Montreal-based artist Boogat stopped by Ritual Nightclub this past Saturday, March 30, for a live performance meant to promote his latest and fourth album El Dorado Sunset released entirely in Spanish this past February.
The French Canadian latin rapper, known for his collaborations with DJ Ghislain Poirier and Ottawa’s own A Tribe Called Red, performed in Canada’s National Capital in an effort to spread his good vibes and ultimately to gain a wider audience within Anglophone Canada.
It was Boogat’s second time in Ottawa, following a previous guest appearance at A Tribe Called Red’s Electric Pow Wow party at Babylon in 2012. This time around however, he had center stage as he headlined the show, following a performance by Ottawa’s own Missing Linx who opened the night with their mix of hip hop and spoken word.
Boogat’s style is quite unique as it offers listeners a latin groove infused with urban rhythms. He liberally mixes reggaeton, salsa, cumbia and moombah to hip hop, allowing him to produce versatile and distinct sounds. There’s nothing quite like him at the moment within Canadian music, which is why he’s had the opportunity to perform at many festivals and in numerous venues across the country. He’s definitely something else and accompanied by a talented group of musicians and equipped with a charismatic personality, he sure knows how to engage with his audience regardless of the size of the crowd.
Unfortunately, as it so often happens in Ottawa with underground and indie music shows, hardly anyone showed up for the event, which can be rather discouraging for artists. However, the lack of concert-goers didn’t stop Boogat and his musicians from delivering a vibrant performance with high energy from beginning to end.
Boogat’s set was just short of an hour, but his stage presence and overall performance kept the audience dancing throughout. The band, comprised of Trombonist Etienne Lebel and Percussionists Kiko Osorio and Sergio Barrenchchea, played along to some of Boogat’s more popular material namely Moviembre, Dos Cervesas, Que Viva and Wow along with new songs from El Dorado Sunset like Romados and Natural including lesser known tracks from previous EPs.
This is really an underrated artist that deserves to be heard and recognized for the quality of his sound and for his refreshing take on urban latin music and I’m glad that I was there to experience Boogat’s excellent live performance.
Check out Boogat’s official website to discover what he does and take a look at his official video for Moviembre below.
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