but not a cohesive album as such. Best to try this one out online first: dip in and out and you’ll find where your sympathies lie.