FME announces the venue showcase lineups for the 2025 edition.
Tag: Latin music
Throwback: Happy 79th LInda Ronstadt!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Linda Ronstadt’s 79th birthday.
New Audio: San DIego’s Franhaus Shares Breezy and Nostalgia-Inducing “No Puedo Ser”
San Diego-based electronic music producer, singer/songwriter and DJ Franhaus, who specializes in creating what he believes is a new wave of Latin music that combines lived-in, earnest lyrics written and sung in Spanish with slick, dance floor friendly melodic, deeply emotional house.
The San Diego-based artist’s latest single “No Puedo Ser” is a breezy, nostalgia-inducing tune anchored around glistening synths, tweeter and woofer rattling thump, skittering beats and bursts of squiggling guitar. The Ibiza-meets-Tame Impala-like production serves as a lush bed for Franhaus’ yearning delivery while showcasing an artist, who can craft a catchy hook.
New Audio: Music 4 Diana Shares Heartfelt Ballad “Mil Años”
Diana Jiminez is a Colombian-American, New Jersey-based singer/songwriter and creative mastermind behind the emerging recording project Music 4 Diana. Jiminez’s latest Music4Diana single “Mil Años” is a slow-burning ballad that showcases Jiminez’s gorgeous vocal and deeply heartfelt lyrics.
The emerging New Jersey-based artist explains that the song was written to pay tribute to her father. And as a result, it captures a sense of gratitude while being anchored around a message about love, legacy and the eternal bond between a daughter and her father.
New Video: Rafa Tena Teams Up WIth Las Negris on Mischievous “Morcilla”
Rafa Tena is a Madrid-born singer/songwriter, composer and music producer. His career started in earnest, behind the scenes as a lyricist and composer, who wrote material that became internationally recognized hits performed by other artists. Tena has also spent several years working as a producer, musical director for TV and as an apprentice poet.
Enamored with Cuban music, the Madrid-born artist has spent lengthy stints living in Havana, where he collaborated with some of Cuba’s most prominent artists, before eventually stepping out into the spotlight as a member of Son DOS, with whom he’ll release an album inspired by Cuba’s beloved son music.
But in the meantime, the Spanish-born singer/songwriter, composer and producer, who’s best known for work in pop and rock, recently collaborated with gypsy band Las Negris on “Morcilla,” a rowdy and raucous tune that will get the party started. Sonically, the song sees Tena and Las Negris meshing elements of flamenco tango and Cuban guagancó and pairing that with mischievous lyrics that reference morcilla, a blood sausages that’s a beloved delicacy across the Spanish speaking world — with some regional differences in ingredients and how its prepared. The song also references Tena’s travels between Spain and Cuba.
The accompanying video is a surreal and playful visual that features Tena and companions at a long dining table with wine, morcilla and other items. We also see Tena calling a someone from a banana phone, while his bags are packed, ready to hit the road. And of course, there’s a ton of dancing.
New Audio: Guatemala’s Cavidades Shares Brooding Dirge “Me Esperas en La Nada”
Nelson Morán is a Guatemala-based multi-instrumentalist and producer, who has spent the past 15 years in the local music scene, including stints with Xb’alanke and Adonis Muerto.
Morán’s solo project Cavidades sees the Guatemalan multi-instrumentalist and producer overseeing all production and composition, which gives the material a deeply personal, idiosyncratic touch. The project sees Morán drawing from doom metal but while venturing into industrial, psychedelia and post-metal. For the Guatemalan artist, this unique fusion of genre and styles helps to create an immersive and boundary-pushing sound.
The project’s full-length debut will feature guest spots from Marleny Ruano (drums) and Carlos Queme (vocals), which add a collaborative touch to a deeply personal batch of material.
Morán’s Cavidades debut single “Me Esperas En La Nada” is a slow-burning and forceful dirge, featuring eerily atmospheric synths, down-tuned power chords paired with guttural howls and a simple yet thunderous backbeat. Sonically, bringing Melvins and BORIS among others, the song according to Morán thematically explores the dichotomy of existence, capturing the beauty and pain of being alive.
