Melingo

Melingo is an Argentine tango artist from Buenos Aires. Born Daniel Melingo in 1957, he studies clarinet and musicology at the Buenos Aires Music Academy before beginning a career that moves through rock, punk and tango.

Early work and moves across Latin America and Europe

In 1978, during the military dictatorship in Argentina, he leaves for Brazil and performs with Agua de Milton Nascimento. Four years later he returns to Argentina and joins the protest-rock groups Los Twist and Los Abuelos de la Nada. In the mid-1980s he moves to Madrid during the Movida period and joins the punk band Los Toreros Muertos. While in Spain, he releases Lions in Love, an album that mixes funk and reggae rhythms with Latin elements.

Turn to tango

After returning to Buenos Aires, Melingo turns towards tango and works with poems sung in lunfardo slang. He also works as a television presenter and encourages a return to roots in his music. His albums include Tango Bajos in 1998 and Ufa in 2003. In 2004, guitarist Eduardo Makaroff of Gotan Project invites him to join the label, and he releases Mañana, which opens a path to a wider European career.

Style and membership

Melingo is associated with tango and related Argentine forms such as milonga, alternative tango and cumbia. He is connected with the groups Los Abuelos de la Nada, Los Twist, Coca de Vidrio, Ring Club, Motonets and Ray Milland Band. His performance style is marked by a dandy image, comic mannerisms and a hoarse voice.