Guevara's Ghost

Guevara's Ghost is a collaboration between Mood Area 52, a Northwest tango orchestra, and producer Cosmos Corbin, combining the collected talent of Mood Area 52 with Cosmos' beats and keyboard work. Groups such as Gotan project and Narcotango have made the connection between tango and electronic music, but Guevara's Ghost breaks new ground. The album works within the tight, organic song structures of Mood Area 52's original compositions, while exploring themes inspired by the spirited and idealistic character of Ernesto Che Guevara.

Mood Area 52 began developing their distinctive sound in 1998 when accordionist Michael Roderick assembled some of his most talented musical acquaintances to play Argentine tango music. Since then the band has expanded to include the talents of many notable Northwest musicians in the development of original compositions by accordionist, Roderick, and cellist, Amy Danziger. This is their third release.

Cosmos Corbin, a member of the nationally acclaimed production trio Raging Family, was inspired to work with Mood Area 52 after listening to their music and contemplating the music's roots as dance music. He had recently returned from a trip to Cuba, and wanted to create a sound which recontexulized tango music using abstract hip hop rhythms, glitchy microsampling of the original tango compisitions, deep bass tones, and subtle electronics, Cosmos created songs which combined the cut and paste aesthitic of musicians such as Prefuse 73, Boom Bip, and Raging Family, with the soul of Argentine tango music. For more information about Cosmos and Raging Family go to www.ragingfamily.com.

Roderick recently spent time in Buenos Aires promoting Mood Area 52 and gathering ideas for Guevara's Ghost. He was interviewed on Argentina's national public broadcast network and garnered radio play on commercial stations. A market exists for this kind of fusion in Latin America and Roderick hopes to develop one here in the United States. He has been working toward this sort of musical fusion project for several years now, collaborating with drummer James West for live tango fusion performances at the Eugene Tango center and at the 2003 Eugene Celebration.

Previous Mood Area 52 CD's have sold well. Performances outside of the dance market include burlesque shows, cabaret shows, classic movie scores, concerts with bands such as the Bay Area's Rasputina, the Tin Hat Trio, The Damo Suzuki Network, and writer Chuck Palunuik. Explorations such as these have resulted in college radio play and a crossover market with younger listeners. Roderick hopes that Guevara's Ghost will resonate with younger audiences. He especially aspires to introduce young music fans to Che Guevara. While often vilified in the American media, Guevara presents a multifaceted and uniquely flawed personality. Roderick, a middle school teacher, hopes to spark awareness of the character of Che Guevara and encourage young people to think their way through complex issues rather than relying on hearsay, propaganda, and stereotypes.

Guevara's Ghost is the fourth release on Eugene's Rocketboy Arts label. Other releases include Mood Area 52, Nine Fancy Tango's, and Scrambled Ape's Complete Atlas of 21st Century AM Radio Classics. All of these are available for purchase at www.rocketboyarts.com.
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