Pueblo Nuevo – “Chilean Music with Electronic Roots”

    For my first “review” for this blog I thought I would begin by sharing my interest in a truly remarkable netlabel based in Santiago, Chile called Pueblo Nuevo.  I first came across this website a few months ago while researching contemporary music trends in Chile (my primary area of ethnomusicological research) and I have been captivated my the music and the general ethos connected with this site ever since.   In many ways, the aesthetic and social phenomena associated with this organization represent the best of what may be possible in the netlabel universe and it is primarily this label that has inspired my exploration of netlabels in general.
    Initially established in 2005 by co-founders musician and web-designer, Mika Martini, and musician Djeffs, the Pueblo Nuevo project has grown exponentially in the few years that it has existed.  Although initially conceived by Mika Martini and DJeff as a platform for the release of their own personal productions, the label now encompasses the work of dozens of affiliated artists.  As an entirely non-profit organization, Pueblo Nuevo has (t0 date) released sixty three album-length musical productions and it recently celebrated the 500,000^th download from its digital catalog.    Loosely organized by the motto “Chilean music with electronic roots,” the majority of the artists associated with the label share Chilean nationality or some other affiliation with Chile. However, many prominent artists from other Latin American or European nations have also released material through the netlabel, thus indicating the international scope of the label’s influence and popularity.  Both the popularity and the quality of Pueblo Nuevo’s catalog are also reflected by the fact that the site and many of its releases have won a series of prominent national and international awards.  
    Considered collectively, the music released through Pueblo Nuevo reflects a broad spectrum of electronically-inflected musical genres, ranging from abstract explorations of electronic textures and sampled sounds to more song-structured compositions infused with electronic sonorities.    Interestingly, much of the music also carries significant social and political undertones, which reflect the complex political history in Chile and connect these electronic performances to a lineage of committed song in Latin America.  
     For those interested in exploring this label, the general layout of the website is quite easy to navigate, with most of the essential text written in both Spanish and English.  To check out some music one may use the site’s radio player to stream randomized tracks from the catalog or go directly to the “catalog-online” or “bio” tabs to download entire albums – for free!    Although I’ve found everything on the site to be high quality I would recommend the ethereal, pan-flute inspired album “Mestizo” by Mika Martini or Djeff’s “El Poder Corrumpe (Power Corrupts), with its tight electronic grooves, as good places to start.  
   Please share your comments or reflections here on these or any other Pueblo Nuevo releases!  
http://www.pueblonuevo.cl/pn_site/index.htm