Misa de los Mineros - in a new symphonic arrangement with the Andover Museum Loft Singers
“Quimantu's album 'Misa de los Mineros' is a captivating masterpiece that weaves the traditional with the contemporary through the beauty of heartfelt performances and arrangements, a rare feat nowadays. From the emotive and distinctive opening movement featuring Mauricio Venegas-Astorga's sonorous vocals and thrilling choral singing on the refrains wonderfully delivered by the Andover Museum Loft Singers, to the enchanting melodies created by a fusion of Andean instruments and classical European strings, the album is a testament to the band's artistry.“Throughout the album, Quimantu showcases their ability to evoke deep emotions and transport listeners on a musical journey. The vocal performances by Mauricio Venegas-Astorga and Laura Venegas-Rojas are full of tenderness and sincerity, infusing each track with moving expression. “The fusion of energetic strings, heartfelt Andean instruments and skilful arrangements creates a rich soundscape, taking the listener into a complete and immersive experience. Quimantu's signature sound, blending contemporary and traditional elements, is present throughout the production, with a warm and earthy quality, while the lyrics focus on paying homage and admiration to the Chilean miners of Mauricio’s homeland. Overall, the album is a refreshing listening experience for a fast-paced world that grabs you from beginning to end, a distinctive feature of Quimantu that is also present every time you get to see them play live.”
Felipe Arévalo, Music Producer/Label Manager at SOMOS,
West One Music Group
In A Place
"In a place" in our hearts live our feelings and in our memories
our remembrances of a future in which music and singing
continue to build hope through the hand of time. We are
very proud to include in this album "El Padre Prometido" (The
Promised Father) by our dear friend Alejandro Reyes... we
have been guided by his hand to bring into the present day
his voice and some of his history and his creations, which are
a distinquished part of the history of Chile and its people.
"Archimedes' Charango"
In his most recent solo project entitled "Archimedes' Charango"
Mauricio Venegas-Astorga invites us to travel the incredible textures, blends,
conjugations and rhythmic,aesthetic and acoustic combinations of a vast
number of instruments originating from the Latin American folk music tradition - Quenas, Sikus, Moceños, Bombos, Congas, Cajones, Tambores, Udu, Berimbaus, Chajchas, Charangos, Cuatros, Tiples, Guitars, Guitarrones, Jaranas. Magically intertwined and programmed with the modern software that is available from the most respected and sophisticated companies for the creation and use of audio and samples of acoustic and digital instruments.We have here then a beautiful album as well as something that reflects the echoes of the memory and abilities of Archimedes of Syracuse...a legendary mathematician who surely never held in his hands a charango, but through some corner of time an history continues to inspire the soul of creators such as Venegas-Astorga with the grandeur of his thought and wisdom still so profoundly relevant today.
London Electronic Notes Magazine, October 2022
Cantos… featuring the vocals of Laura Venegas-Rojas
Fina Estampa from the illustrious songwriter Chabuca Granda acquires the touch of velvet in the voice of Laura and the performance of the violin and viola of Rachel Pantin, Gracias A La Vida from the celebrated Violeta Parra, emerges from the darkest horizons to the light of the dawn with the tenderness in the piano playing of Ryan Drucker, Es Amador transports us to the Afro-Peruvian district of El Carmen with its cajones and the implacable spirit of the tradition of the Ballumbrosio family full of the sweet smell of rebellion. Mona Lisa is a treasure, which in this interpretation has the clave of the Son Cubano and shakes memory and soul with its humid and luminous sadness.
Mitimaes
“MITIMAES, as all of QUIMANTU’s artistic works, is a treasure whose deep roots serve as catalysts and sources of inspiration for all those creative and hopeful human beings on this planet who embark on a journey of hope intending to rescue the ancient wisdom of a joyful freedom that systematically and without our noticing has been taken from us.”
Andrés Castillo, Fundación Bután
Malabarisias - with guests including Pajaro Canzani, Leandro Guffanti, Daniel Diaz, Patrick Bebey
“A fantastic album, the joyfully mixed grooves of Latin, Celtic and other rhythms are inspired.” Martin Morales, JOURNALIST, DJ
“Quimantu, in their astonishingly beautiful music, bring us their songs, faith and truthfulness. In a world where politicians seek to manufacture fear of the ‘other’ and divide peoples of different faiths and nationalities, the music of Quimantu, combining the local with the distant and the past with the present, reminds us that there is far more that unites us on this planet.”
Hazel Marsh, UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA
Caral - with guests Richard Harvey, John Williams and Musa Mboob
“Fine musicianship and haunting tunes are the rule in an easygoing, beautifully integrated and composed collaboration.”
BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE
“One of Europe’s and certainly Great Britain’s most vibrant ensembles, performing Latin American music with passion and intelligence. A recording with a magnificent sound, produced with a discipline that makes the music jump straight out of the speakers, the clarity is amazing. Venegas has created a beautiful album. Highly recommended.”
CLASSICAL GUITAR MAGAZINE
“Caral is a master class in seamless integration based on musicians’ qualities rather than their instruments, an inspirational rejoinder to those that seek to put music in small compartments.”
MARK TROOP, MUSIC JOURNALIST
Pilgrimage to the Andes - Misa de los Mineros
“Their music is some of the most beautiful and compelling the world has to offer”
CLASSIC CD MAGAZINE
“Fabulous use of delicious melodies set to a gamut of attractive Andean sounds from panpipes, charango, bamboo quena flutes and bass. There are echoes of the folk integrity of fellow Chileans Inti Illimani and somewhere, partly through the honesty and integrity of it all, one feels the passionate legacy of Victor Jara.”
FOLK ROOTS MAGAZINE
“An Andean Christmas allows their calm contemplative sound to create an aura of human grace”
TOWER RECORDS TOP MAGAZINE
Mar Adentro
“Getting off to a cracking start with Cuban Nico Saquito’s Amarrao con ‘P’ (Bewitched By You), Quimantu’s characteristic singing style is the rounded, intimate voice of the Southern Cone rather than the more nasal Caribbean. That tender voice is heard continually, specifically on the title track Mar Adentro (Open Sea) and the beautiful love song, In Peace (En Son de Paz), with Rachel Pantin superbly interjecting melody on the violin), both songs composed and sung by musical director Mauricio Venegas.”
FOLK ROOTS MAGAZINE
“Quimantu are led by Chilean Mauricio Venegas, and have a back catalogue stretching back to 1985. Mar Adentro is their eighth album, not counting soundtracks for films such as The Mission, The Honorary Consul, Priest and others. Enjoyment begins with the opening chords of the first track and continues until the final note has been played. They play beautiful folksy tunes, both traditional and original. The vocals are sung with such feeling and emotion as to remove any language barrier. Special guest Rachel Pantin contributes an achingly beautiful violin piece on En Son De Paz (In Peace), which is the absolute favourite track for me. This is a first class album.”
Bob Davenport, FOLKBUZZ
