Uruguay water crisis: how did we get here?
Uruguay has some of the most abundant water sources in the world. But the capital was told we had water supplies for just 18 days.
Mateo was a hugely influential songwriter, singer and guitarrist emerging in the 1960s. A master of rhythm he insisted that the nascent rock scene in Uruguay include local candombe-rhythms that were looked down on at the time, leading to the creation of a new rhythm known as candombe-beat. A wildly unpredictable, addictive character who had periods of homelessness, he died penniless before reaching his 50th birthday.
A short but reasonably faithful biography on the Murky Recess Blog
British writer discovers Mateo – entertaining and incisive from Sounds and Colours
David Fricke, Rolling Stone (2007) on Mateo (his Nick Drake comparison is not great. Mateo was a far more revolutionary musician)
Unfortunately this album has been taken down from YouTube, so I’ve included a different video clip above. But you can buy Mateo solo bien se lame online.
A classical string quartet, El Club de Tobi started out in 1996 playing on Sarandi, the pedestrian street running through Montevideo’s Old City, and underground venues. They play their own arrangements of pop and rock from the River Plate area (Montevideo and Buenos Aires) as well as classics by Hendrix, The Beatles and Bob Marley. Tobismo won the 2011 Graffiti Prize, the equivalent of the Uruguayan Grammys in the Instrumental category.
Gustavo Pena, known as El Principe (The Prince), also struggled to make a living from music and died in his late 40s just as he was starting to gain popularity and audiences to grow. El Recital was recorded live in 2002 with the Club de Tobi. His daughter Eli-U Pena keeps his memory and music alive today interpreting his songs in her uniquely charismatic style. His poetic lyrics are notable for their positive messages. Like Mateo, El Principe has become a cult musician for musicians in this part of the world.
Hear albums by and featuring El Principe including lyrics
Buy the album from local record producer and store Ayui
There are so many other bands, songwriters, singers, musicians that could be included. I mean, there’s no tango here! Let alone a ton of other great stuff…
The Guru’Guay Guide to Montevideo includes a dedicated chapter on bands you must see live* when you are in Uruguay and another chapter on where to see those bands play (including how to reserve seats in Spanish).
* For suggestions of live music when you are in Montevideo, write to the Guru on the Guru’Guay Facebook page a few days before you arrive. We’ll be happy to post you a recommendation.
Uruguay water crisis: how did we get here?
Uruguay has some of the most abundant water sources in the world. But the capital was told we had water supplies for just 18 days.
Is Uruguay a developed country? Harvard moves Latin America HQ to Uruguay
Harvard University Business School opens Latin American research centre, praising Uruguay living standard and freedom of expression.
Montevideo Carnival 2024 dates
Hot off the press! The world’s longest carnival is in Montevideo Uruguay and we’ve got the dates.
Salón No. 3 – La Barra gourmet cuisine, cafe & deli
Gourmet lunches, speciality coffee & pastries, out of an antiques store. Smoked hams, artisanal cheese & local produce from the Expendio.
Casa Flor – live the Uruguay coast like a local (VIP)
One of the very best hotels in Punta del Este. Casa Flor’s well-connected owners give you access to the secrets of Uruguay’s coast most can only dream of.
Uruguay offers new digital nomad residency
Digital nomads and remote workers can now obtain a residency permit to work legally from Uruguay for six to twelve months.
Big Bang Nature Stays – Bohemian beach domes
Unique ocean-front location to reconnect with nature—with luxury touches—on one of Uruguay’s most deserted beaches in Maldonado.
8% of Uruguay is black—and maybe more
Afro-Uruguayans play a huge part in Uruguay’s cultural identity. Are they really just 8% of the population? The new census may correct the stats.
Gaucho week in Montevideo – Easter
Traditional food, handmade goods, and South American cowboys riding wild horses. It’s the Semana Criolla – Montevideo’s Easter gaucho festival.
Travel to Uruguay: Medical insurance mandatory
There’s been some confusion around whether it’s necessary to have health insurance to enter Uruguay since recent changes to travel requirements. We explain.
Dance tango in Uruguay. Especially if you are a beginner or intermediate tango dancer, the tango scene in Montevideo is much friendlier than Buenos Aires.
Murga is an instantly recognisable musical style associated with carnival. It’s a uniquely Uruguayan phenomenon, with very distant roots in Cadiz, Spain.
Uruguayan movies tend to be slow burners with lots of critical acclaim. The Guru invites you to put your feet up and enjoy five of the best Uruguayan films.
My friend who’s ‘carnival royalty’ says San Baltasar is like carnival was when she was a child. Your chance to see Uruguay carnival just after new year.
José ‘Pepe’ Mujica was dubbed “the world’s poorest president” for his modest lifestyle and is the subject of a new film by Emir Kusturica.
The host of this brand new travel show fell in love with Montevideo. The wine, soccer, carnival, food… so many things to do.
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9 Responses
I know this is an old blog post, but Mateo is on Spotify. I’m listening right now.
Fabulous news! Thanks for letting us know, Susan!
gerat website, thanks! 🙂
I think the band Trio Ibarburu should be on this list as well 🙂
for me they are (besides the legendary band “Opa”) one of the best exemples of uruguayan music. or at least Nico Ibarburu the guitar-player, sideman to so many good uruguayan musicians …
see them here: https://youtu.be/5-RPtVnHFyU
or here: https://youtu.be/dX2v29gXMVo
Thanks for adding your suggestion, Hansi! Yes, Nico Ibarburu pops up everywhere!
Mateo was a real phenomenon. A sad, short life but with an amazing gift and vision. My husband knew him back in the day and has shared many stories that just make me admire Mateo more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-hOuOmVjtM
Mateo solo bien se lame…I’ll try to help with the translation. There’s a saying : “El buey solo bien se lame” this literally means “the ox licks himself alone” and the sense is, there are many things you can do without needing the help of others; sometime is best to do something all by yourself instead of all the troubles that bring working in team. So Mateo recorded all the tracks of this record, alone. Voices, guitars, drums. But one day, he left the recording studio in Buenos Aires and never came back. The sound engineer kept the tapes, and a year or two after published this record, and named it “Mateo solo bien se lame”
Sorry for the bad english, hope this help
Unfrionegro – what can i say? Other than thank you. Brilliant explanation.
What! No Jorge Drexler? 🙂
Ha! Ha! Veronica, nice try! As Jorge is an Oscar-winning musician, it seems to me that he would have chances of being known outside of Uruguay much more than most. 🙂