Club Fonograma was a United States-based daily Internet publication established in 2008 that was devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, mixtapes, podcasts, and artist interviews. Its focus is on global pop and independent music from artists of Spanish, Caribbean, and Latin American origin or background. It was notable for its eclectic and idiosyncratic English-language coverage of mostly Spanish-language music. It was praised as the "Pitchfork of Latin Music"[1] and as "hands down the best go-to music site for indie music out of America and Spain."[2]
 | |
Type of site | Music webzine |
|---|---|
| Owner | Carlos Reyes |
| URL | [1] |
| Registration | No |
| Launched | 2008 |
| Current status | Active |
Club Fonograma was created in Phoenix, Arizona in 2008 by Chicano cinephile Carlos Reyes,[3][4] while attending college in Phoenix. During its run, the site has expanded from a simple music review site and now also covers events such as South by Southwest,[5] the Latin American Music Conference,[6] Vive Latino,[7] and Festival NRMAL.[8] Their coverage has also been praised by American music outlets such as Pitchfork[9] and NPR.[10] The site also won a 2012 IMAS award for "Best Music Website."[11]
From 2008 through 2011, the site curated a mixtape series called Fonogramaticos. These albums contained a mix of unreleased songs from both prominent major-label acts and unsigned or independent artists, and are free for readers to download. A total of fourteen volumes were created in the series. Since then, the site has released annual compilations outside the Fonogramaticos series.
In 2011, the site began its own podcast called the Fonocast, hosted by writer Blanca Mendez. Each month, the Fonocast is centered on a different theme, and has a revolving set of co-hosts, usually other Club Fonograma staff writers.
On December 28, 2022, it was announced that the owner of the site, Carlos Reyes, had died. Helado Negro, Julieta Venegas, Quiero Club, and many others expressed both sadness at his death and gratitude for the power of his work.[4]
Club Fonograma Album and Song of the Year winners
editClub Fonograma Album of the Year
edit| Year | Artist | Album | Nation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Calle 13 | Residente o Visitante |  Puerto Rico |
[2] |
| 2008 | El Guincho | Alegranza! |  Spain |
[3] |
| 2009 | Emilio José | Chorando Apréndese | Spain |
[4] |
| 2010 | Javiera Mena | Mena |  Chile |
[5] |
| 2011 | Bam Bam | Futura Vía |  Mexico |
[6] |
| 2012 | Ases Falsos | Juventud Americana | Chile |
[7] |
| 2013 | BFlecha | βeta | Spain |
[8] |
| 2014 | Diosque | Constante |  Argentina |
[9] |
Club Fonograma Song of the Year
edit| Year | Artist | Song | Nation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | El Guincho | Palmitos Park | Spain |
[10] |
| 2009 | Natalia Lafourcade | Azul | Mexico |
[11] |
| 2010 | Javiera Mena | Luz de Piedra de Luna | Chile |
[12] |
| 2011 | Los Claveles | Nacional 42 | Spain |
[13] |
| 2012 | Mañaneros | Baby Tropical | Chile |
[14] |
| 2013 | Füete Billēte | La Trilla (Móntate Aquí) | Puerto Rico |
[15] |
| 2014 | Javiera Mena | Otra Era | Chile |
[16] |
| 2015 | Playa Gótica | Reptil No Gentil | Chile
|
[17] |
Club Fonograma Top 10 Albums of the Decade (2000-2009)
edit| Order | Artist | Album | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Café Tacuba | Cuatro Caminos | Mexico
|
| 2 | Javiera Mena | Esquemas Juveniles | Chile
|
| 3 | Porter | Atemahawke | Mexico
|
| 4 | Julieta Venegas | Bueninvento | Mexico
|
| 5 | Calle 13 | Residente o Visitante | Puerto Rico
|
| 6 | Emilio José | Chorando Apréndese | Spain
|
| 7 | Natalia Lafourcade | Hu Hu Hu | Mexico
|
| 8 | Triángulo de Amor Bizarro | Triángulo de Amor Bizarro | Spain
|
| 9 | El Guincho | Alegranza! | Spain
|
| 10 | En Ventura | Los Gandharvas | Mexico
|
Club Fonograma Top 10 Songs of the Decade (2000-2009)
edit| Order | Artist | Song | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Javiera Mena | Al Siguiente Nivel | Chile
|
| 2 | Calle 13 | Atrevete-te-te! | Puerto Rico
|
| 3 | Triángulo de Amor Bizarro | El Fantasma de la Transición | Spain
|
| 4 | Hello Seahorse! | Bestia | Mexico
|
| 5 | Julieta Venegas | Lento | Mexico
|
| 6 | Café Tacuba | Eres | Mexico
|
| 7 | Celso Piña ft. Control Machete & Blanquito Man | Cumbia Sobre el Río | Mexico
|
| 8 | Porter | Cuervos | Mexico
|
| 9 | Rita Indiana y los Misterios | La Hora de Volvé |  Dominican Republic
|
| 10 | Natalia Lafourcade | Azul | Mexico
|
References
edit- ^ "|| Ceci Bastida || Biografia". Archived from the original on 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2012-03-19.
- ^ You Should Really Download This Free Music: Fonogramáticos Vol.14 Archived 2013-01-26 at archive.today
- ^ "club fonograma: Al Siguiente Nivel... Club Fonograma's 1st Anniversary". Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2012-03-19.
- ^ a b Raygoza, Isabela (2022-12-28). "Club Fonograma Founder Carlos Reyes Dead at 34". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-12-31.
- ^ Nerdy SXSW Coverage For The Nerdy Music Nerdos Archived 2012-07-13 at archive.today
- ^ "club fonograma: We've got LAMC fever". Archived from the original on 2011-09-10. Retrieved 2012-03-20.
- ^ "club fonograma: Vive Latino 2011: Part One". Archived from the original on 2011-04-13. Retrieved 2012-03-20.
- ^ "club fonograma: Festival Nrmal 2012, Part One". Archived from the original on 2012-05-05. Retrieved 2012-03-20.
- ^ MtyMx: A Pitchfork Mix for D.I.Y. Mexico | Forkcast Archive | Pitchfork
- ^ Club Fonograma's 'Fonográmaticos Vol.13' Is A Must-Have : Alt.Latino : NPR
- ^ "Registro :: #IMAS13 :: IMAS 2013". Archived from the original on 2012-04-18. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
- ^ a b club fonograma: best of the decade Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine