Keeping in line with my general Headstash theme, this playlists contains a lot of new artists that push the envelope of traditional Latin music. Much of the what you will hear reflects that in its marriage of latin vocals and instruments with electronica and digital post production. To expand the full playlist in Soundcloud, click on' latin playlists' in the bottom left corner.
“The members of Ghetto Kumbé fuse traditional Afro-Colombian percussion with intense electronic beats and samples. They have a particularly strong band aesthetic: neon tribal masks and outfits are a particular standout of their intense live show” – theculturetrip.com
Image: https://soundcloud.com/morennomongelos/latin-house
Some of the more uptempo tracks from my Latin category.
Hard-hitting latin-tinged super-group Grupo Magnético formed from
backgrounds in funk, hip-hop, punk and soul, united by a love of Eddie Palmieri,
Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Fania and classic New York salsa. Working with
legendary musicians from Cuba, Venezuela and America (who had played and
recorded with many of the names who’d originally inspired the group), the circle
was complete as the album was mixed in New York by Grammy winning latin producer Aaron Levinson.
Founded in 2004, Barbès Records is a label devoted to the documentation of impure music – idiosyncratic hybrids borne out of tradition but twisted into new shapes by adventurous musicians from Peru, Poland, Chile, France or the US. https://barbes.bandcamp.com/
Las Rubias del Norte are a band from Brooklyn, New York formed by classically trained singers Allyssa Lamb and Emily Hurst. The band is known for playing Latin music including boleros, cha cha chas, cumbias, and huaynos. The name of the band is a pun on the well-known Mexican norteño band Los Tigres del Norte. Wikipedia
Elza Soares b1937 is a Brazilian samba singer. In 1999, she was named Brazilian Singer of the Millennium by BBC Radio Radio. She was married to football player Garrincha. Her father was a factory worker and guitarist, and her mother was a washerwoman. She was born in a favela in Rio de Janeiro. During her childhood, Soares played on the streets, spun wooden tops, flew kites, and fought with boys. Despite poverty and having to carry buckets of water on her head, she had a happy childhood. When she was 12, she was forced by her father to marry Lourdes Antônio Soares, also known as Alaúrdes, and within a year later gave birth to her first child, João Carlos. Soares liked to sing, and when she needed money for medicine for her son, she participated in a vocal contest. When she was fifteen, she gave birth to her second child, who died. After her husband became ill with tuberculosis, she began working at a soap factory. At twenty-one she was a widow, alone to raise her children: four boys and one girl. She dreamed of becoming a singer. When she was thirty-two she had a relationship with soccer player Garrincha. She was vilified by Brazilian society, with many accusing her of breaking up his marriage. She was shouted at in the street, received death threats, and her house was pelted with eggs and tomatoes. On April 13, 1969 her mother died in a car accident. Garrincha, Soares, and her daughter Sara were also injured. Garrincha was driving drunk when a truck merged into the lane and Dona Rosário was thrown from the vehicle and killed. Soares and Garrincha remained married for sixteen years (1968–1982). Garrincha’s friends did not accept Soares as his wife, instead calling her a “witch.” Soares tried to curb her husband’s dependence on alcohol by visiting bars and pleading with them not to serve her husband. The couple had one child, a boy, born in 1976. In 1983 Garrincha died of cirrhosis. On January 11, 1986, her son died when he was 9 years old in a car accident as he was coming back from visiting his father. It had been raining and the driver lost control of the vehicle. The door opened and the boy was thrown into the Imbariê River. Soares was desolate and considered ending her own life. She left Brazil and toured Europe and the United States. After many years of searching for her long lost daughter, they were reunited after Soares returned to Brazil. On July 26, 2015 Soares lost her fifth son, Gerson, when he was 59 years old. He died of complications of a urinary tract infection. Soares had six children: João Carlos, Gerson, Gilson, Dilma, Sara, and Garrincha. Wikipedia
A few singles to give you a feel – Full albums posted below
She was born in 1937 and this came out in 2018. 82 years old and still making next level music. In fact over the years she has become more experimental, incorporating elements of electronica and trip hop in to her sound.
