Re Fantasma is an Argentine
cumbia
Cumbia refers to a number of musical rhythms and folk dance traditions of Latin America, generally involving musical and cultural elements from American Indigenous peoples, Europeans, and Africans during colonial times. Cumbia is said to have com ...
band formed in 2001, formed by Martín Roisi and Pablo Antico, known by their respective stage names; Fantasma (lead guitar and vocals) and Mr. Negro (lead singer).
Some consider them to be among the first bands in developing a
cumbia rap music style mixed with electronic sounds,
while their style has been described as "Borrowing from the shanty town atmosphere, they mingle tropical cumbia styles with hip hop and electronic sounds." They are also involved in activities in
shanty towns
A shanty town, squatter area, squatter settlement, or squatter camp is a settlement of improvised buildings known as shanties or shacks, typically made of materials such as mud and wood, or from cheap building materials such as corrugated iron sh ...
.
Their official website states the band: "started moving in different social levels in an integration crusade, from touring in Paris (2007) and being played on TV´s primetime show "
Susana Giménez
María Susana Giménez Aubert (born 29 January 1944), known as Susana Giménez (), is an Argentine TV host, actress, model and businesswoman. In 2012, she was considered the biggest celebrity in Argentine television by the media firm that pub ...
," to being founders of the multicultural social project Odisea 20, settled in a shanty town (Villa 20,
Villa Lugano)." The band took "
M.I.A." and dj producer "
Diplo
Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is a co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer; a member of the supergroup LSD (group), ...
" to the heart of a shanty town in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
, introducing them to the area. In 2008 they received financing from the
Prince Claus Foundation to make the documentary film "Arte Villero/Shanty Town Art" for which their music became its soundtrack. Regarding their music style, reviewer Juan Data has stated: "it's exactly what neo-cumbia from
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
should be more: kistchy, tacky, unpretentious, dancy, fun, gritty, hip-hoppy and very original," adding: "and they've been doing new-school cumbia since way before it was cool for hipsters and foreigners."
Culture Remixed has stated: "Fantasma use the cumbia beat to drop their own very creative blend on top." They are also known around the world as a niche band with a cult following, and part of an emerging music scene. As well, they have gained some note in their circle for having produced a cumbia version of the
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
song Ghost Town, by
The Specials
The Specials, also known as the Special AKA, were an English 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall and Neville Staple on vocals, J ...
.
In 2017 edited the LP "Re Fantasma" in which album recorded a song with Mala Fama singer, Hernan Coronel, called "Yo uso Visera" that represents, el
barrio
''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city delimited by functional (e.g. residential, comm ...
, como sucede en todos los países de
Latinoamerica
Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
.
References
{{Authority control
Argentine musical groups