New Audio: Zara Wynn Shares a Swooning Ballad on Heartbreak and Indecision
Zara Wynn is an emerging Uruguayan singer/songwriter. From a very young age, music has been her refuge and driving force, leading her to create songs that both sound good and resonate with the listener. And in a short time, Wynn has received attention explosively authentic songs, anchored around bold lyrics and vibrant melodies and a blend of strength, resiliency and earnest emotion.
The Uruguayan artist’s latest single “Tengo Ganas de Llamarte” is a mid-tempo ballad that effortlessly pairs Wynn’s earnest delivery with a soulful and traditional-leaning arrangement that reminds me of the music you’d hear blaring out of cars, businesses and apartments around Roosevelt Avenue.
Wynn explains that the song captures the tension between the excitement of wanting to talk to that special someone and the fear of being rejected by that special someone. The song’s narrator is in a familiar situation to most of us: that struggle with the crippling indecision and self-doubt that affairs of the heart can inspire — no matter how self-assured we are.
New Video: Gerina Shares Defiant, Feminist Anthem “Arrepentido”
Gerina is a BMI Award-winning songwriter, who recently stepped out into the spotlight as a solo artist, releasing her own original material. Her multicultural upbringing in both Venezuela and the United States, as well as being multi-lingual — she’s fluent in Spanish, Italian and English — helps to inform her songs with heart and passion, while being anchored in unique storytelling.
Her latest single, the Gerina and Tim Mitchell co-written “Arrepentido,” is a passionate and winning synthesis of classic flamenco rhythms with hook-driven contemporary pop that immediately brings Shakira to mind — but while bursting out of the gate with a defiant, feminist self-assuredness.
Gerina explains that “‘Arrepentido” is a passionate and empowering flamenco anthem that urges women to free themselves from the chains of toxic relationships.” She adds “. . . it serves as a call to women everywhere to rise up, reclaim, and never look back.”
The accompanying video seems inspired by films like Desperado and Kill Bill and features Gerina and a collection of ninja-dressed dancers performing martial arts-inspired dance moves in the desert.
New Audio: Zumba la Calavera Shares Breezy and Nostalgia-Inducing “Selva Gris En Mi Corazón”
Founded by Roberto Alfaro in Villa Alemana in the Valaparaíso region of Chilé back in 2018, Zumba la Calavera has spent their career exploring different styles of music while crafting songs that discuss Latin American social problems and get listeners to think.
The Chilean outfit’s debut EP, 2020’s Ruidos Modesto’s saw the band creating a sound that meshed elements of funk and rock while tackling global warming, the abandonment of the elderly when they cease to be profitable, the perverse incentives of the healthcare industry and corporate image washing through Teletón, a Mexican TV channel that derives its name from a Chilean telethon that raised money for children’s charities.
The band’s latest album Sistema Pachanguers was released earlier this year. The album is an ode to life’s unexpected nature and absurd twists of fate and Peruvian cuisine — because priorities, right? Sonically, the album sees the band at their most defiantly genre agnostic while featuring lyrics and vocals that range from sarcasm to reflection.
Sistema Pachanguers latest single “Selva Gris En Mi Corazón,” is a breezy, nostalgia-inducing bit of dance floor friendly cumbia that captures the bittersweet nostalgia of old lovers and memories of the taste of fish, salsa and ice-cold pilsners on hot days. It’s those small memories that make us human — and give us life.
New Video: Reijy Shares Heartbreaking “SI Te Vas”
Jhon Edison Villamizer is a rising Cúcuta, Colombia-born, Medellín-based singer/songwriter, best known in the Latin music world as Reijy. Villiamizer’s career started in earnest over a decade ago, with a string of hits that captivated audiences in his hometown and elsewhere. Since then he has collaborated with a who’s who list of acclaimed Latin music artists including Feid, Amaro, Kevin Florez and a lengthy list of others.
