Refusenik: Kold Krussian

Back in September I profiled Refusenik, a Boston transplant who has been making waves in the Buenos Aires club scene. This week he unveiled Kold Krussian, a new DJ mix full of everything from cumbia and dancehall to bmore and Boston Bounce. It also features several of his own edits and mashups.

The tracklist:

Cheba Fadela - N'Sel Fik
Refusenik - Bring Your Bomb On (Los Palmeras vs. Daleduro vs. Missy
Elliot vs. Baby Cham & Majic Massey)
Bassnectar - Bomb The Blocks (Ghislain Poirier Mix)
Santogold - You'll Find A Way (Switch and Sinden Mix)
Refusenik - Miss Bichera (El Remolón vs. Million Stylez)
Alika & La Nueva Alianza - Para Bailar Cumbia (El Hijo De La Cumbia Mix)
Refusenik - Long Time Tomaza (El Hijo De La Cumbia vs. Capleton)
Funk E aka El Buki - Tussle
Ratatat - Lex
Krames - How We Do It Over Hur
Baltimoroder - Wile Out (VIP Mix)
Refusenik - La Danza De Dizzee (Dizzee Rascal vs. Oro11)
Lil Mama - No Music (Starkey Refix)
Shannon - Let The Music Play
Rihanna - Don't Stop The Music (Rock Steady Drew MJ2 Mix)
Rammstein - Sehnsucht
Scottie B - Niggaz Fightin
DJ Tameil - Throw Some Deez
Diplo - Put That Pussy (Remix Instrumental)
Mavado - Weh Dem A Doo (Vin Sol Remix)
DJ C and Zulu - Body Work (Murderbot's Britny Work Refix)
Daft Punk - Around the World (Killdahype Remix)
Refusenik - Bamboo Vegas (M.I.A. vs. Mr. Vegas)
DJ Luciano Olivera - Culo (This One Too - Funk Carioca Remix)
Refusenik - Lick Italiano Lento (20 Fingers vs. DJ Sandrinho)
DJ Sandrinho - Medley Yazoo
DJ C and MC Jorge Stylo - Juce
Math Head - Drop It (Drop The Lime Dynasty Of Fury Remix)
Prodigy - No Good For Me
Cuizinier - No Good
Refusenik - March With My Feet (Dude N Nem vs. Virgo)
Siddhartha - Polarity
Earlybird - Never Let You Go, Laura Palmer (Elvis vs. Angelo Badalamenti)

The entire Kold Krussian mix is being hosted over at WhatsUpBuenosAires.com. Go here to download the mix and find out a little more about Refusenik.

Good News and Bad News for Daleduro

The Good News

Local DJ/producer Daleduro recently released a new EP called El Peligro with online UK label Netlab. The three-song release is available for free download and should help put Buenos Aires dubstep on the map.

Daleduro is not stopping there, as he also recently signed a deal with British dubstep/grime label Skuzzy Beats to put out a few singles on actual vinyl records. Those should start hitting record stores in Europe and the United States in the near future.

In the meantime, Daleduro has been doing plenty of DJing. Back in August he did a live set for B.A.S.S. Radio, which has been archived here on their website. While that does not exactly qualify as "good news for Daleduro", it is certainly good news for fans of dubstep and bass-heavy rhythms everywhere.

The Bad News

Six months ago Daleduro helped launch the Buenos Aires edition of Break Da Rules, a weekly party devoted to breakbeats of all shapes and sizes. Although Break Da Rules in Barcelona has become one of the biggest breaks nights in all of Spain, in Buenos Aires the party never quite caught on. As such, tonight will be the last Break Da Rules BA.

The Break Da Rules crew is planning to go out big, so tonight will feature a special breakbeat supergroup they are calling Sensacionales Dealers. Here is some quick math to help explain:

local duo Sensacionales Beats + Groovedealers (Daleduro's breaks project with partner DJ Gone!) = Sensacionales Dealers!

The final Break Da Rules is happening tonight at Cocoliche, Rivadavia 878.

Cristina Wins

Yesterday, first lady Cristina Fernández de Kirchner won the Presidential election. It was not close.

She was just so happy.



