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A trip to Caracas awaits tonight as we are off to Venezuela to get a taste of the old & new from a country that is oft talked about, but rarely understood below the surface.
"The Drop with Danno" on GFN 광주영어방송 98.7FM in Gwangju & 93.7FM in Yeosu, Korea. An eclectic radio curation of all things musical spanning the spectrum every week. Broadcasting 8-10pm KST nightly.
Oct 20, 2021
Herb Alpert – Rise
Vytas Brenner – Araguaney
Un Dos Tres y Fuera – Machu Picchu
Manybeat – Manao
Los Amigos Invisibles feat C-Funk & Silverio Lozada – EH EH OH OH
La Vida Boheme – Manos Arriba
Luis Silva – Como No Voy A Dercirlo
Simon Diaz – Caballo Viejo
Davendra Banhart – Abre Las Manos
Americania – Emilia
Simon Grossmann – Luna Llena
ADSO – Como Si Nada
Danny Ocean – Me Rehuso
I.
It is 20 hours past midnight as Korea has truly snapped suddenly to very chilly fall mode, so let’s head to the tropics. As we do every Wednesday night it is time to take you on a trip with tonight’s destination being Venezuela, and this evening is positioned in the tropics as October 20, 2021. This is Danno ready as always to travel without moving from studio 2 GFN HQ in downtown Gwangju, how do you do? The lovely, talented and smart as a whip Lizz Kalo will of course accompany us on our jaunt to Caracas once we are aboard flight TD 048 this evening, and as usual we have a lot to go through and in fact more than we could possibly fit into two hours of programming, and this is especially true of Venezuela. Now of course, before we begin the sojourn up to our flight from ICN tonight, we have to get in the history and cometh the travel, cometh the man in Herb Alpert, and we’ll talk all about the rise and fall and rise again of this true sampler’s delight. This is The Drop.
Herb Alpert – Rise
The Drop is on the bus & on our way to the airport tonight for our Round Trip Wednesday, great as always to have you fly with us. Flight TD048 takes off for the Bolivar Republic of Venezuela this evening with Lizz Kalo joining us, and as always we are excited to go into the sky and especially off to warmer climes. But anyway, what’s up tonight, Drop Gangsters (Korean)? Danno here, as always whether here or there, and we just started with our TIGHT (or) feature to start the fun, that was Herb Alpert on his 1979 smash hit Rise, which went to #1 on the Billboard charts on this date.
Despite being an instrumental track, the tune finds a huge audience which to those who do not keep up with the afternoon dramas on TV or soap operas might have seemed a bit inexplicable. But alas, the power of the ladies shines through once again in music, as it was featured on General Hospital which had a massive audience.
This was Alpert's second #1 (after "This Guy's in Love With You"), making him to only solo performer to be credited with a #1 vocal and a #1 instrumental single, and actually the song performed a bit of a double dip when it comes to being a #1 twice. All of the music for Notorious B.I.G.'s hit "Hypnotize" was sampled from this. "Hypnotize" was a Billboard #1 Pop, R&B, and Rap song and was Top 10 in most countries throughout the world in 1997. Thus, "Rise" music was actually a #1 record twice in a span of 28 years. This became a hit in the UK - ironically at 135 BPM - as British club DJs did not realize that American 12-inch singles are played at 33 revolutions per minute, not 45 (the European standard).
#9870, @gfnthedrop, podcast details, etc.
So let’s get to the warm-up for our Round Trip to Vancouver this evening, and we’ll stay in the 70’s to begin things then go a bit more contemporary to finish the triforce. Up next is Vytas Banner to be followed by Un Dos Tres y Fuera along with Manybeat. This is The Drop on your Round Trip Wednesday to Venezuela.
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The Drop returns and we’re about to disembark at the terminal but still got a few miles to go. Danno here studio 2 GFN HQ checking the mic & tunes every night from 8 to 10pm. Lizz Kalo joins us aboard flight TD048 bound for Caracas, Venezuela this evening at the top of our 2nd hour, and we just started getting familiar with the destination tonight through some old psyche & more contemporary dance music, so let’s get to the liner notes...
Vytas Brenner – Araguaney (….)
Un Dos Tres y Fuera – Machu Picchu (…both of these first two tunes we played tonight are from a great compilation album from Soul Jazz Records called VENEZUELA 70: Cosmic Visions of a Latin American Earth. We’ll feature another tune from that excellent collection in hour two tonight.)
