Trekking in Uruguay – El Gavilán, Valle del Lunarejo nature reserve
Trekking, horseback riding, nature photography, birding in one of the most outstanding protected areas in Uruguay, Valle del Lunarejo.
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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.
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Trekking in Uruguay – El Gavilán, Valle del Lunarejo nature reserve
Trekking, horseback riding, nature photography, birding in one of the most outstanding protected areas in Uruguay, Valle del Lunarejo.
Varela Zarranz – Uruguay wine history & sparkling wines
One of Uruguay’s oldest wineries, Varela Zarranz is just 50 min from the capital. Winner of 150+ awards, it’s famous for its sparkling wines.
Índica Beer – Great little Montevideo bar & brewery
Índica Beer is a friendly welcoming Montevideo bar and brewery making some of the best craft beer—particularly IPAs and German-style lager.
Uruguay Citizenship – It’s been 23 years but I’m finally applying!
It’s been a long time coming, and I’m so excited to finally be starting the process of applying for Uruguay citizenship.
How to get from the Montevideo airport to the city
The Montevideo international airport is 15 miles from the city centre. You can take a taxi, shuttle or bus. The most common way is private transfer.
Bodega Cerro Chapeu – Uruguayan wine legends
Led by a “winemaker legend”, Cerro Chapeu is a must-do Uruguayan wine destination. In the wild middle of nowhere, it is a shock to discover such an exciting, modern winery, say experts.
Caballos de Luz – Horseback riding in Uruguay sierras
This ‘million star’ B&B in the hills minutes from the coast offers exciting horseback riding & delicious vegetarian food.
Hotel Solís – A historic, coastal B&B
Live a piece of history in what may become one of the best hotels in Uruguay.
Il Tano Suites – 420-friendly Punta del Diablo hotel
Your suite with private deck, close to secluded beaches, next to Pdd’s best restaurant. Probably the best value of all Punta del Diablo hotels.
Academia Uruguay – Learn Spanish in Uruguay
If you’re planning to move to Uruguay, who better to learn Spanish with than native Uruguayan teachers? Online and face-to-face options.
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. 🙂