A lot has been said about the origins of reggaeton, the whitewashing and cultural appropriation that led to its global conquest. Not everyone is aware that the dembow riddim came from Jamaica’s first digital dancehall productions, which caught... Read Article
Lots of new music on our radar this week. Panama: Cienfue, ‘Life in the Tropics’ Cienfue is the alias of Panamanian recording artist Camilo Navarro Quelquejeu, known for mixing Latin roots with modern electronic elements to create a... Read Article
A documentary following brothers Enrique and Diego Chi of the band Making Movies as they travel to Panama has been nominated for an Emmy in the cultural category. You can watch Music Is An Immigrant, which tracks the brothers’... 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 In September, DACA recipients were dealt a blow when President Donald Trump rescinded the landmark program.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
Kansas City’s Afro-Panamanian/Mexican indie rockers Making Movies has a come a long way since their debut album A La Deriva, produced by Steve Berlin of Los Lobos in 2013. The quartet has toured extensively, playing with the likes... Read Article
When we first saw Delsonido perform at a nightclub, we thought, here is a jam band influenced heavily by Colombian sounds, big on improvisation, as many of New York City’s jazz musicians have been playing for years. One got the idea... Read Article
New York City was the place to be this past weekend for those interested in the African roots of Latino cultures thanks to the third edition of the Afrolatino Festival NYC. The three-day event, which took place from 10-12 July,... Read Article
Latin America’s love affair with the reggaeton, urbano and Latin hip hop genres shows no sign of letting up, so Oakland, Calif.’s Los Rakas couldn’t have picked a better time to release their major label debut album. “El Negrito Dun... Read Article
A Kansas City, Mo., -based band has decided to celebrate their fifth anniversary by recording an ambitious cover of one of the most popular salsa songs put out by Fania Records. Making Movies, who describe their music as an psychedelic... Read Article
Since Carnival season in much of the Caribbean and Latin America is right around the corner, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup inches near, I’ve developed an extra penchant for music that sounds like a celebration. And new... Read Article
We knew Panama-by-way-of-Oakland, Calif., duo, Los Rakas, would be well received in Colombia and Chile, where they ended up selling out shows in Bogota and Santiago.
