Tango 3.0

The release of Vuelvo Al Sur/El Capitalismo Foraneo in 2000 and, a year later, La Revancha del Tango changed the course of tango, at least in a small way. Putting aside the copycat bands and the general overexposure to electro-tango, the Swiss, French and Argentinian trio made tango cool, contemporary and familiar – not least through all those TV idents and adverts. So, ten years on, have Gotan got anything left to say – or play? Well, the songs on Tango 3.0 are similar in spirit to those on the previous two albums, albeit even more chilled-out. There are some distinguished guests: Dr John plays a soporific Hammond B3 on opening track ‘Tango Square’, Argentinian author Jules Cortázar reads gruffly from his experimental novel Hopscotch on ‘Rayuela’ – given an extra layer via a children's chorus – and Daniel Melingo groans stylishly through ‘Tu Misterio. Even a football-themed track, ‘La Gloria’, features legendary Argentinian commentator Victor Hugo Morales, waxing patriotically about Maradona's ‘Hand of God’ goal of 1986.

The voice of regular vocalist Cristina Villalonga still makes me look back with nostalgia to the great singers of the past, but I've come to accept that vocals are essentially just more samples for Gotan, and there'd probably be no place for a Gardél or a Goyeneche here. Tango 3.0 is a worthy third album, and the synths and samples have not, thankfully, squeezed out Eduardo Makaroff's acoustic, romantic and quintessentially Argentinian contribution.