Kevin Johansen

Well, this is going to be a bit different from what you guys have posted here before, but as the theme is variety and music for the nonjudgemental people, i couldn't think of anything more appropiated than these three albums.

After going over and over the three of them for a week trying to decide which one was better in order to upload just one here, i couldn't make my mind. There's just too much to say about each album and there's no way of saying (in my opinion) which one is better, I hope that you will find it as enjoyable, entretaining and smart as I did and then tell me if you found one of your preference.

Now, to keep going with this, let me introduce you the artist :

Kevin Johansen was born in Alaska, to an Argentinian mother and an American father, and raised in the San francisco area until he turned 12 years old that they moved out back to Argentina. He was part of a small underground Argentinian band until 1990 that decided to jump in and "re-discover" the States, with the idea of opening his mind about music as he stated, "The States is not only New York City" . This re-discovery took him 10 years, and maybe to contradict himself a little bit, he lived mostly in New york city and it was there that he got married and found the Fundation with which he came back to Argentina with his 1st album under his sleeve.

His first cd, named as his fundation "The nada" , was recorded in the fundation and released under an independent label in Argentina in the 2000. Just by the name we can tell how it's gonna be, full of mixtures of every kind, with a good sense of humor in his songs and twice more enjoyable for those that get to catch a bit of both languages, english and spanish. The record itself didn't make him famous apart from in the underground music ambient in Buenos Aires and some places of Spain were another independent label launched it,but surely started a path that he would follow in the future and the basics from where he would start developping his music and just printing his own style. He presented it this way: "The Nada is a record i brought with me in 2000 and it was recorded in New York, i wanted to remix it over and over, those things of a maniatic musician that is never satisfied with the mix, luckily i didn't and that's why it was launched exactly as i originally made it, mixing tracks as i was finishing them, doing basicaly all the final work myself" What you'll basicly going to find here is a good mix of talent humor, variety in styles and a lot of folcklore, starting from Argentina to a lot of other places of latin america, mixed with an special spice.

Eventhough "The Nada" is in my opinion a good record, it got pretty much nowhere. It wasn't until his second record in 2002 that we heard from him other than in under pubs. Thanks to a popular Argentinian Soap Opera that had one of his song as the main song of it. "Sur o no sur" as he named his second album, hitted the radios for as long as the soap opera was played and gave him the oportunity to be a little bit more known and go on tour to all Argentina aswell as some places in Spain and Belgica. Unfortunately, or not, this didn't make big record labels put their eye on him as he's still under an independent Label.

My description for "Sur o no sur" would be the concept of a person that doesn't know where the borders are anymore, a person that has become someone without nationality or maybe with too many. It completely expresses the feeling of belonging to so many places that you can go anywhere and feel home. In this record Kevin goes everywhere, and does it not only good but with the constant element of the surprise. It keeps surprising me with every song and making me laugh a lot. From a Cuban song to a Tango to something with a Mexican reminiscensce to a billingual ballad and a typical blues. It has all the elements to make you feel good while listening and to keep you paying attention to it as the songs go by.
"Sur o no sur" was until now he most successful album,which not only sold well in Argentina but also awarded an Mtv Latin american music award.

And last but not least, Kevin latest album "City Zen" which is we could say Urban Kevin Johansen. As he said it himself "It's related with putting up with the vortex of big cities where the music is present everywhere, like the Zen that helps you relax inside what is this daily madness we live in" and it reflexes the urban spirit of the many cities Kevin lived in. This is maybe a more calm record, with guitars as the main instrument.It's a cd that creats sor of a warm athmosphere, counting with good armonies and melodies which make it in my opinion the sweetest of the three. Truly a delight.

The result of how mixed cultures are nowadays, the positive side of it all results in Kevin Johansen and his unique style. This is really material to open your mind to what not only is a reality that is happening, the good side of globalization maybe, but also to find that all cultures and nations can be mixed to create something more interesting. I highly recommend you all to download theses records, intern yourself in a warm, un-genred athmosphere.

For more info go to www.kevinjohansen.com

Kevin Johansen - The Nada-

Kevin Johansen-Sur o no sur-

Kevin Johansen - City Zen -

By Tamara