Chilean Artists Blend Traditional, Pop Stylings

Congreso, a seven-piece band from Santiago, Chile, will be in Spokane on its first-ever United States tour this Sunday.

Since its founding in 1969, Congreso has recorded 15 albums which have sold in the millions in South America. From their inception in the city of Quilpue nearly 30 years ago, the band has searched for a sound which blends elements of their ethnic origins with contemporary and popular music of Latin America.

Everything from haunting aboriginal statements to danceable riffs is represented on their recordings. Sounds of the forests and mountains mix with the electronic and urban, creating a unique …

Congreso, a seven-piece band from Santiago, Chile, will be in Spokane on its first-ever United States tour this Sunday.

Since its founding in 1969, Congreso has recorded 15 albums which have sold in the millions in South America. From their inception in the city of Quilpue nearly 30 years ago, the band has searched for a sound which blends elements of their ethnic origins with contemporary and popular music of Latin America.

Everything from haunting aboriginal statements to danceable riffs is represented on their recordings. Sounds of the forests and mountains mix with the electronic and urban, creating a unique environmental music.

Their instrumentation includes voice, tarka and zampanaz (wooden flutes), electric bass, piano and other keyboards, flute, saxophone, cello, and percussion, both ethnic and electronic.

Congreso certainly brings its Chilean roots a new perspective in a modern age on their albums, and is worth a listen while they are in town.

Congreso, a Chilean ethno-fusion band, plays Hobart’s Lounge at Cavanaugh’s Fourth Avenue on Sunday; the tunes start at 8 p.m. Admission is $8 at the door.

, DataTimes