This May, Belanova and Moenia, two of the most popular electronica-synth-pop groups to emerge from Mexico, will offer live shows in several major American cities. Moenia has racked up much fan support since it was founded, even before the mid-90s, when the group launched a self-titled debut album. It is known for pioneering an experimental and poetic side of Spanish-language electronica. “No Puedo Estar Sin Ti,” “No Dices Más,” “Déjame Entrar,” “Estabas Ahí,” and “Manto Estelar” have been a few of their hit singles.

Their 2004 tribute album “Stereohits” features a compilation of cover tunes from beloved international artists from the 80’s and 90’s, including Mecano, Los Amantes de Lola, and Soda Stereo—highly recommended for Gen X-ers who remember the original tunes and younger generations open to musical discovery.

Enjoy the visually stunning video for “Comerte Mejor”, one of the more recent Moenia songs:

Lead singer Denisse Guerrero, along with band members Edgar Huerta (keyboards, programming) and Ricardo “Richie” Arreola (bass, guitar), formed band Belanova and have been delighting audiences since the year 2000 with tunes such as “Por Ti,” “No Me Voy a Morir,” and “Nada Es Igual”.

Watch the video for the upbeat “One, Two, Three, Go!,” and fall in love with Guerrero’s distinctive voice:

Catch both bands in concert this May. They are slated to be in Seattle (Moore Theatre), San Francisco (The Warfield Theatre), Los Angeles (Microsoft Theater), Denver (Gothic Theatre), Kansas City (Arvest Bank Theatre), Rosemont (Rosemont Theatre), and New York (Playstation Theater). Click Here to find tickets in your city!

“Tanga” is a word that automatically makes some Spanish speaker’s ears perk up if only because the word means “thong”—and not as in a sandal, but as in a very revealing type of underwear. It’s also a word that immediately makes world fusion fans sit up and take notice, since a Vancouver-based band by that name, founded in 2007, is known for blending Caribbean beats with East African marimba music, Colombian electrocumbia and Guatemalan dancehall.

Their first full-length album, Simmer & Serve, was followed by Havanaelectro, which was recorded in Cuba and nominated for the 2014 Western Canadian Music Awards: World Recording of the Year and the 2014 Canadian Folk Music Awards: World Group of the Year.
The release for Reencarnción, their third album, is set for March 7th. It will excite audiences with a fresh take on urban Latin music, and will include singles “Guanchaka,” featuring special guest MC Guanaco; “Cumbia Loca,” and “Hasta al Fin,” recorded with troubadour Benjamin Venagas.

Record label TrebleFive’s Reencarnación was the result of the band’s travels to Ecuador, which inspired the artists to add an Ecuadorian feel to their sound, which this time around is fueled by warm coastal breezes, Amazonian fire water, and sweaty club grooves.
The band actually recorded in Quito, where they transformed old apartments into a studio and collaborated with local stars. Then, Tanga traveled through the edge of the Amazon toward Esmeraldas, currently a musical hotspot, and turned a beach house into another makeshift studio.

Christian Martinez (vocalist and lyricist), Sangito Bigelow (vocalist and percussions), Chris Couto (timbales), Jay Esplana (keyboards), Matt Reid (bass), Issah Contractor (drums), Adam Popowitz (guitar), and Malcolm Aiken (trumpet) are festival favorites. Check out a list of upcoming live shows at Tangaband.com

Enjoy the below videos:

Austin-based singer-songwriter Gina Chavez recently delighted audiences with a new, very touching song titled “Heaven Knows”. Now, she is announcing “Lightbeam”, a five-song EP to be released this upcoming summer.

This EP was inspired by Chavez’s own relationship. A proponent of marriage equality, at age 24 she identified as staunchly Catholic. Despite her religious views, she soon fell for the woman she eventually wed and deeply loves to this day. The songs express and celebrate that love. Chavez is known for bilingual Latin folk-pop, yet this EP will showcase a different sophisticated, sensual, and decidedly soulful style. Fans of the 2015 Austin Musician of the Year are sure to be dazzled by her versatility as an artist, and moved by her highly personal lyrics.

The Texan musician is well-travelled and her talent has led to international acclaim. On her official website, she mentions she and her band toured Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and that covering “Nazar Nazar”, a song popularized by Uzbek pop star Sardor Rahimxon, allowed her to acquire overnight fame throughout the region.

See her live closer to home during the Official SXSW 2018 showcase, scheduled for March 14 at Austin venue Flamingo Cantina. For additional show dates, music, and more information on the award-winning artist, visit GinaChavez.com.

Enjoy her new song “Heaven Knows”

DJ and producer Alyosha Barreiro, along with band Nok Niuk, are the Mexican artists that make up Prehispánica Electrónica. They recently performed in Los Angeles, sharing their unique brand of music, which, as their name would suggest, fuses ancient prehispanic sounds with exciting electronic beats.