Deus é Mulher – Full Album ( 2018)
00:00 | O Que Se Cala (Douglas Germano) 03:49 | Exú nas Escolas – Part. Especial Edgar (Kiko Dinucci e Edgar) 07:34 | Banho – Part. Ilú Obá de Min (Tulipa Ruiz) 11:03 | Eu Quero Comer Você (Romulo Fróes e Alice Coutinho) 15:32 | Língua Solta (Rômulo Fróes e Alice Coutinho 21:00 | Hienas na TV (Kiko Dinucci e Clima) 24:51 | Clareza (Rodrigo Campos) 28:58 | Um Olho Aberto (Mariá Portugal) 32:35 | Credo (Douglas Germano) 35:45 | Dentro de Cada Um (Pedro Loureiro e Luciano Mello) 39:44 | Deus Há De Ser (Pedro Luis)
A Mulher do Fim do Mundo Full Album (2015)
01 – 00:00 “Coração Do Mar / Mulher Do Fim Do Mundo” 02 – 05:59 “Maria Da Vila Matilde” 03 – 09:43 “Luz Vermelha” 04 – 14:15 “Pra Fuder” 05 – 18:11 “Benedita” 06 – 23:16 “Firmeza” 07 – 26:49 “Dança” 08 – 30:23 “Canal” 09 – 33:30 “Solto / Comigo”
Vivo Feliz – 2003
00:00 1. Intro 00:25 2. Opinião (Zé Keti) 04:53 3. Eu Gosto Da Minha Terra (Randoval Montenegro) 08:24 4. Rio De Janeiro (Anderson Lugão) 12:15 5. Volta Por Cima (Paulo Vanzolini) 15:52 6. Somos Todos Iguais (Elza Soares) 20:25 7. Two Tac (Anderson Lugão) 24:32 8. Concórdia (Nando Reis) 28:39 9. Computadores Fazem Arte (Fred 04) 36:19 10. Lata D’água (Elza Soares)
Do Cóccix Até O Pescoço (Álbum Completo Oficial – 2002)
00:00 1 – Dura na Quea (Chico Buarque) 04:00 2 – Hoje é Dia de Festa (Jorge Benjor) 08:50 3 – Haiti (Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil) 13:13 4 – Dor de Cotovelo (Caetano Veloso) 16:49 5 – Bambino (Ernesto Nazareth, José Miguel Wisnik) 20:14 6 – A Carne (Seu Jorge, Marcelo Yuka, Wilson Cappellette) 23:55 7 – Eu Vou Ficar Aqui (Arnaldo Antunes) 29:47 8 – Etnocopop (Carlinhos Brown) 33:41 9 – Fadas (Luiz Melodia) 37:42 10 Flores Horizontais (Oswald de Andrade, José Miguel Wisnik) 42:15 11 – A Cigarra – part. especial Letícia Sabatella (Elza Soares, Letícia Sabatella) 46:46 12 – Quebra Lá Que Eu Quebro De Cá Não Volto Atrás 53:55 13 – Todo Dia (ABM de Aguiar) 56:05 14 – Façamos (Vamos Amar). part. especial Chico Buarque (Cole Porter, Vrs. Carlos Rennó)
Pilão + Raça = Elza (1977)
01 – Língua de Pilão (Elza Soares) 00:00 02 – Enredo de Pirraça (Elza Soares e Gerson Alves) 02:31 03 – Aldeia de Okarimbé (Aloísio, Cesar Veneno e Naval 06:13 04 – Sombra Confidente (Gerson Alves) 08:17 05 – Perdão Vila Isabel (Elza Soares e Gerson Alves) 12:01 06 – Perdão Amor (Jorge Aragão e Neuci) 14:46 Lado B: 07 – De Pandeiro na Mão (João Roberto Kelly) 18:07 08 – Só Tem Um Jeito Agora (Roberto Neves) 20:42 09 – Amor Aventureiro (Décio Antonio Carlos e Silas de Oliveira 23:34 10 – Compositor (Rildo Hora e Sérgio Cabral) 26:46 11 – Prezado Amigo (Rildo Hora e Sérgio Cabral) 29:03 12 – Só Uma Lágrima (Acyr Pimentel) 31:58
Pronto Livre – 1974
1 – Bom Dia Portela (Bebeto De São João, David Correia) 2 – Pranto Livre (Everaldo Da Viola, Dida) 3 – Não É Hora De Tristeza (Walter Da Imperatriz, Lino Roberto, Wilson Medeiros) 4 – Meia Noite Já É Dia (Norival Reis, David Correia) 5 – Desabafo (Nezinho, Campo, Tatu) 6 – Partido Do Lê Lê Lê (Otilo Gomes) 7 – Deusa Do Rio Niger (Motorzinho, Walter Norambê) 8 – Quem Há De Dizer (Alcides Gonçalves, Lupicínio Rodrigues) 9 – Louvei Maria (Elza Soares) 10 – Xamêgo De Crioula (Zé Di) 11 – Falso Papel (Dario Marciano) 12 – Giringonça (Josealdo Fraga)
A mixture of Peruvian, Colombian and New York musicians, La Mecánica Popular is part of the new wave of tropical music. Steeped in the roots of 1970’s era salsa dura and heavily influenced by the psychedelic experimental sounds of Peru, the band combines a proper dose of ambience and hard rhythms. – Bandcamp
‘Riders on the Storm’
‘Thriller’
https://soundcloud.com/nyctrust/la-mec-nica-popular-guajiro
Rodrigo Amarante de Castro Neves (born September 6, 1976 in Rio de Janeiro is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and occasional arranger. He is part of the bands Los Hermanos, Orquestra Imperial, and Little Joy, and released his first solo record, Cavalo, in Brazil in late 2013 and worldwide in May 2014. He also wrote and performed the bolero “Tuyo”, the theme song for the Netflix Original Series Narcos (2015). – Wikipedia
Tracks in Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/search?q=Rodrigo%20Amarante
