For over a decade, Seattle-based public broadcaster and music discovery nonprofit KEXP has been traversing the globe to broadcast and record live sessions. Their travels have brought them far and wide – from Reykjavik to London, from Rennes to Mexico City, and more. Today, KEXP announced their first trip to South America for a week of live performances and a remote broadcast from Buenos Aires, Argentina. KEXP Live from Argentina will take place on-air and online September 19th through 23rd. Listeners can tune in at 90.3 FM in Seattle, KEXP. ORG and the KEXP Apps, and performances can be viewed live on KEXP’s YouTube channel.
The KEXP Live from Argentina project came together with support from Argentina’s Ministry of Culture and the Kirchner Cultural Center in Buenos Aires, as well as a media partnership with Rolling Stone, which will be publishing supplemental content alongside KEXP’s week of programming and publication of Live on KEXP sessions. The programming is centered on Argentine musicians performing in a wide range of genres, sharing their music to a global audience of millions on YouTube and a broadcast audience in the Pacific Northwest and worldwide.
The announcement of KEXP Live from Argentina was made today, with a performance by Barbi Recanati, an Argentine musician, producer and songwriter. Recanati flew into Seattle with her band from Buenos Aires for the announcement, along with an official delegation from the Ministry of Culture of Argentina, in order to further develop a connection between music communities in Argentina and Seattle.
KEXP hosts Cheryl Waters, Albina Cabrera and DJ Chilly will be broadcasting live audio and video from the Kirchner Cultural Center, with live radio broadcasts all week and three Live on KEXP sessions per day on Tuesday September 20th through Friday September 23rd. Performances will take place throughout the Center, with live streaming on YouTube, and many broadcast live on KEXP radio. The presenting partners will also collaborate on a learning session for university students to take place on Monday, September 19th.
A full live performance lineup will be announced in June. Twelve Argentine artists and musical acts performing in a range of musical styles and geographies will be represented.
“Being welcomed into music communities across the world is an unbelievable honor for KEXP,” said KEXP DJ, host, and Live on KEXP curator Cheryl Waters. “Every time we travel, I am blissfully overwhelmed by the talent of local bands, and the unique qualities of each thriving music scene. Booking the lineup for KEXP Live from Argentina was no different - one of the most difficult aspects of the job is selecting just twelve acts to feature. However, we couldn’t be more thrilled to share this small slice with KEXP listeners worldwide. I can’t wait to meet the bands, hear their music live, and learn more about their approach to creating art. I'm also grateful to have the chance to call the beautiful Kirchner Cultural Center our home for the week.”
Argentina is the first to pass a national law requiring at 30% quota of women and LGBTQIA+ artist in music festivals. As KEXP continues to honor a commitment to equitable representation, they have taken inspiration from Argentina and will be booking a lineup of local Argentine artists – at least 50% of whom are female-led and LGBTQIA+ acts.
“I first became familiar with KEXP while spending nights with my friends in Buenos Aires, enjoying Live on KEXP sessions and discovering music from all over the world,” said Albina Cabrera, KEXP’s Latin American Content Producer and co-host of the KEXP radio show El Sonido. “Argentina has a diverse, powerful musical scene that is packed with talent. Being able to travel to South America with KEXP to record some of the music that I grew up listening to is a dream come true and a beautiful opportunity to reimagine borders. KEXP is headed to Argentina to affirm the deep love that our people have for alternative music from around the world and the excellent music produced in that country, always in the spirit of strengthening the bond between these two music communities, now and in the future.”
The live remote broadcast represents a continuation of an existing 3-year relationship between KEXP, the Argentine Ministry of Culture, and the Kirchner Cultural Center. In 2020 and 2021, these entities partnered to present live performances recorded at the Center from Marilina Bertoldi, Las Ligas Menores, and Amor Elefante.
“Argentina is the first South America country to be selected for this project, one that will provide a high level of exposure for the distribution of our music in the United States, which is something we’re really happy about,” said Argentina’s National Director of Federal Integration and International Cooperation Ariela Peretti.
“We are excited about the impact this project will have on many other jobs in the value chain, thus boosting local bands’ ability to monetize their music and, of course, the promotion of our culture and values,” said Argentina’s Secretary of Cultural Development Lucrecia Cardoso. “The merit of this alliance between the State and the private sector also lies in the fact that it offers the music industry the ability to expand, connect, and export what it produces.”
Speaking from the Ministry of Culture of Argentina, both Peretti and Cardoso underscored the important role that this arrangement with KEXP plays in achieving one of the key goals that they have been working on: the internationalization of Argentina’s cultural industries. In this case, with KEXP Live from Argentina, officials are celebrating the opportunity that Argentine musicians will be given to distribute their music around the world.
“It’s our goal to connect our global audience of music lovers and highlight musical scenes and traditions from all around the world. Argentina has a long history of groundbreaking music that extends through today,” said KEXP Chief Program Officer Chris Kellogg. “We’re thrilled to partner with the Argentine Ministry of Culture to celebrate some of the country’s most exciting up-and-coming artists to host 12 Live on KEXP sessions at the breathtaking Kirchner Cultural Center. As we celebrate our 50 years on-air, we’re not just looking backward but ahead and the future of music - and we’re seeing that future come alive in Argentina.”
DETAILS:
● KEXP Live from Argentina
● Live radio broadcast
● 12 Live on KEXP Sessions
● Monday September 19th to Friday September 23rd
● Kirchner Cultural Center, Buenos Aires, Argentina
● Presented by KEXP and Argentina’s Ministry of Culture
● Live broadcast - KEXP.ORG, KEXP Apps, 90.3 FM Seattle
● Live Performances - audio on KEXP radio, video at YouTube.com/KEXP
● Events open to the public with free admission
As KEXP celebrates its 50th anniversary, we’re looking back at the last half-century of music. Each week in 2022, KEXP pays homage to a different year and our writers are commemorating with one song from that year that resonates with them. This week, Albina reflects on the 2016 Y La Bamba song “Ojo…
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