The always debonair and sexy Gotan Project brought their tango inspired electronica to Club Nokia last Saturday, as part of the second annual Ooh LA L.A. Festival.

The Paris-hailing six-piece ensemble effectively transformed Club Nokia into a Porteño tango club, consuming the 1700-plus crowd for nearly two hours. Accordion-carried themes dominated Gotan Project’s set, which also featured an electronic viola and a band mate on a Wii controller that conducted prerecorded beats and effects. 

Fusing traditional Argentine-tango melodies and folklore with the electronic, Gotan Project is a revolutionary in the genre coined “Nuevo-Tango.” Formed in 1999, the band has sold over 2 million albums and performed in roughly 400 concerts worldwide.

Gotan Project returned for two encores, playing most of their classics – including “Santa Maria (Del Buen Ayre)” and “Differente” – and closing out the evening with their lulling hit, “Inmigrante.” Band founders Philippe Solal, Christoph Müller, and Eduardo Makaroff were decked out in their uniform of Argentine top hats and vests that have become a staple at their shows.

The Project’s recent album, “Tango 3.0,” arrived more than a decade after the group was formed, refining the bands founding elements – understated beats and reflective moods rooted in the backstreets of Buenos Aires and Paris – and including the voice of French-based singer, Cristina Vilallonga.

Following its success last year, the second-annual Ooh LA L.A. Festival boasted three full days of French chic flair over the weekend at venues across Los Angeles. In the spirit of the event, Gotan Project played a mash-up that featured an instrumental written by French singer-songwriting legend, Serge Gainsbourg.

Opening for the Gotan Project, the Paris-based General Elektriks warmed the crowd with impassioned synthesizer solos and an assortment of eccentric dance moves. Their hit song, “Raid the Radio,” transformed the initially aloof crowd into a dancing fervor that lasted until the night’s conclusion. 

 

 

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