Lithuania is our next stop. Since 2010 the trio Proper Heat, led by vocalist Karolis Ramoska, has launched fresh electronic songs in a mix of different styles: house, electro and disco, mainly. The Move combines frenetic rhythms with more relaxing sounds, with the only purpose to make our body move to a relaxed dance.
Let´s go back to Latin America. Yudo
is a duet from Colombia with a strong and obvious interest in pop and electro
music. Their sound is very organic in most of their songs, despite of the many electronic
elements, and it recalls English new wave bands. Their first work was launched
in September 2006, but this song, Diablo,
is from an EP of 2007.
We are now heading to a historically conflict area: the Balkans. Videosex was a Slovenian synthpop band formed in 1983, Slovenia being by then part of the former Republic of Yugoslavia, although it acquired its independence status in 1991, shortly before the group disbanded in 1992. In 1984 they released a remarkable album, Video Sex '84, which contained a delicious song: Ana. The suggestive voice of lead singer Anja Rupel and the interesting synth effects, along with the fantastic chorus, make this track an exquisite piece of music.
Argentina is one of the countries that we had not visited yet. There we find Entre Ríos, a band with a long musical career that published their first EP in 2000 and their latest album, for now, in 2011. Their sound is characterized by a clear pop sensibility and a clever use of electronics. Their albums have been distributed in several countries, including Spain, and have enjoyed a reasonable success.
The third part of our journey being almost completed, it's high time we visited Africa. Our first trip to this fascinating continent goes directly to Ghana, a small country located in West Africa. Ghanaian artist Ata Kak delivers wonderful tribal dance rhythms in this afro house track, Daa Nyinaa, launched in cassette in 1995 -I'm not sure about the year-. It is difficult for our feet and body not to follow this catchy music, as it happens in the video. However, the video does not actually correspond to the song, but... it fits so well!
We stay in Europe. Karolina Kozak is a singer, songwriter and TV hostess from Poland who released her first album in 2007. After some collaborations and some isolated singles, she has released this year 2012 her new album, with an unbeatable cover letter: Mimochodem. The sound, both well-nurtured and soft, and the addictive rhythm, make this track a delight.
Let's pay a visit to Greece. There are not many English-speaking Greek bands touring around the world. Astyplaz is one of them. Formed in 2003, they released their second album in 2008, named Bi and containing this little piece of melancholy: I Can See You Fade. Sweet, very sweet, this track. I can't help listening to it, repeteadly in a loop, paying attention to the profound lyrics, being absorbed by its soft rhythm. Relaxing music for our senses.
Let us return to the cold. This time we travel to Iceland to meet the most popular electronic band in that country (apart from Björk, of course): Gus Gus. Formed in 1995, they began their career with really experimental and dark wave sounds, although they have never forgotten the importance of a good tune. "Believe" is one of their best songs. Here we find a darker and more obsessive live performance of that track, slightly different from the original one.