Ronroco

A remastered edition of Grammy and Academy Award winner Gustavo Santaolalla’s beloved and critically acclaimed 1998 album Ronroco is available for the first time on vinyl via Nonesuch Records. The singer, composer, and producer’s classic album comprises twelve original tunes inspired by traditional Argentinean music and influenced by music of Japan, Africa, and eastern Europe. The record takes its name from the ronroco, a South American stringed instrument. “I’ve been playing this instrument since I was a kid, collecting songs and thoughts about this record for a long time,” Santaolalla said. “The idea was to make a non-traditional album, a sonic landscape.” Ronroco features Santaolalla on charango, ronroco, Andean pipes, whistles, and guitar, in collaboration with long-time partner Aníbal Kerpel on vibraphone and melodica. Twenty-five years after its original release, Ronroco is a project that Santaolalla holds special affection for: “This album materialized a different, less known side of me,” he said. “The challenge was to keep it simple without giving up some rough edges, staying within the boundaries of the subtlety and delicacy that this music needs.”