This marks the end of a largely unexciting election, one in which Cristina led from the outset, never said anything particularly interesting and nonetheless won handily. Although Ms. Kirchner actually came in second place in Capital Federal and Córdoba (the two largest cities in Argentina), the results in many of the provinces show just how thoroughly she dominated the race. Other than the capital and Córdoba, the only province in which she did not win at least a plurality was San Luis. Often garnering more than 50% of the vote in a crowded field, Cristina's level of support actually exceeded 70% in the small provinces of Salta, Formosa and Santiago del Estero. Anyone looking to dissect the results further might want to check out the government's website with all the official poll returns.

Now all she has to do is run the country and somehow sustain the economic growth Argentina has enjoyed over the past four years. That is no simple task, especially when one takes into account that all the critics who have been picking away at her husband's administration will be ready to strike at a moment's notice. Even today, alongside all the "Cristina Wins" coverage, Clarín ran an editorial with the headline "A Victory That Won't Have a Honeymoon".

Have fun Presidenta Cristina.

Battles

With my time in Buenos Aires rapidly coming to a close, lots of people have been asking if I am sad to be leaving. Normally I have some kind of noncommittal response and talk about how nice it will be to see my friends back home and do things like eat burritos again.

As of today, I am officially changing my answer to "I can't fucking believe that I am going home." Why? Because Battles are coming to play in Buenos Aires on November 23, eight days after I leave.



For those not familiar with the band, Battles is a quartet from New York City that sounds something like experimental heavy metal alien music. That may sound odd, but Battles are a weird group. Let's just say their music is post-rock that rocks. Now I realize the words "experimental" and "post-rock" may send some music fans running for the hills, but Battles are anything but one of those woozy, noodly outfits that substitute experimentation and improvisation for actual talent. These boys bring some serious heat (not to mention actual songs) to their live shows.

Check out the video for "Atlas", from their album Mirrored.



Warp Records also put together this video as a sort of "get to know Battles" piece.



Battles will be performing on Friday, November 23 at Niceto Club as part of the Compass/Phonorama club night.

I will not be there, and that makes me sad.

Ryan Poulsen Is the Best DJ in San Francisco

(At least I think so.)

Tonight he is spinning at Zizek.

Back home Ryan is one of the people behind San Francisco's Gun Club parties. He is also the host of Pancake Radio, a weekly show that airs on pirate station West Add Radio. Go here to check out some playlists and download some past shows.

The full rundown of tonight's Zizek festivities is here. Experimental cumbia don Marcelo Fabián and hip-hop outfit Saltos Ornamentales are also on the bill.

Sounds like a recipe for fun.

Diplo Hearts Buenos Aires

I like Diplo. Of course, regular readers of this little blog probably know that already. I promise this will be the last Diplo-related post for awhile.

In fact, the Diplo Buenos Aires love train is only up and running again because the man himself put up a post today on the Mad Decent blog that talks a little bit about his experiences here last week. Apparently he loved the girls and all the cumbia-related craziness down here.

He also put up this cumbia remix of M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" that has been making the rounds down here for the past month or so.

M.I.A. - Paper Planes (Sonido Martines guacharaca remix)

Diplo also mentions some kind of forthcoming "minimal psych cumbia gauchito folkstep" Mad Decent podcast, so look out for that.

And just to end things on a comical note, here is a fuzzy photo I snagged from Villa Diamante's fotolog of Diplo jamming on the drums at Axel Krygier's house here in Buenos Aires.

Renting Sucks

Complaints about the difficulties of renting in Buenos Aires are commonplace in the local expat community. According to an article in today's Clarín, we are not alone.

Today an organization called the Unión Argentina de Inquilinos (Argentinian Tenants' Union) spoke out against government inaction against what they called an "abusive" and "inhuman" rental situation. While prices in Argentina have been rising across the board, the organization is claiming that rents have increased at triple the inflation rate, prompting some landlords to illegally raise rents by up to 20%.

