music
Articles tagged music on Medellin Living — Medellín expat guides and stories.
A Bermuda Triangle in Bogota
Bogotá boasts its own version of the Bermuda Triangle, an area of the city in which many travelers just hope to pass through without getting lost.
Nights on the Town: The Best of Medellin Nightlife (Plus Top Tips!)
Medellín is one of the happiest cities in Colombia and for good reason. Paisas love to live life to the fullest through dancing the night away! Perhaps that’s why visitors and locals flock to bars and clubs in large…
Colombia’s Music Revolution
A revolution in Colombian music is bringing a variety of new talent and sounds to the airwaves and concert venues. Here are 10 bands worth knowing.
Buenos Aires: Underrated and Undiscovered
Ryan explores Buenos Aires, a comuna just east of downtown Medellin.
Medellin Events: February
A list of Medellin Events for February 2014, including local concerts, sporting events, meet-ups, and more.
The 10 Best Bars and Clubs in Medellín
Writer’s note: This is the fourth story in a monthly series on the “best of” Medellín and the surrounding area. To read the third story, click here. This post was updated on March 14, 2015. We do our best to keep…
A Surprisingly Good Time at a Hole In the Wall Bar
Saturday Night – Fonda de la 65 with San Juan (44) Many places that have been reviewed are joints that can be considered “hot spots”. Clubs where you can find attractive women, salsa dancing, fancy food that tastes OK,…
Willie Colon & Ruben Blades – Plastico
A salsa classic, and a lot of fun to dance to, this is Plastico performed live by Willie Colon and Ruben Blades. My favorite part in the song is around 6:30 when they start doing shout-outs to the various Latin…
David Guetta feat. Akon – Sexy Chick
I remember hearing the unedited version of this song in a taxi on the way back to Guatape from El Penol. And I remember thinking “damn, I can’t believe this song is on the radio!” The beat immediately had me hooked, and…
Juan Luis Guerra – Bachata En Fukuoka
Toward the end of my stay in Medellin last year, I began to ask Yamile, my dance instructor, to help me with my bachata. This was the song she’d often play, and now whenever I hear it, I’m transported back to the dance…
Hector Lavoe – Todo Poderoso
Hector Lavoe is one of the salsa greats, and you can see him rocking out here in Mexico, circa 1978.
Don Omar ft. Lucenzo – Danza Kudoro
The rhythm of Danza Kuduro by Don Omar (featuring Lucenzo) reminds me more of merengue than reggaeton.
Buñuelos, Natilla & the Music of December
December in Colombia means lots of fireworks, partying, kids and adults on vacation, Christmas lights everywhere, and a few other traditions. Buñuelos are round, deep-fried cheese fritters. They’re akin to a soft,…
Juanes – La Camisa Negra
It’s been awhile since I posted a video from Medellin’s home town rock star, Juanes. La Camisa Negra is one of his biggest hits, and according to the English lyrics, the song is about a guy wearing a black shirt to…
Willie Colon – Talento de Television
I’d heard Talento de Television countless times in bars and salsa clubs, but it wasn’t until Thanksgiving Day a few weeks ago that I finally discovered the singer and title by accident while loading up salsa songs by…
Cosculluela ft. Wisin y Yandel – Prrrrum
This reggaeton song was being played everywhere when I arrived in Colombia this year. The original version is above, but it’s the official remix by Wisin y Yandel (below) that was getting play in the clubs and on the…
Los Rodriguez w/Andres Calamaro – Sin Documentos
In 2009, I discovered Andres Calmaro thanks to “Hace Calor“, but I didn’t think much of him, as that song reminded me of Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Achey Breaky Heart.” In 2010, I discovered Calamaro use to be a part of the…
Oscar D’Leon – Lloraras
I recently made a mix CD to use during my salsa lessons, and Oscar D’Leon’s “LLoraras” is one of the 10 songs I burned. It gets regular play in salsa bars and clubs, so it makes sense to get a feel for the proper rhythm…
Silvestre Dangond In Concert – La Tartamuda
Silvestre Dangond is a Colombian vallanato singer, and I’m a huge fan of his catchy songs. He’s playing a concert tonight (November 5, 2010) in Medellin at Palmahia.
Tony Dize Ft Plan B – Solos
Skip to the 40-second mark to start Solos, a popular reggaeton song by Tony Dize featuring Plan B.
