Towards the beginning of The Garden Left Behind (2019, dir. Flavio Alves), Tina, a young Mexican trans woman in New York City, is undertaking a pre-transition assessment. Her doctor asks, “Are there issues in your life that might... Read Article
A new single by California’s Las Cafeteras and Kansas City’s Making Movies is a very upbeat celebration of Latin music and its origins. “Ritmo de mi Pueblo,” with lyrics in English and Spanish, is the fourth track by both... Read Article
At a time in which there is outrage about treatment of children taken into United States custody at the Southwest border, two bands have joined forces on a song that speaks to the plight of immigrants. “Tormenta” is a... Read Article
It’s a trying time to be an immigrant in the United States in a Trump presidency. In September, DACA recipients were dealt a blow when President Donald Trump rescinded the landmark program. Meanwhile, immigration officials across the country have been... Read Article
MAKU Soundsystem, an eight-piece immigrant band based in New York, mix Colombian beats with American funk, jazz and hip hop. With roots in Barranquilla, Bogota, the Bronx and Savannah, GA, MAKU’s new album brings a powerful and honest sound... Read Article
There is no question that Boogat is a guerrillero urbano; an urban warrior of sorts. Some of the first verses the Spanish-(and by extension, English-)speaking world first heard out of his mouth were a rallying cry, scored by... Read Article
The first time Sounds and Colours caught up with New York City’s Outernational, they were in the midst of a tour across the United States-Mexico border, on a mission to revolutionize, or at least draw attention to, the debate on... Read Article
Los Angeles Son Jorocho darlings, Las Cafeteras, have a new music video that is a sweet departure from their usual energetic sound. For those unfamiliar with the seven-piece band, Las Cafeteras put a contemporary and socially conscious spin... Read Article
What’s better than a mixtape that celebrates different sounds coming from a variety of countries? Not much, as far as I’m concerned, which is why DJ Ushka’s “Foreign Brown” mixtape has been a mainstay in my music library... Read Article
A new video by New York political punk rockers Outernational couldn’t come at a better time. “We Are All Illegals” drops just days after the United States Supreme Court issued a mixed ruling on Arizona’s controversial SB 1070 law... Read Article
Why would a New York City-based “futurerock” band, made up of five non-Latinos, embark on a tour of the Southwestern United States to proclaim, “We Are All Illegal?” I asked myself the very same question.