Biomigrant is the musical expression of producer and multi-instrumentalist Michael Alfred Wagner. Born in the US, in 2014 he crossed Central America by bicycle, arriving in Colombia where he currently lives. With a Live Set that mixes vocals, flute, Colombian gaita, and trumpet with loops of traditional musicians and natural soundscapes recorded during travels through Latin America, and electronic productions drawing on influences from Global Bass, House, Downtempo, Dub, and Latin, Biomigrant has brought joy and surprise to dancefloors across the world. – Biomigrant page
"Impulsive drums, damp ground, charangos and colourful masks. MATANZA was formed in 2009 by three musicians and producers: Luis Galvez, Vicente Vasquez and Rodrigo Gallardo. What started as an experiment mixing acoustic instruments with electronic music and samples, soon turned into live performances where various Latin American instruments such as Colombian percussions, “charangos” and “quenas” join synthesizers and electronic beats.Their fusion of traditional melodies with the different styles from the European Techno scene of the 90’s and creates something consequently new: Tribal Tech House.Since their breakthrough at the Maquinaria Festival 2010, MATANZA keep refreshing not only the Chilean but also the international musical stage." - Momento Magazine
Nomade Records is a Chilean record label and a collective of artists in search of a new sound paradigm that merges the contemporary with the ancestral sound of Latin America. – Bandcamp
The labels main sounds are contemporary latin, lush downtempo and deep ethereal grooves
CASBAH 73– An acid jazz resurgence is hardly an anticipated revival movement. But as ‘80s nostalgia fades, and the ‘90s becomes the next subject of cultural fascination, anything is possible. And while Casbah 73-the solo effort of musician Oliver Stewart-hints at the rare grooves ‘n‘ Rhodes-saturated sound, he thankfully steers clear of Jamiroquai territory. Stewart wields electric bass, guitar, and keyboards fluidly, adding spoken word snippets, crowd noise, and percussion samples to tracks that range from mirror-ball jazz (“Still Going On”) to shuffling, housey workouts (“Think It Over”). This is the sound of Malaga sunshine with nods to the e-z lounge vibes of artists like Nicola Conte and Nuspirit Helsiniki. It‘s not acid jazz, but Casbah 73 is a funky hybrid of the electronic and the organic for a trippy new generation. – XLR8 Magazine
Multi-instrumentalist and composer Axel Krygier was born in Buenos Aires in 1969, where he cut his teeth playing saxophone alongside Kevin Johansen with the group Instruccion Civica. Though sax was his first instrument, Axel attained proficiency on many instruments, including piano and flute. He demonstrated this facility when at age 18 he bought his first multi-track recorder. For the first time Axel was able to record his own compositions, and without depending on anyone else, because he played all the instruments himself. From the early to mid-’90s Axel played with the group La Portuaria, though he dedicated himself to writing and creating original repertoire throughout that time. He wrapped up his time with La Portuaria in 1996 and dedicated himself full-time to the development of his solo career. That work paid off in 1999 when he released his debut as a solo artist, entitled Echale Semilla on the Los Anos Luz label, making its way to European audiences via HiTop Records. The project was showered with praise, being called “revelation of the year” by several publications. Axel had composed soundtracks for films and created backing music for dance companies for many years, but had not released those works in album format before the 2003 release of Secreto y Malibú. Having spent several years in Europe, Axel returned to his native Buenos Aires in 2003, where he formed Sexteto Irreal with longtime friends Fernando Sanalea, Alejandro Terán, and Manuel Schaller, a jazz-argentino improvisational group who went on to earn much acclaim throughout Latin America and Europe. Krygier revitalized his solo career in 2007 with his third original release, Zorzal. Recorded for Los Anos Luz, the disc was once again licensed and distributed throughout Europe by HiTop Records. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez
