El Sonido: Islas y Vampiros

El Sonido
11/04/2015
Chilly
Lulacruza live at KEXP // photo by Alan Lawrence

This week in El Sonido we'll once again hop around the world discovering a wide variety of different modern Latin flavors, from dark disco in Chile to hip-hop in Cuba.

To kick it off I'd like to spotlight a great live in-studio session from Colombian/Argentine duo Lulacruza. Their latest full length, Orcas, is an ode to an island just north of Seattle. It's part of the beautiful San Juan archipelago and where this Buenos Aires-based group recorded the album. It's gorgeous, experimental South American folk instrumentation fused with electronics and songbird vocals. It was a homecoming of sorts, them bringing the finished record back to it's Pacific Northwest birthplace, and I couldn't have been happier to share the experience with our listeners.

Up next is Cuba. A place most of us living in the United States can only enjoy from the distance and through the music that makes its way to our ears. The thought of the doors to the island opening up in recent times is exciting for many reasons including more musical sharing and collaboration. Just announced is Manana, a non-profit festival connecting Afro-Cuban folkloric music with the pioneers of the International electronic music community. The festival is the first of its kind to take place on Cuban soil, and will be open to both residents and international travelers. I'm really interested to see what the festival holds and the collaborations bring. Learn more and support with the video below.

Some Rumba from the Mañana Soundcloud from electronic rumba outfit confirmed for the Festival, ÌFÉ

We'll stick to Cuba for this next one as well. Uruguayan beatmaker and producer Mateo Dellepiane teaming up with Cuban MC Gordo William. It's raw and crackin - combining the heritage sounds of Afro-Cuban Yoruba with dark jazz rap - and sounds like a long-lost piece of vinyl that I rediscovered, though never heard, in my collection.

Next is Chile, to the ridiculously umlauted pop duo Dënver. I'm a big fan, and the dark twist they've taken with Sangre Cita was a bit confusing at first, but I'm definitely on board for this one. Make sure and get Música, Gramática, Gimnasia and Fuera De Campo in your life too.

To finish things off I've got another mixtape to share: The Bandolero mix that I did for Soundwaves Radio in Los Angeles - a Latin and Jamaican bass soundclash.

Chilly hosts El Sonido every Monday night from 6-9 PM. Follow Chilly on Twitter and El Sonido on Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks for listening. See you next time.paz.

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