On Our Radar: Sángo Groove, Atropolis, Danny Ocean & Andrea Cruz
26 August, 2018Lots of new music on our radar, so let’s just dig right in.
COLOMBIA: Sángo Groove’s Mezcla
Cali Colombia’s Sángo Groove describe themselves as a musical sancocho, a thick soup popular in the Caribbean and South America consisting of meat and root vegetables, and those are the ingredients we hear clearly in their first full-length album, Mezcla.
The band, whose musical style blends the sound from the Colombian Pacific with jazz & Afrobeat, is led by pianist and musician Víctor González (who is pianist for salsa stars Grupo Niche). González enlisted musicians from Cali, Guapi, Buenaventura, and Quibdó, and special guests such as legendary percussionist Wilson Viveros, who plays with Orquesta Guayacán and Ondatropica, saxophonist Jacobo Velez of La Mambanegra, MC Alexis Play, trumpeter Omar Trujillo of Herencia de Timbiquí, saxophonist Paul Gordillo of Grupo Niche, as well as musicians from Cuba and France.
We’re especially feeling this horn heavy track, “El Destrampe (Feel Like Funkin’ It Up):”
NYC: Atropolis’ Jump
New York City’s Atropolis no stranger to the readers of Sounds and Colours, and his new EP Jump is sure to become a fan favorite.
We highly suggest giving the whole EP several listens, as it’s got a little bit of everything we love here at S&C: “Gaita NYC” features Martin Vejarano, a Colombian, Brooklyn-based drummer/percussionist, while “Tudo Bem” has the accordion stylings of Vitor Gonçalves, who is also a pianist, composer and arranger from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Rounding out the record is “Just,” which is classic composition by Atropolis himself.
The new video for “Yasou Astoria,” which features Stravos Skyrianos on the bouzouki, is a must-watch:
VENEZUELA/MIAMI: Danny Ocean “Epa Wei”
If you’re very dialed into the Latin popular music scene, you know who Danny Ocean is as the Venezuelan born artist’s single “Me Rehúso” amassed one million streams per day on Spotify, netting him a deal with Warner-Atlantic.
The lanky, long-haired musician is loyal to writing bilingual lyrics, and we’re loving the Afrobeat stylings of “Epa Wei:”
PUERTO RICO: Andrea Cruz “No Toquemos Tierra”
Puerto Rico’s Andrea Cruz is part of PRIMA (Puerto Rico Independent Musicians & Artists), a collective of musicians and artists on a mission to help sustain the independent music community in Puerto Rico after the catastrophic impact of Hurricane Maria.
“No Toquemos Tierra” is the second single from her first album Tejido de Laurel, and its theme “was inspired by the search to elevate any moment, memory, person or space, both positive and toxic,” according to the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter.
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