José Adelino Barceló de Carvalho was born in the province of Bengo, and left Angola when he was 23 years old to become an athlete, becoming the Portuguese record holder for the 400 metres (Angola was at the time one of Portugal’s five African colonies). He had already begun his singing career at the age of 15. Carvalho abandoned athletics in 1972, concentrating solely on his music, and immediately became famous in his native Angola, as well as in Portugal. After the Carnation Revolution in April 1974, he would become a hit both with immigrants from the ex-Portuguese colonies, and Portuguese of both African and European descent. He has released over 30 albums, singing in Portuguese and traditional Angolan languages. His tracks are a mixture of Portuguese folk sounds, semba, kizomba and latin elements. While Angola was still a Portuguese colony, Bonga was an outspoken supporter of independence. This led him to be exiled from Angola in the early 1970s. At this time, Portugal was ruled by the authoritarian and conservative Estado Novo regime government, founded by Salazar. Barceló de Carvalho‘s status as a Portuguese star athlete allowed him the rare freedom of movement, which he used – under the name of Bonga Kuenda – to carry messages between exiled pro-independence African fighters and compatriots still in Angola. When the Portuguese government and its political police (P.I.D.E.) realised Bonga Kuenda and Barceló de Carvalho were the same man, Bonga was forced into exile in Rotterdam, where, in 1972, he definitively adopted the name Bonga and recorded his first record, Angola 72. His iconic track “Mona Ki Ngi Xica”, which would feature on the soundtrack of Cédric Klapisch’s 1996 film When the Cat’s Away (Chacun cherche son chat),was introduced on this album. A warrant for his arrest was issued in Angola for the seditious lyrics of the album, forcing him to move nomadically between Germany, Belgium and France until Angola’s independence from Portugal in 1975, brought about by the events of the Carnation Revolution. While in Europe, Bonga met other Portuguese-speaking musicians and adapted the sounds of semba to his already diverse music style. Wikipedia
Live concert
Deep House remix
Rodrigo Amarante de Castro Neves (b Sept 6, 1976) is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and occasional arranger. He is part of the bands Los Hermanos, Orquestra Imperial, and Little Joy, and released his first solo record, Cavalo, in Brazil in late 2013 and worldwide in May 2014. He also wrote and performed the bolero “Tuyo”, the theme song for the Netflix Series Narcos (2015). Wikipedia
Nubiyan Twist are a Leeds born, London based musical collective. Orchestrated by guitarist/producer Tom Excell, they create a unique, infectious sound in an eclectic mix of styles, drawing on jazz, hip-hop, afrobeat, latin, soul, reggae and dance music.
Heres an 11 track playlist of mostly live clips.
‘Palo e’ Mango is a cutting edge music collective, which brings together today’s electronic sounds with the traditional music of Bullerengue and other ancestral rhythms of the African diaspora in the Caribbean coast of Colombia, with eyes on the future and roots in the oral traditions of the villages of this region of the Americas.
The fusion seeks balance between ancient and modern sounds, with love for the local roots, bringing them to new audiences and stages of borderless music.
‘Palo e’ Mango is : Jorge Pérez, Emilsen Pacheco, Daudet Salgado, Mauricio Araya(Mr. Toé), Michael Wagner(Biomigrant).
Night Visions is a collection of stories which dance alive over an infectious blend of Afro-Latin rhythms and contemporary dancefloor beats. Told by a variety of characters, drawn from the vibrant imagination of Chico Mann, these stories take place in an endless night, where we move through dimly lit clubs, jungle moonlight, pitch black desert plains, and the internal shadows of personal darkness. While the characters often stumble and search blindly in the dark, the persistent presence of a distant light provides an underlying direction and hopefulness to all the songs. Captain Planet’s production, informed by his regular crowd-moving DJ sets, keeps the album sounding effortlessly danceable & contemporary. Meanwhile, Chico’s vocals have an instant classic appeal, hinting at old Cuban rumba and vintage Afrobeat LP’s. The two are aided by guest vocals from regular collaborators Kendra Morris & Brit Manor, as well as some talented friends who contributed additional horns, guitar & marimba.Night Visions highlights the creative symbiosis of two of the biggest names in contemporary alternative Latin sounds. The result is a truly unique album that speaks as much to listeners who don’t understand Spanish as it does to old abuelos. The feelings and rhythms that flow through these songs are universal, appealing to hearts and hips all around the world.- Soundcloud
Remixes…….