Oddly enough, the article makes no mention of the extranjero impact on the rental market. The influx of tourists and expats in recent years has certainly done little to positively affect the situation for Argentine renters, as the glut of foreigners armed with dollars and euros has prompted many property owners to raise rents and convert their buildings into tourist rentals. The quirks of Argentinian rental laws further worsen matters, as most people looking to rent in Buenos Aires are required to obtain something called a garantía. A garantía is a document signed by someone who owns property (usually that property also needs to be in Buenos Aires) that guarantees to a landlord that a tenant's rent will be covered. If a tenant fails to pay their rent, the person who signed their garantía can be held liable for the money. As such, garantías can be extremely hard to obtain, even for Argentines. Most locals rely on parents or family members until they can afford to buy property of their own. Property outside of Argentina cannot be used, making it virtually impossible for foreigners to obtain a garantía unless they have extensive connections or some very trusting Argentinian friends. On occasion people can get around the system, but outside of having a personal relationship with a landlord who is willing to rent without a garantía, it usually requires paying anywhere from six months to two years of rent in advance.

With a garantía out of reach for many foreign renters, two options remain - either rent a room in an apartment where the garantía is held by an Argentine or find a so-called "tourist rental". Tourist rentals are furnished apartments where the rental price also includes utilities and often things like cable television, telephone calls, the internet and even a regular cleaning service. Initially designed for tourists looking to rent apartments during their stay in Buenos Aires, many young expats (especially those only planning to stay six months or a year) stay in these tourist rentals for extended periods of time. Tourist rental contracts are legally limited to six months and tenants are usually required to pay for the entire length of stay in advance. On top of that, tourist rental prices are listed in dollars and are usually double or triple what their Argentinian counterparts are paying for comparable apartments, although it should be noted that these prices are still well below what many foreigners would be paying in major cities back home in Europe and the United States.

With the rental situation being somewhat of a hassle, it is not surprising that so many foreigners have bypassed it altogether and simply purchased an apartment of their own. Foreign purchases are driving the current housing boom in Buenos Aires, driving up property values and prompting developers to throw up new apartment towers across the city. While the increased supply should eventually help the rental market, it is worth noting that many Argentinians are not in search of luxury lofts. (One might also notice that the development boom is creating a very dangerous housing bubble that could threaten the entire economy when the supply of foreigners willing to plunk down $100,000+ dries up, but that is a whole different issue.)

In the meantime, renting in Buenos Aires continues to be an undesirable situation for expats and Argentinians alike. As part of their statement in the Clarín article, the UAI noted that many local renters are left in an impossible "take it or leave it" situation when it comes to rising rents. In a city filled with old buildings, the prospect of fighting an illegal rent increase often guarantees landlord neglect when it comes to repairs and renovations. They also lament that rising rents "are expelling people from the formal housing system," as some Argentinians, especially those without garantías, are being forced to accept precarious month-to-month rentals instead of the long-term leases most are accustomed to having.

Good times.

Amazing Career Opportunities!

Did you know that Argentina is a major hub of the call center industry? Countries like India might get all the attention, but the next time you dial a customer service number or a telemarketer calls your home, you might be speaking with an Argentine.



TeleTech is the key player in the local call center scene. In the "What We Do" section of their website, TeleTech describes itself as a "global business process outsourcing company" with operations in over 18 countries. They also note that "approximately 60 percent of TeleTech's revenue is generated internationally." What a surprise! Apparently, utilizing cheap foreign labor is still extremely lucrative, even in the call center business.

What makes TeleTech especially stand out here in Buenos Aires is their large-scale marketing campaign trolling for Argentine employees. This girl in particular has had her face plastered all over posters, billboards and even the subway.



Meet Florencia. She's young, she's hot and she just loves working at TeleTech! Here is a translated quote from an "Employee Profiles" page on the TeleTech website.

I like the flexibility that TeleTech offers. It is nice to go home and spend time with my family.

How touching. As it turns out, TeleTech actually has its own recruitment arm called HirePoint. HirePoint also has a web page in spanish which kicks things off by saying "The best company from the most current sector. Grow with us." That kind of talk not only permeates the HirePoint website, but the entire TeleTech recruiting campaign. The HirePoint braintrust has even crafted a list of the "Top 10 Reasons to work at TeleTech" especially for the Argentine market. The list is posted online in both Spanish and English.