Solidifying himself as an up-and-coming artist in Colombia, Villamizer recently relocated to Medellín, where he signed with DINASTIA Inc, one of the country’s highly renowned labels.
Last year, the Colombian artist announced plans to release a new song over the course of a year to showcase his unwavering dedication and passion for his craft. One of the singles in that year-long series including “EFECTO w,” a lounge and club friendly bop featuring skittering trap beats, fluttering atmospheric synths and remarkably catchy hooks. The production serves as a lush and sainty bed for Villamizer’s delivery, which sees him alternating between vulnerable croon and swaggering braggadocio. The song reveals an artist, who seems to write an effortless and summery hook-driven bop.
Villamizer’s latest single “Si Te Vas” continues a run of club and lounge friendly material featuring skittering trap beats, twinkling keys paired with the rising Colombian artist’s achingly plaintive delivery. The song and the accompanying video tells a story about the narrator’s lover, who hides a terrible breast cancer diagnosis, which initially raises suspicious of infidelity. Understandably, it leads to a fight. The video suggests that the narrator’s lover tragically succumbs to cancer, leaving the narrator with bittersweet memories of both good times and bad — with the heartbreaking sense of “what could have been.”
Villamizer hopes that the video and song raise awareness of breast cancer and the need for honest communication and trust in all relationships — especially romantic relationships.
New Audio: El Dusty, Ace1, Ratchetón and Harlay Team Up on a Flirty Banger
JOVM mainstay El Dusty is a Corpus Christi, TX-born and-based electronic music producer. He has developed a global following as the pioneer of nu-cumbia, which meshes the rich heritage of Latin music with hip-hop and electronic music. El Dusty’s unique sound is deeply rooted in his upbringing on the American-Mexican border, where Tejano anthems and Chicano soul frequently met the heavy bass lines of reggae and house music.
Renowned for his innovative use of the MPC2000 sampler and for his knowledge and love of deep cut Latin classic, the Corpus Christi-born and-based JOVM mainstay has collaborated with an electric array of artists and producers including Santa Fe Klan, Mexican Institute of Sound and Erick Rincón.
When he’s not in his studio at Americano Label, El Dusy is busy performing on stages around the world and working on major brand projects for Pepsi, Jack Daniels, Red Bull and others.
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Bilingual Salvadoran artist Ratchetón exploded into the Latin music scene with his FKi 1st and Isvir Beats co-produced debut single “Que Lo Que,” which amassed over 350,000 streams while jumpstarting a growing fanbase. His sophomore single “Callate” continued the momentum of his debut, while seeing him spit fiery Spanish bars over a hip-hop club bounce.
The rising Latin artist is currently working with FKi 1st and a collection of top-tonic producers and musicians on his highly-anticipated full-length debut.
Ratchetón and Harlay recently teamed up on the El Dusty and Ace1 co-produced “Aye Papi,” a swaggering banger that’s a loving tribute to the city’s vibrant cumbia scene and the city’s beautiful women that pairs El Dusty’s Tejano-infused nu-cumbia with Ace1’s Larry Levan-like keyboards to create a song that will make you approach that pretty young thing and try to dance with them.
New Video: Maga Córdova Shares Sultry “Lluvia (LIKE YOU)”
María Gracia Córdova, best known as Maga Córdova is a Guayaquil, Ecuador-born singer/songwriter, who can trace the origins of her career to her childhood: Her parents taught her that music was arguably the most genuine form of human expression.
Back in 2016, Córdova was a participant on La Voz Ecuador, where she acquired a number of valuable tools both professionally and personally, which helped her to start a solo career, which led to signing with a local record company.
Córdova released a handful of singles, including 2018’s “No Me Dejes Sola,” “Te Lo Buscaste,” “Amor Camuflado,” her hit “Error Tras Error,” and the 2021 international collaboration with Martina La Peligrosa “Cuando Nos Encontremos,” have helped her win a dedicated fanbase in Ecuador. Adding to a growing profile, she has shared stages with Morat, Greeicy, Gian Marco, Noel Schajris, Piso 21, Sebastián Yatra, Mau y Ricky and Luis Miguel.