An Afternoon of Hardcore at Libido Bar
When I think of Carrera 70, I think of a street filled with salsa joints, however Libido Bar offers up anything but your typical Colombian crossover music. On a Saturday afternoon back in August, Troy and I joined…
Enrique Iglesias, Juan Luis Guerra – Cuando Me Enamoro
With close to 35 million views on YouTube so far, I’m not the only one listening to Cuando Me Enamoro, a romantic song by Enrique Iglesias and Juan Luis Guerra. Spanish and English lyrics
Don Tetto – Adicto al Dolor
Don Tetto is a punk band from Bogotá, and they have a bunch of awesome songs I listen to regularly, “Adicto al Dolor” being one of them. They remind me a lot of the bands I use to listen to when I was younger, like New…
Chino y Nacho – Niña Bonita
When I arrived in Cartagena a few months ago, one of the first songs I started hearing was Nina Bonita by Chino y Nacho, a Venezuelan pop duo. The style of song is squarely aimed at teeny-boppers, but as often is the…
Grupo Niche – Cali Pachanguero
Grupo Niche is a popular salsa group from Colombia, and Cali Pachanguero is one of their classics. You’re likely to hear this song play in just about any salsa club around the world, and for good reason — it’s catchy,…
Aventura – Dile Al Amor
I don’t recall hearing a lot of Bachata music while I was living in Medellin last year, however I’d hear it every night I went out dancing back in the Washington, DC area. Aventura’s Dile Al Amor was one track I heard…
Video: Luis Enrique – Yo No Se Manana
When I landed in Cartagena at the end of June, Yo No Se Manana by Luis Enrique was one of the first songs I heard around town. Catchy beyond belief, I soon found myself watching this video on YouTube regularly. Early…
Video: Daddy Yankee – Que Tengo, Que Hacer
Seeing as I’m heading to the Daddy Yankee concert in Medellin tomorrow night, I’m going to indulge in Que Tengo Que Hacer, one of my favorite songs. In 2009, I heard Llamado De Emergencia everywhere, and that…
The 14th Annual International Jazz Festival
Despite being Colombia’s second largest city, I still see Medellin as more village than metropolis, however the steady stream of festivals in the city continue to remind me my perspective is over-romanticized. This…
Video: Silvestre Dangond & Juancho De La Espriella – Cantinero
I discovered Silvestre Dangond while living in Medellin last year thanks to his super catchy song Me Gusta, Me Gusta. This year, I’m enamored with Cantinero which I’ve been hearing in the bars. Silvestre is a vallenato…
We Love Carlos Gardel
One of the nice things about having traveled through most South American countries, and getting to spend big chunks of time in each one is that you start noticing and recognizing similarities between them. In the 18…
Video – Desespero by Artefacto
I first saw Artefacto at Altavoz. I was impressed by the group, overall. They are a Medellin band lead by Felipe Carmona, 30 (yes, he’s 30…it has been a topic of discussion and jokes ever since I found out.) Felipe has…
Friday Night at Arte Vivo
I spent this last Friday night at a hip little bar called ArteVivo. I was so nicely invited by Felipe. My friend Mario came along, and we were really excited to check it out. We got to the bar around 10pm. There was a…
Video – Mojiganga @ Altavoz
Ok, so this is a bad video, but I love the feeling it gives because it was taken right from the pit. Mojiganga proved to be a local favorite at the recent Altavoz music festival. Thousands of young Colombians moshing to…
AltaVoz!
AltaVoz is an annual music festival in Medellin. The festival is three days long and hosts artist from around the world from a variety of different genres. This years show had almost 40 different bands. I am still kind…
Hola Everybody!
First I would like to thank Dave for this great opportunity! Hopefully everybody here at MedellinLiving.com will enjoy reading my posts and I hope to hear back from you guys as well. My name is Cathy and I am a…
Video – Carito by Carlos Vives
Now that I’m back in the US, I can turn on the car radio and hear salsa and reggaeton, but Colombia’s very own genre, vallenato – not so much. Carlos Vives is the king of vallenato, and “Carito” is one of his biggest…
Video – Daddy Yankee In Concert
As I was looking for a video to feature today, I realized I’d been posting mp3’s in the past, when I probably could’ve found videos instead, AND been preserving storage space on my web hosting account to boot! So, I’ll…
Besos Faciles by Sonohra
Sonohra’s “Besos Faciles” is a feel-good pop song, perfect for Summer, or in Medellin’s case, eternal Spring. It’s another one of the videos I saw on heavy rotation, thus it became etched into my auditory memory banks.
La Tortura by Shakira Featuring Alejandro Sanz
When I first arrived in Colombia, Shakira was the only musician I knew from the country (Barranquilla). I’d always be asking people whether they liked her or not. Responses varied from yes, to just her old stuff, to she…
Estos Celos by Vicente Fernandez
When I first moved into Maira’s apartment in Envigado, I would watch the music video channels a lot, which exposed me to a decent amount of popular music. One of the videos was of an old Mexican singing an understated…
The 2009 Colombia Salsa Congress
As I continued to try to squeeze every drop of enjoyment out of my time left in Medellin, I decided to check out Grupo Gale July 11th. They had performed the prior night at Colombia’s 2009 Salsa Congress party, and were…
Chan Chan by Buena Vista Social Club
Here’s another song I discovered recently, and absolutely love! I can’t recall exactly where I heard this song first. Either I downloaded it amongst others for my party last week, or I heard it in one of the salsa…
Salsa Celtica – El Sol De La Noche
I first started hearing Salsa Celtica’s “El Sol De La Noche” at El Eslabon Prendido, and it quickly became the kind of song I’d leap out of my seat to enjoy on the dance floor. The group is Scottish, and while the song…
Medellin Living Party
Maira entrusted her apartment to me while she caught up with family and friends during the summer break, so I figured it was party time. Well, it took a nudge from friend Martin to motivate me, but I’d been thinking…
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs – La Luz Del Ritmo
Time for a little rock, straight from Buenos Aires, Argentina. This is the first song I heard by Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. They played in Medellin a few months ago, and I remember running into musicians from the…
Silvestre Dangond – Me Gusta, Me Gusta
“Me Gusta, Me Gusta” is damn catchy, and one of the first songs I started to hear over and over again when I arrived in Medellin.
London’s Orphans & Vandals
Jamie’s sister, Gabi, plays drums in a London-based band called Orphans & Vandals. They recently released a new album called I’m Alive And You Are Dead. Not the most uplifting title, however it certainly matches the…
Andres Calamaro – Hace Calor
Maira helped me track down this catchy song by Andres Calamaro. I continue to be surprised by how little the lyrics matter to me in Latin songs. Whether it’s salsa, merengue, vallanato, cumbia, bolero, reggaeton or pop,…
Juanes – A Dios Le Pido
Living in Colombia, Latin music surrounds me everywhere I go – the buses and taxis, restaurants and bars, the gym and so on. Juanes, a Grammy-winning Colombian singer, hails from Medellin. I’ve become a fan of his…