Bajofondo

Photograph: Alex Vanhee

Central Park SummerStage; Fri 15

There’s little chance you’ll mistake the combo formerly known as Bajofondo Tango Club for the prominent Cuban gathering from a decade ago: While Buena Vista Social Club was about preserving and celebrating the dusty elegance of days gone by, Bajofondo is resolutely forward-looking. Producer Gustavo Santaolalla and programmer Juan Campodónico conceived the project as a slick update of Argentine tango, applying a chic Eurodisco gloss to the courtly style without gelding its libidinous urge.

Bajofondo’s architects were the right men for the job. Santaolalla, a rock pioneer in Argentina, is better known as the producer behind Juanes and other alterna-Latino groundbreakers, and an award-winning film composer; Campodónico, who hailed from Uruguayan hip-hop act El Peyote Asesino, has helmed crafty pop sessions for Jorge Drexler and Ximena Sariñana. The pair surrounded themselves with like-minded milongueros—both youthful traditionalists on bandóneon and acoustic bass, and gifted futurists like pianist-DJ Luciano Supervielle and singer-video artist Verónica Loza.

The formula worked well enough on the band’s self-titled 2002 debut, a mix of suave instrumentals and cuts with sampled tangueros from bygone years. But on Mar Dulce, Bajofondo’s recently issued third disc, the music sounds more organic than grafted, and the singers—including Venegas, La Mala Rodríguez, Nelly Furtado and Elvis Costello—are more integral. True, this outdoor show isn’t the best place for Loza’s amazing projections, but you’ll be dancing too hard to notice.