After a years’ long hiatus, the Ecuadorian artist released three singles last year “Mil Gracias (KARMA),” “Vuelvo a Volar (HIGHLIGHTER)” and “Soy Otra,” which reflected her own evolution as a person and artist, while highlighting female empowerment. Those three tracks topped the Ecuadorian charts, demonstrating both her talent and the connection she has with her fans.
This year, the Ecuadorian artist plans to release a batch of new material that includes her latest single “Lluvia (LIKE YOU),” a slick, dance floor friendly synthesis of Larry Levan-like house, Latin music and Afrobeats anchored around the Ecuadorian artist’s sultry delivery.
The single is accompanied by a gorgeous visual shot at lakefront party that features some incredibly sexy dancing.
New Video: Combo Chimbita Shares Trippy and Meditative House-like “Dímelo”
Acclaimed New York-based Latinx group Combo Chimbita — Carolina Oliveros (vocals, guacharaca), Prince of Queens (synths, bass), Niño Lento (guitar) and Dilemastronauta (drums) — features members of New York-based Colombian folk collective Bulla en el Barrio, and in some way is a sort of related side project.
Combo Chimbita have publicly cited Sun Ra‘s Afro-futurism as a deep influence on their work and overall aesthetic — with the New York-based Latinx group crafting their own take, one, which they’ve dubbed Tropical Futurism. “The idea that the future doesn’t necessarily have to be this super white Western high-tech Star Wars stuff; that the indigenous ideas and culture of people of color, people of Latin America, can also represent a magical and substantial future,” Combo Chimbita explain. “It’s a vision that maybe a lot of people don’t necessarily think about often. The old and deep knowledge that indigenous people have of the land has been neglected for many years as part of capitalism and colonization.”
The band can trace the origins of their genre-defying global sound, which features elements of cumbia, electro pop and Afro-futurism to their late night, experimental jam-driven, year-long residency at renowned, Park Slope, Brooklyn-based world music club Barbés. Those exploratory jam sessions eventually lead to their self-recorded full-length debut, 2016’s El Corridor del Jaguar.
2016’s Lily Wen-produced sophomore album Abya Yala found the band further establishing their Afro-futurism-inspired take on cumbia and other traditional Colombian folk styles. Eventually, the acclaimed New York-based outfit caught the attention of ANTI- Records, who signed the band to the label and released their third album 2019’s Ahomale and their fourth album 2022’s IRE.
Recently Combo Chimbita signed to New York-based label Wonderwheel Recordings, who released their latest single “Dímelo,” their first release on the label, and the second in a series of recordings they did with renowned producer Victor Axelrod, a.k.a. Ticklah. “Dímelo” is a dreamy and mediative bit of Larry Levan era-like cumbia featuring a glistening cumbia-influenced rhythm guitar, jazz-influenced hi-hat driven drumming and a strutting bass line, shimmering synth arpeggio bursts and a remarkably catchy hook seemingly guided by Oliveros’ hypnotic wailing.
“Dímelo is an internal dialogue, a sonic representation of what it feels and sounds like to choose yourself. ‘Cuando por fin yo me elegí (I finally chose myself)’ is a phrase that repeats consistently throughout the track. “It’s an honest song,” says Carolina Oliveros, “that speaks on what it means to understand that for however much you may love someone, you can’t force them to love you the same way- that that is love you have to give yourself.”
For the band, in many ways, it’s the first trade in a return to the band’s roots and a hint of what’s to come from them sonically.
The track will be available on 7″ alongside a remix by Busy Twist in March.
Directed by Andrea Buritica, the accompanying video for “Dímelo” features th members in front of the band in front of projections of VHS fuzz, New York, lighting storms, flowers and more. It emphasizes the trippy yet meditative nature of the song.
