Revolutionary Music
You know how every awesome movie has a really great, powerful, accompanying musical theme? Or how every truly annoyingly catchy ad campaign has a really recognizable jingle? That kind of seems like what the New Song music was for Latin America. It was a signature kind of music that was created for the general people by mixing different elements that all played into the common goal of uniting the people. The Chilean New Song movement was a revolutionary musical movement that highlighted the plights and desires of the people, especially the marginalized and the people that belonged to the left. It functioned as the bones, the theme music if you will, behind a
unifying social movement and not just on the Chilean platform, but
really it was a joint wave that spread throughout Latin America. The music itself has very folkloric vibes and undertones, even incorporating many indigenous instruments like the quena, sicus, bombo leguero, and charango, which in Chile contributed to the specifically Andean identification and related back to the history and tradition of the people. This style was all about incorporating different elements and creating something new and lively by expanding on and breathing new life into something old and traditional, contributing to the creation of cultural memory. As for the social impact, essentially the importance of this music and movement is its role within the historical context of Latin America and especially in Chile. The suppression of the people and the political turmoil that spread during the 50s, 60s, and 70s was the perfect melting pot for this kind of revolutionary artistic movement, seeing as, at least for me, music has always been shown to be one of the most powerful forms of expression of emotion.
Even now there are artists who highlight their roots and who use their music as a call to action to unite their people--the difference is that today's new social landscape means that there are somewhat new social issues to deal with. The group Rebel Diaz, and especially RodStarz have been doing just that. They are speaking up about current political issues through not only their music, but also their words. They take a strong stance even in the context of the American elections, stating their outright rejection of the two-party system while instead choosing to endorse alternative forms of political engagement. While many of their songs are explicitly in the vein of political opposition and criticism and calls to actions, one of their songs, a remix of "Which Side Are You On," is actually a blatant representation of cultural memory. This song originally related to labor unions and was a response to violence, and while the Rebel Diaz remix uses this original undertrack as a starting point and inspiration, they expand upon it, making their own lyrics relevant to the here and now. But really this feels very similar to what was done by the Chilean New Song musicians who also combined some kind of old tradition and infused new relevance to it. Meanwhile, another musician, the Calle 13 artist Residente, has chosen to use his pop culture influence to try and sway his community towards certain candidates in past elections who he feels understand the history and plight of the Latinx people. All the while though, he does continue to issue tough critiques in his music, making it relevant but also calling things how he sees them, no matter how harsh. On a more general note though, I think music makes for an especially effective tool for resistance and rebellion in the United States because it is viewed under the law as a form of expression and if we Americans have been consistent about one thing throughout history, it's likely our extreme feeling about about our first amendment rights. So while artists likely won't be legally prosecuted for their work here, the downside is the ever existent possible social repercussions as well as the fact that not everywhere is as gung-ho about free speech as America.
Even now there are artists who highlight their roots and who use their music as a call to action to unite their people--the difference is that today's new social landscape means that there are somewhat new social issues to deal with. The group Rebel Diaz, and especially RodStarz have been doing just that. They are speaking up about current political issues through not only their music, but also their words. They take a strong stance even in the context of the American elections, stating their outright rejection of the two-party system while instead choosing to endorse alternative forms of political engagement. While many of their songs are explicitly in the vein of political opposition and criticism and calls to actions, one of their songs, a remix of "Which Side Are You On," is actually a blatant representation of cultural memory. This song originally related to labor unions and was a response to violence, and while the Rebel Diaz remix uses this original undertrack as a starting point and inspiration, they expand upon it, making their own lyrics relevant to the here and now. But really this feels very similar to what was done by the Chilean New Song musicians who also combined some kind of old tradition and infused new relevance to it. Meanwhile, another musician, the Calle 13 artist Residente, has chosen to use his pop culture influence to try and sway his community towards certain candidates in past elections who he feels understand the history and plight of the Latinx people. All the while though, he does continue to issue tough critiques in his music, making it relevant but also calling things how he sees them, no matter how harsh. On a more general note though, I think music makes for an especially effective tool for resistance and rebellion in the United States because it is viewed under the law as a form of expression and if we Americans have been consistent about one thing throughout history, it's likely our extreme feeling about about our first amendment rights. So while artists likely won't be legally prosecuted for their work here, the downside is the ever existent possible social repercussions as well as the fact that not everywhere is as gung-ho about free speech as America.
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