Manybeat – Manao (…the artist here is a veteran DJ out of Caracas who has been making beats since he was 17, so for over 30 years. His sound is a combination of some more traditional sounds one would find in Venezuela along with funk, soul & house music sounds.)
Now let’s fit in a couple more contemporary bands before we hit the jump to part 2. Up next is another band we’ll feature when in country with Lizz Kalo, and that is Los Amigos Invisibles or the invisible friends, and this is their latest called EH EH OH OH, after which we’ll follow with another FIFA hit and La Vida Boheme or The Bohemian Life and this cut is Hands Up or Manos Arriba, and that is going to do it for the first quarter of the game tonight. THIS is The Drop disembarking from the bus to check in on this week’s Round Trip to Caracas.
Los Amigos Invisibles feat C-Funk & Silverio Lozada – EH EH OH OH
La Vida Boheme – Manos Arriba
II.
The Drop has arrived for check-in and I gotta say I’m kind of blown away by the crowd for this flight. Are there this many Venezuelanos here in Korea? Apparently so. Danno here waiting to check in for flight TD048 tonight on our round trip to Venezuela this evening, and Lizz Kalo shall of course be aboard with us for takeoff. We just started with some very tradicional canciones right there, so let’s get to the informaciones...
Luis Silva – Como No Voy A Decirlo (…this tune the title of which means How I’m Not Gonna Say It. A type of traditional tune from Venezuela called llanos, which means simply plains as they are from the flat agricultural area of the country originally. As we’ll discuss further in hour 2, llanos are truly Venezuela’s stamp on the music world.)
Simon Diaz – Caballo Viejo (…another llano about an old horse right here, and for those curious as to the background of the artist, Simon Diaz is probably the most influential musician and composer of all time from Venezuela. As we’ll discuss in hour 2 with Lizz, this guy is the main force in bringing the llanos sound to the world.)
Moving along SM, #9870, podcast let us know …
So we’ll continue to keep the vibe easy but switch it up a bit to a more modern era. Up next is indie stalwart Davendra Banhart followed by Americania and Simon Grossmann, all of which we’ll talk further once we’ve let them walk around in the air. THIS is The Drop on your Round Trip Wednesday to Caracas.
_________
The Drop reverberates again on the mic and we are into the final airbreak of our first 57 tonight. Danno here, checking my stuff at the departure gate prior to taking off for tropical warm Caracas on flight TD 048, which will disembark to start our 2nd hour. However we still have a few notes on the notes to note prior to in flight cocktail hour, so let’s get to that...
Davendra Banhart – Abre Las Manos (…open your hands says the song, and this is the US-based indie darling doing his thing on his 2019 album entitled Ma. Banhart was raised in Venezuela and is just a top-notch indie folk musician in the world right now.)
Americania – Emilia (…a group formed by Italo Pizzolante, Alvaro Casas and Armando Añez is a necessary inclusion on that list. With only two albums, the group left a deep mark on the entire alternative scene in the country, particularly thanks to their second album 'La Fiesta Del Rey Drama', on which Emilia appeared.)
Simon Grossmann – Luna Llena (…the song title here is Full Moon, and is from the Miami-based Venezuelan singer-songwriter’s debut album called Ciclo or Cycle. We’ll talk more about Grossmann on the other side of the hour with Lizz Kalo while also featuring his more recent stuff.)
Okay, so that’s final call to board so I gotta boogie, but there’s plenty of time to wait in line. Up next we got a pair of tunes more in the reggaeton area with ADSO up first on a cut called Como Si Nada, or like nothing, and to finish it’s another artist we’ll feature in hour 2 with Danny Ocean and his hit Me Rehuso, or I Refuse. THIS is The Drop now boarding flight TD048 on your Round Trip to Venezuela and it is undeniably halftime.
ADSO – Como Si Nada
Danny Ocean – Me Rehuso
III & IV Round Trip
Canelita Medina – Tanto y Tanto
Simon Diaz - Mercedes
Oscar D'León – Mi Bajo Y Yo
Oscar D’Leon - Lloraras
Los Amigos Invisibles feat. Elastic Bond – Espérame
Simon Grossmann - Daikiri
Jambene - Brujería
LAGOS feat Danny Ocean - Monaco
Dani Barranco – Odio
Miguel Angel Fuster - Polvo Lunar
Dasutt - Pigeon
YUKIKA - Insomnia
Canelita Medina – Tanto y Tanto
• Released in 1980 by Rogelia Medina known as Canelita Medina, a legendary Venezuelan salsa singer from port of La Gueira
• She grew up imitating the salsa singer Celia Cruz and was discovered on a radio talent program on Radio Continente.