As part of the “2017: Year of Mexico in Los Angeles (MXLA 2017)” program, Barreiro and Nok Niuk offered an unforgettable, intensely moving multimedia concert in front of over 5000 spectators. This outdoor event was held at the Bell Gardens Veterans Park.
“It was truly an honor to be able to perform in such an important city, especially in times of such great political differences. It seems to me that it is time to unite and sympathize with our Northern brothers who are going through very difficult times,” said Barreiro. “It’s important to remind them where we came from and where we’re heading.”

Over the course of roughly one hour, Prehispánica Electrónica led the audience through a thrilling journey that included solemn ancestral Aztec rituals as well as a climactic scene featuring an explosion of energy, contemporary sounds, music generated by synthesizer, and enveloping atmospheric melodies coming from flutes and ancient instruments called ocarinas.  “Our goals were always clear: to reestablish our identity as proud Mexicans, to honor our ancestors, to forget—even if just for a moment— that there is a border created by political ideology, and, most importantly, to highlight that, in the end, our essence and our past unite us and give us our identity,” stated Barreiro.

The LA concert had a special musical guest, Karin Burnett, who came onstage around the midpoint of the show. She immediately captured the attention of the audience with a dramatic interpretation of the passage of souls through Mictlan, the underworld described in Aztec lore. Profoundly touching songs, as well as prayers recited in Nahuatl, bookended her appearance.  Burnett has had a very successful career thanks to a project called Afrodita, in which she and fellow musician Immanuel Miranda fuse cumbia, ballads, and electronica in order to create unexpectedly sensual tracks.

Visual artist Gustavo Cisneros was in charge of creating the dazzling multimedia world in which the Prehispánica Electrónica show took place.  It goes without saying that the artists love Mexico. On social media, at this time they express deep sorrow over the recent earthquake that took the lives of nearly 300 people at last count, and left many others homeless or destitute.

Barreiro, around the time of the show, mentioned there were plans for upcoming concerts in Mexico City—which is now astounding the world with its spirit of solidarity and collaboration in the aftermath of the earthquake—as well as in the Netherlands and Austria.

Find Prehispánica Electrónica on Facebook and watch an amazing Spanish-language video below:

Singer-songwriters Periko, from Peru, and Jessi Leon, from Argentina, are a true Latin pop sensation. This bicultural, bilingual duo joined forces after a chance meeting in Miami.
A highly successful first joint studio album titled “Fuerza Mayor” earned Periko and Jessi the coveted Latin Grammy nomination for “Best New Artist.” Now, the two friends are promoting “Sal y Pimienta,” another album which is now distributed digitally under Sony Music.

“Besos de Caramelo” – or “Caramel Kisses”— is their second single from this album, and the music video was just released. Scenes were shot in amazing locations that might be recognized by eagle-eyed residents of South Florida. These include the beach in Jupiter, certain parts of the exciting Everglades and a gorgeous field of sunflowers in the city of Homestead. Fans not familiar with these places will most likely be tempted to pack their bags and visit.

A young Colombian talent, Juan Manuel Sierra, directed the modern, sexy video, featuring not only the aforementioned stunning locations but also a surprise ending in which Periko and the beautiful Jessi do something for the very first time. Discover what that would be by viewing the video below:

Venezuelan performer Chyno Miranda dedicated a song titled “Tú Me Elevas” to his significant other, Natasha Araos, when he proposed. Fans can enjoy this highly romantic track, now available on all major digital platforms, as well as its music video, shot in beautiful Canaima, Venezuela.

Chyno had traveled to a popular national park in Canaima to shoot scenes. Natasha thought she would be the featured in the video as a model, but was not aware of her then-boyfriend’s plan to pop the question.

Three days into the shoot, Natasha couldn’t find her man anywhere, but agreed to take a helicopter ride she was invited on. When she looked out the window, she saw the artist was by Salto Ángel, known as the world’s highest uninterrupted waterfall. He then asked her to marry him. Children from a local community, the Pemon tribe, sang and joined in a traditional ceremony to bless the couple.

Chyno and Natasha recently wed in Miami. The “Tú Me Elevas” video shows exactly how this touching and undoubtedly unique proposal took place. Watch it here:

Chyno fans will also be pleased to learn that his first single as a solo act, “Quédate Conmigo” (“Stay With Me”) is now available in a salsa version. Chyno teamed up with talented musicians Wisin and Gente de Zona and released it this month, September 2017, on digital platforms.

The original song, from this past July, delighted audiences in Venezuela and Ecuador, where it reached Number 1 on the charts just one week after dropping. Streamed over 14 million times on Spotify, it was also highly successful in the U.S., Argentina, Chile, Peru and numerous other countries. The video, on YouTube, currently boasts around  34 million views.

The new “Quédate Conmigo” song is not meant to compete against the original one, but rather to offer salsa or tropical music lovers a treat. Perfect for dancing!

Enjoy the brand-new version here: