The Panorama Lighthouse is a section that is responsible for highlighting the most important releases in Ibero-America and is published simultaneously in all the media that make up the alliance, thus multiplying its reach and visibility. Every delivery updates us on the struggles in each of our countries, currently going through the reality of COVID-19, and on the news of their musical ecosystems. As we always say, there is much to discover out there. If you want to know what the region sounds like today, this is the place and the time.

Lighthouse is composed of IndieToday (Argentina), Scream&Yell (Brazil), shock (Colombia), Magazine AM:PM (Cuba),  POTQ (Chili), Sound World and Construction Area (Spain), Indie Rocks! (Mexico), Rock Achorao' (Peru) and Piiila (Uruguay). It also works to create original and innovative content, as well as various activities that serve to break down borders and build bridges between the different countries of Ibero-America.

Uruguay

By PiiiLA

November came with a busy cultural agenda that welcomed massive events in public spaces and the streets, in addition to the already regular musical shows that continue to be held every weekend. The release schedule, for its part, has not diminished due to the imminent arrival of the end of the year, quite the contrary.

In his brilliant career, Luciano Supervielle has known how to collaborate and work together with various artists and for various projects. One of his facets is that of soundtrack composer, and in Episode (Music for Film) ―his most recent album― brings together some of the original compositions that contributed to Uruguayan cinema. his 23 tracks They appeared in five documentaries and fictions, and although they were designed to work towards a story, they bear the indelible mark of their creator.

In the midst of a pandemic, Laura Canoura, one of the most iconic voices of Uruguayan song, decided to create a stripped-down, intimate and acoustic album, with her performance as the protagonist. little singer It was recorded together with guitarist Carlos Gómez, with whom he created versions of songs by Juan Falú (author of the song that gives the album its name), Caetano Veloso, Eduardo Darnauchans, and more.

Killer Peyote has already advanced part of what would be his return to the studio in the form of singles, but he left the most powerful for last. Serial It is their first album in 23 years, and it was not only the time and the challenge they had to face, but also the new musical context that has little to do with the one that inspired their two iconic albums. To achieve this, they relied on an ornate, heavy and dense sound, which is strongly positioned so that its two vocalists and lyricists do their thing. And although the moment is different, there are things that they have not lost: the humor, the turns of the language and the accurate hooks remain firm.

Bruno Cammá and Gabino Suanes, two of the members of Dostrescinco released an EP whose seed was planted long ago, but thanks to the pandemic it was able to grow. producer and beatmaker In addition to MC, Bruno is in charge of the music while he shares the lyrical tasks with Gabino, condensing the messages between them. In The Vagabonds of Drama ―paraphrasing Kerouac's book―, they talk about the importance of being oneself, abandoning the pedestal of the ego and the need to be present, living in the now.

After releasing a great debut album, Miranda Díaz did not stop there. Accompanying from a more electronic and dance side, the single To fly was produced by Tadu Vázquez and continues the theme of his album Both of us: the sensations that collide with each other after a breakup and the finding of herself alone.

Archer, rapper member of Good manners, released an excellent first solo album in 2018, and this month he presented one of the tracks that will form his next work. 4 days sounds quite different, and that's thanks to the verses sung by the rapper and the main presence of the guitar (acoustic at first, distorted in the choruses) in the beat, giving an unexpected freshness to a track which thematically is anything but cool. 

For some time now, singer-songwriter Gia Love included the title of producer, and since then their music has explored new and different corners of electronic pop. On this occasion, he created single Instant a dreamy, subtle and above all sensual atmosphere. “Body to body they understand each other / And nobody has anything to say” he sings, making the message clear.

The musician and producer Santiago Marrero has a long career exploring the intersection between electronic and pop music. Together with Santé Les Amis and more recently El Cuarteto de Nos, he has had the space to develop this experimentation to his heart's content. And now he does it from his first solo album. With Over the city, Her first single, shows a bit of its sound spectrum, with a first instrumental and groovy part, and a second songbook. All about melodic textures on analog synthesizers. The accompanying video was directed by Agustín Ferrando Trenchi (Tyrants Tremble).

Literature had some of its most important events of the year: The International Book Fair, the delivery of the Bartolomé Hidalgo Awards and the Night of the Bookstores.

After its absence last year, the great International Book Fair was once again installed on the esplanade of the Montevideo City Hall and offered launch presentations, talks and presentations for 13 days, in addition to the classic walk through stands of publishers and bookstores. Among the highlights were books dedicated to politics: 1984. The origin of the current left, by Mario Mazzeo presented together with José Mujica; the presentation of the book by Argentinean Mariana Enríquez, Someone walks on your grave; and the latest work by Damián González Bertolino, Word Origin.

The Bartolomé Hidalgo Awards they had a double delivery given the cancellation of last year and some of the prizes were: in the Narrative category to Bite of Mercedes Estramil in 2020, already pink grime of Fernanda Trías in 2021; in Poetry 2020 the award went to Poems found far from Iceland by Roberto López Belloso and in 2021 for scriptures by Jorge Arbeleche. While the Revelation Prize was awarded to Gonzalo Baz, and he Career award to Hugo Achugar.

And finally, the Night of the Bookstores is an initiative organized by the Cultural Center of Spain in Montevideo with the aim of making the country's bookstores visible, their importance within the cultural environment and the people behind them. In this 5th edition there were activities in 70 bookstores and cultural spaces from various parts of the country, including readings and talks, and shows musicals by artists from Pedro Dalton and Patricia Turnes to Argentina Barbie Recanati.

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