• She received the Orden Carlos Soublette recognition award for this song and 8 other songs that she produced.
• Her daughter Trina Medina is also a well-known and accomplished artist.
Simon Diaz - Mercedes
• A massive personality & influence on the world of music, the Grammy winning composer passed away in 2014, but not before putting Venezuela’s name on the music map in a massive manner.
• Diaz sought to recreate the music of the llanos or Venezuelan plains, in his music, and this style caught fire the world over, with artists like Argentina's Mercedes Sosa, Brazil's Caetano Veloso, Spain's Joan Manuel Serrat, Peru's Susana Baca, Puerto Rico's Danny Rivera, and Venezuelans Franco De Vita, Soledad Bravo, Juan Carlos Salazar, Carlos Baute and José Luis Rodríguez, among others.
Oscar D'León – Mi Bajo Y Yo
• Oscar Emilio León Somoza, known as Oscar D'León, is known as The Pharaoh of Salsa and The Lion of Salsa
• He is the author of "Llorarás", which he recorded in 1974 with his group, Dimensión Latina and is also the ambassador for operation smile.
• He released this song in …. And was named the Best Salsa Artist at the 2014 Pepsi Venezuela music awards.
Oscar D’Leon - Lloraras (The Pharaoh of Salsa)
Los Amigos Invisibles feat. Elastic Bond – Espérame
• Esperame which means wait for me is a song by Los Amigos Invisibles which is considered to be the most recognized Venezuelan band.
• They play a blend of disco, acid jazz and funk mixed with Latin rhythms.
• In addition to releasing eleven critically acclaimed albums, the band have been lauded internationally for their explosive, live shows, spanning nearly 60 countries.
Simon Grossmann - Daikiri
• A release from earlier this year on an album called Bahia Margarita, his most recent and fourth career album.
• While based in Miami, he is from Venezuela originally, and arrived with his debut album in 2018 called Ciclo or Cycle, which turned a lot of heads due to its stylistic novelty in the Miami music scene.
• Still quite a young man, a lot of potential here.
Jambene - Brujería
• A fairly recent release by this young up and coming talent
• Brujería is a single that was released in 2020 by singer-songwriter Miguel Alfonzo Benejam better known as '' Jambene ''. It means witchcraft.
• He has dabbled in music since the age of 6 and is considered a rising star.
LAGOS feat Danny Ocean - Monaco
• Another album from earlier this year called, cockily enough, Classicos or Classics.
• The featured artist here has an interesting background, having traveled all over the world with his writer mother during his younger years growing up living in Japan, the Antilles, and Namibia.
• He’s now based in Miami, it would seem, and LAGOS is an interesting duo on the come-up here in 2021 but still a rather nascent phenomenon.
Dani Barranco – Odio (hate)
• Daniela Barranco, better known as Dani Barrenco was born on December 13, 1995 (age 25) in Venezuela.
• She became posting comedic content on vine and on the social media platforms like Instagram,
Miguel Angel Fuster - Polvo Lunar (Lunar Dust)
• This is a tune released originally in the 1970’s and later on a compilation by Soul Jazz Records called “VENEZUELA 70: Cosmic Visions Of A Latin American Earth - Venezuelan Experimental Rock In The 1970s”
• While much of 1960s Venezuelan rock music emulated British and USA styles, and salsa dominated the dancefloors of Latin America, the 1970s saw the evolution of a new generation of creative local artists such as Vytas Brenner, Daniel Grau, Aldemaro Romero, Un Dos Tres Y Fuera who all explored the possibilities of mixing together rock with elements of electronica, funk, jazz, latin rhythms simultaneously exploring their links with Venezuelan roots music, creating a new sound
• You can also check out an amazing new documentary on Netflix called “Break It All: The History of Rock in Latin America” to learn more.
Dasutt - Pigeon
• Dsutt (다섯) is a indie band currently consisting of Riwoo, Yongchul, Minhyun and Kyungjun.
• They debuted on November 2016 with the single 나의 그 때 (Back Then).
• The band's name derives from the Korean word for the number 5, as it originally consisted of five membersYouTube, and Twitter as well with over 480 000 followers on Instagram.
YUKIKA - Insomnia
• Now, this is rather interesting, as YUKIKA is actually Yukika Teramoto, a Japanese actress, model & musician based in Korea.
• She basically sings in Korean and has been adopted by the Korean public at large.
• This tune is from her most recent EP called timeabout, released on April 7 of this year.