Be proud to tell others what you do? There is nothing quite like shame to motivate young people to come work for you. The notion of "global connections" is also laughable, as TeleTech drones are not exactly expanding their horizons by cold calling people in the United States with credit card offers. Taking customer service calls from foreigners is not a cultural exchange. At least employees get to be a part of business process outsourcing, one of the "hottest industries". Not the exploitative and highly profitable part, but a part all the same.

According to this graphic from the HirePoint website, it seems all the hot young go-getters working at TeleTech don't seem to mind.



We are being taken advantage of by a large multinational corporation! Hooray!

What Is Wrong With This Picture?

This is Dr. Carlos Melconian, senatorial candidate for the PRO party. According to his bio on the PRO website, Melconian is a married father of four who has worked as an economic advisor for the past 16 years.

Here is my question. If the PRO party can take the time to put together a glowing bio listing their candidate's accolades, why would they phone it in when it comes to the campaign photo? How is it the the Argentinian political machine continues to ignore such an important facet of campaign strategy? It would be nice to think that voters here don't really care about image, but that is simply not possible in a country internationally known as a plastic surgery hotspot.

This is not the first time I have brought up this issue, but it continues to astound me. At first glance this Melconian picture may not seem that bad, but why not do something about the bloodshot eyes and the facial scruff? With the election less than two weeks away, this picture has been plastered all around Buenos Aires and its imperfections are less than flattering when the photo is blown up to billboard size. And who styled the whole thing? Melconian is running for senate but he could not be bothered to put on a tie? PRO is a center-right party and last time I checked, conservatives liked ties. Apparently whoever was in charge of this picture decided to go in a different direction, something along the lines of "disheveled mugshot" rather than "confident leadership".

PRO did get Mauricio Macri elected mayor, so maybe they know what they are doing after all.

Diplo Tonight

In case you forgot, I am really excited about this.



DIPLO. ZIZEK. TONIGHT.

Here is the full rundown. Be there. This could be you.

Whats Up Buenos Aires Now Resembles an Actual Website

I kid, I kid.



During my absence, Whats Up Buenos Aires finally launched their new site and it is a vast improvement over the old one. For three years now WUBA has provided an online treasure trove of information, especially for the expat community.

The completely bilingual site is packed with information, with all kinds of restaurant, bar and club listings alongside photo galleries, in-depth interviews with local artists and a whole lot more. Those looking to sample the sounds of Buenos Aires music scene should definitely head over to the music page, as the new site launched with a slew of fresh artist features and mp3s.

In the interest of full disclosure I should mention that I have written a few pieces for Whats Up Buenos Aires. Nevertheless, in a city where good online cultural resources can be hard to come by, the site is too valuable not to mention.

That fact is especially true now that the site is no longer a complete web design clusterfuck.

I kid, I kid.

How Can I Leave All This?

Some interesting e-mails found their way into my inbox during my absence.

Hello Shawn,

My name is Mike and I have been reading and enjoying your blog. I have been to bs as several times myself and would like to comment on your lost in translation post.

(He then gives his take on that particular post.)

Anyway, I have some tips of gentlemans establishments you could visit while you're there. I highly recommend them and it's no big deal to just stop in for a drink.

Jealous, Mike

The internet is really amazing. No other medium allows complete strangers to feel comfortable saying, "I really love your work, here are some strip club recommendations."

Here's another fun e-mail.

What's up Shawn? How do you like living in Buenos Aires? I'm from Miami and was wondering if it is worth checking out.

Thanks,
Pas

Can this guy be more vague? Could you narrow the scope of your questions, just a little? I don't want to be mean, but come on! (Okay, maybe I want to be a little mean.)

In the interest of being a helpful Buenos Aires resource, allow me to answer Pas' questions with just as much thought and effort as they deserve.

Dear Pas,

Not much. I like it a lot. Sure.

Thanks for writing,
Shawn

I am going to miss these kinds of e-mails. I say that because starting today, the official "Disco Shawn is leaving Buenos Aires" countdown has begun. On November 15, I will be moving back to California after a year of lounging around the Argentine capital. I know it is sad, but let us remember the good times - the cynical commentary, the free mp3s, the pithy political analysis. We will always have our memories.

Over the next month I do plan to continue with the blog, so continue checking back for more of what I have been serving up for the past 10+ months.