This week, we start off the latest episode of Alt.Latino with a zombie/surfer/'60s garage-rock track from the Spanish band Kokoshca: "Mi Chica Preferida" (My Favorite Girl). Remember Javier Bardem's creepy character in the film No Country for Old Men? I can picture him humming this disturbing song to the woman of his dreams.
All jokes aside, it's a great song, and we chose it because this week in new releases, women are leading the pack: a startling Argentine punk group, an up-and-coming Mexican rapper, a rising Brazilian star remixed, a Dominican duo and much more. It's fantastic to feel the energy of these young musicians, who are challenging musical notions and subverting traditional roles with their art. Case in point: the Argentine group Kumbia Queers, made up of women who celebrate their lesbian identity in a male-dominated genre.
While women rock our world this week, guys also bring the heat: Colombia's Monareta brings us funky electronic cumbia, and we've got a great remix of Panamanian rap duo Los Rakas, brought to us by the Argentine DJ group Frikstailers.
Did I mention that this is a danceable show? We end this week's edition of Alt.Latino on a reverential note: Colombian singer Etelvina Maldonado, a star of bullerengue (an Afro-Caribbean style unique to the Caribbean coast of Colombia) gets remixed by DJs Uproot Andy and Geko Jones. What do you get when you mix the infectious, pulsating beats of the Caribbean with the frantic pace of two New York-based DJs? A song that will have you dancing in your seat.
So put on your dancing shoes, slip on your headphones and turn up the volume. This is Alt.Latino.
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