Happy Friday From Chilean Indie-Pop At SXSW!

When it comes to independent music out of Latin America, Chile has been churning out so many bright, young artists with incredible talent, that at times it seems completely disproportional for a skinny nation at the end of the earth.

At SXSW, three of Chile’s most talked about indie acts played back-to-back at Caradura’s showcase at Maggie Mae’s.

Santiago’s wonderboy Alex Anwandter started off the Chilean trifecta, accompanied only by one guitarist, a keyboard and the mic in his hand, he got the crowd riled up by starting off with the first song off of his latest disc “Rebeldes”, the synth-heavy, edgy-pop track, “Como Puedes Vivir Contigo Mismo?”  Fans familiar with Anwandter’s music sang along and formed a tight circle around him when he jumped off stage to dance and serenade his admirers as he played hits from his previous projects,  former band Teleradio Donoso, and solo project Odisea. Check out his latest single, “Tatuaje”:

When Javiera Mena took to the stage, the crowd had grown and looked ready to keep the dance party going. The electro-pop chanteuse started off playing “Primera Estrella” on keyboard, wearing a white blazer over her clothing, both of which she would abandon later in the set, two moves that would work to her advantage as the room and audience started to heat up.  Listen to “Hasta La Verdad”:

Astro is an excellent band that puts on an entertaining show, with Nusser hitting all the right high-notes with his distinctive voice, while band members Octavio Cavieres, Nicholas Arancibia, Daniel Varas work together to help create the vast, colorful landscape that the group paints with their music and in their live shows.  Listen to “Ciervos”:

Short of a trip to Santiago, it’s unlikely that this much Chilean talent will be found in the same room again. Caradura’s showcase highlighting the brightest of Chile’s rising indie stars proved that the Andean nation has a lot to offer music fans on this side of the equator.

[Photo of Alex Anwandter by the author, Videos By ]

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