Juana Molina

 Last night I went to see Argentinian musician Juana Molina in the theatre ND Ateneo in the centre of Buenos Aires.  She is one of a handful of Argentinian musicians that are, in my opinion, creating a different sound and bringing something new to the scene in Argentina.  Her style of music is difficult to describe, but the terms indie, folk and electronica come to mind, or her myspace describes it as "Big beat, swing, minimalista".  She creates her sound by using sound recording pedals and machines that play back instantly what she records, and she builds the sounds like layers of a cake, applying one on top of the other.  After listening to her music for almost 2 years now it was great to see her live and see exactly how the sound comes together.  Before becoming a musician she used to be an actor, which comes across in the way she interacts with the audience with small details and funny anecdotes.  It was a great experience that allows her music to be appreciated in a new way so if you get the chance, check her out!

When i first moved to Buenos Aires i lived in a neighbourhood called Flores.  There was this lovely big park about 10 minutes walk from our house and it had these AMAZING gates on one side.  There really was no point to the gates, at least nowadays, because there is no wall either side of them, and behind them is just a disused path.  But i imagine 50 years ago that they led to a building on the edge of the park, a private residence or a type of government building that held events there.  I have no idea if anyone looks upon these gates with such admiration as i do but i think it is fantastic that they are still there.  Buenos Aires is full of beautiful iron work like this and many buildings feature doors, gates and windows with great patterns and details.  It is these buildings that give Buenos Aires its character, history and life.