Native to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, raised in a deeply musical family and environment, guitarist/composer with authentic sound and exceptional skill.
Fabiano is devoted to deep folkloric music of Brazil, exploring the complex rhythms, Choro and Samba, Jazz, and inspiring compositions.- Soundcloud
https://soundcloud.com/fabianodonascimento/sets/dan-a-dos-tempos-sul-leaf-and
Night Visions is a collection of stories which dance alive over an infectious blend of Afro-Latin rhythms and contemporary dancefloor beats. Told by a variety of characters, drawn from the vibrant imagination of Chico Mann, these stories take place in an endless night, where we move through dimly lit clubs, jungle moonlight, pitch black desert plains, and the internal shadows of personal darkness. Captain Planet’s production, informed by his regular crowd-moving DJ sets, keeps the album sounding effortlessly danceable & contemporary. Meanwhile, Chico’s vocals have an instant classic appeal, hinting at old Cuban rumba and vintage Afrobeat LP’s. The two are aided by guest vocals from regular collaborators Kendra Morris & Brit Manor, as well as some talented friends who contributed additional horns, guitar & marimba.Night Visions highlights the creative symbiosis of two of the biggest names in contemporary alternative Latin sounds. The result is a truly unique album that speaks as much to listeners who don’t understand Spanish as it does to old abuelos. The feelings and rhythms that flow through these songs are universal, appealing to hearts and hips all around the world. -Soundcloud
Since its formation in 2001, Novalima has been breaking down boundaries, uniting seemingly irreconcilable genres, communities and generations to create an inspiring movement that has revolutionized the music scene in their native Peru. Founded by four friends from Lima with a shared passion for both traditional Afro-Peruvian music and modern DJ culture, Novalima searches for the common ground between past and future, between tradition and innovation. A few of these recording sessions were done in Colombia which has given some of the new tracks an Afro-Colombian vibe and takes their exploration of deep Afro rhythms into the future.
Singer, composer, arranger, choir director and band leader, Daymé Arocena is a skilful, charismatic presence in Cuban music. Dressed always in white, it’s a visible reminder of her induction into the Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria: its chants and repertoires are just as important to her as jazz and Cuban neo-soul. Aged 24, Daymé’s family background is typically packed with music. Her grandmother, she says, “sings better than she does” and her father has stacks of CDs – littered with the likes of George Benson’s smooth jazz classic ‘Breezin’ – which have trickled into his daughter’s tastes over the years.
She often immerses fragments of rumba rhythms and outbursts of scatting into her songs and performances. “Even though I’m a classical musician,” she explains, “at school I also sang Santeria songs, which is the official Cuban religion for me. I studied its beautiful energy and all the elements from the sea, to the wind and the earth. My saint is Yemaya, saint of the sea.”
Daymé experimented with a series of instruments – violin, trumpet, piano and guitar – before she found that Choir Directing, a route popular with Cuban children, was her niche. Her talent was spotted at a young age, with her winning the prestigious Marti y el Arte award in 2007 and becoming principal singer with big band Los Primos at age 14. With marks of approval soon to follow from the likes of the Lincoln Centre’s teacher and trumpet player Wynton Marsalis and much-lauded saxophonist Jane Bunnett, it wasn’t long before Daymé came to the attention of François Renié.
Communications Director at Cuban rum maker Havana Club and founder of the Havana Cultura* platform, which co-produced the Havana Cultura album series with Brownswood Recordings, he took an immediate shine to her. “Gilles and I met Dayme for the first time on Gilles’ first trip to Cuba,” he recalls, “with Edrey [from Grammy nominated Cuba band Ogguere] improvising a rumba session at a friend’s place. She started to sing and we were amazed. She was just a teenager.” She already knew and listened to the singers, rappers and musicians involved in the Havana Cultura project but was considered too young to join in.
But her time came a few years down the line with the Havana Cultura Mix project, which saw Gilles Peterson mentoring selected producers from around the world to make a record in Cuba with local musicians. Following her audition, all of the producers to decided they wanted to work with her: she sung on three tracks on the album, including the massive “U Knew Before”. Seeing huge potential in her, Gilles invited her to London to perform at the album launch event to enchant a packed out audience and seal plans for a solo record with Brownswood Recordings and Havana Cultura.