Federico Aubele speaks nearly flawless English. The Argentine singer-songwriter is also fluent in German. And recently, he's been using a Rosetta Stone computer program to learn French during his downtime on tour.

When it comes to his music, however, he hasn't yet deviated from his native tongue.

"My music is still all in Spanish," Aubele said recently from a tour stop in Portland, Ore. "I have tried to do some stuff in English, but wasn't entirely happy with the lyrics. I guess I'm just not confident with it yet. I still need to polish it a bit. But I've also spoken German since I was a little kid, and even lived in Berlin for a couple of years. It's a culture I'm pretty connected with and might even try that sometime. But I think a lot of languages are beautiful."

For Aubele, who first came to prominence by working with Washington, D.C., downtempo masters in Thievery Corporation, language is merely a single component of his music. A fan of music in many languages ---- including plenty that he doesn't speak ---- Aubele believes understanding a singer's words can be important, but not essential.

"Most languages can be very melodic," he said, "and you can enjoy them regardless. When I was a kid, almost all of the music I listened to was in English and I couldn't understand any of it. I listened to the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and a lot of classic-rock bands. I was just fascinated with the music. It didn't matter what they were saying. Somehow, it just gets through anyway. Music is completely beyond the barrier of language."

For his latest album, "Amatoria," Aubele decided to tackle another transcendent topic: love. Loosely based on "Ars Amatoria," a three-volume collection published in 1 B.C. by Roman poet Ovid, the album explores the grand topic from many different angles. While not trying to make a significant statement by correlating his music to the canon work, Aubele appreciated that the poem both used humor and depicted love with such variance.

"The title was taken from Ovid because the album is all about love," he said. "I was never really a huge fan or anything, but I did read some Ovid long ago and found it interesting. In one part, he even gives advice on how to pick up women. But love is such a big theme that it's impossible not to have something to say about it. On the album, I really try to talk about a lot of different sides ---- the absence of love, finding love, passionate love ---- all angles of the theme."

"Amatoria" also marks a pair of changes for the singer-songwriter. First, his third album makes a somewhat radical departure from his first two. Both 2003's "Gran Hotel Buenos Aires" and 2007's "Panamericana" share the new album's amalgam of styles, but they prominently featured a wide range of electronic beats. "Amatoria" is far more subtle and intimate, placing the emphasis on its heavily organic tangos and boleros.

It's also the first time that Aubele has forgone a producer and handled all of those details himself.

"I've worked with producers before," he said. "I've worked with Rob and Eric from Thievery Corporation, and I worked with Kid Loco in France. So I felt like I was at a point where I was confident enough to go ahead and produce it myself. It wasn't that I didn't like working with producers or anything like that. I just wanted to be involved in a much more personal way in every aspect of the album, not just playing the instruments and writing the songs. I got great inspiration from other producers and felt good enough to give it a try."

Aubele has already begun work on his next effort, which he intends will be subtler still. If things go according to plan, there will be little or no electronic presence.

The move away from electronic percussion began on his last tour, when he and wife/collaborator Natalia Clavier opened dates for UK trip-hop group Morcheeba with nearly acoustic sets.

"It's a path I've started walking on, and I'm really enjoying it," Aubele said. "The acoustic format just doesn't leave much room for beats and the Thievery Corporation sound. But it all helps the live show to have different atmospheres and is a much richer experience. I like songs to have their own sound and feel, independent of the beat. I still believe in the power of that one good, well-written song."

Federico Aubele, with DePedro and DJ Mateo Bambaatta

When: 9 p.m. Oct. 15

Where: Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach

Tickets: $15

Info: 858-481-8140 or bellyup.com

Web: federicoaubele.com