Get down with M.I.S. at SXSW 2011

Camilo Lara, also known as Mexican Institute of Sound, is one of my absolute favorite Latin Alternative artists. Other than maybe the dudes from Nortec Collective and a select few (very few) others, no one mixes traditional Mexican sounds with dance music better.  Check out the video above if you don't have it playing already.

Aside from being a talented musician/producer, Lara has an amazing vinyl record collection of over 45,000 records. In an interview he did with Austin Vida in 2009, he said the first record he ever bought was a Quiet Riot record. Can you believe it? Quiet 'fucking' Riot. Awesome.

M.I.S. will be performing at South By Southwest this year in support of his new EP. It marks his return to Austin since his 2009 headlining set at Pachanga Fest. I'm stoked. You should be too. Click HERE for details.

New Pinker Tones Video: 'Tokyo'

Check out the new Pinker Tones video for their single "Tokyo." I love these dudes, although I didn't love their last album as much as their earlier stuff. Still, these Spanish DJ extraordinaires need to be in your iPod. 

Video Interview: Pacha Massive

This past May at the third annual Pachanga Fest, my Austin Vida crew and I worked together with Blastro to produce some backstage video interviews with some of the performing artists. My one scheduled video interview of the day was with one of the most eclectic Latin Alternative groups around, Pacha Massive. Check it out and get familiar with one of my favorite groups.

Live concert video of Los Amigos Invisibles at Antone's

(photo by Mari Hernandez)

Have you ever seen Los Amigos Invisibles in concert? If not, you need to. Seriously. Do it now. Austin Vida and Blastro teamed up to bring you their sold out show at Antone's this past spring on high quality video. We have the entire fifty three minute set online now at Austin Vida right now. Watch it here:
 

Los Amigos Invisibles live at Antone's

Photos: Record shopping with Los Amigos Invisibles at End of an Ear

One of my favorite things to do other than see live music is buy vinyl records. One of my favorite groups of all time is Los Amigos Invisibles. What do you do when they come to town besides catch their amazing live show? You take them record shopping at an indie record store. While you are at it, you shoot a video interview with Blastro for Austin Vida. Here you see the photos by my good friend and Austin Vida photo editor, Mari Hernandez, from that day at End of an Ear. You can watch this actual video interview with live footage of the concert here:

Austin Vida + Blastro presents: Record Shopping with Los Amigos Invisibles

Pacha Massive & Bomba Estereo perform at Austin record stores

Bomba Estereo live at Fader Fort during SXSW

Two great Nacional Records recording artists and Pachanga Fest performers will be making the most of their trip to Austin next weekend. Both Pacha Massive and Bomba Estereo will be performing at indie record stores here in Austin. It is a rare opportunity to see some of the world's best Latin Alternative artists in such an intimate atmosphere. I'd also like to add that I think it is very cool that indie record stores are being supported.

New Interview: Ana Tijoux

Chilean MC and Nacional Records artist, Ana Tijoux, is the best thing to happen to hip hop since Cypress Hill. On the eve of her U. S. debut album dropping on Tuesday, 1977, I sat down with Tijoux to talk about who she is. Of course we chatted about the album, but I wanted to know why a Chilean MC gets it right when so many American rappers don't, still thinking auto tune effects and Lil Wayne remixes make good songs or albums. Tijoux is classic, 90s style, in every since of the word. Learn more about the M.C. who may have made my favorite hip hop album this year. I can tell you it will be between her 1977 album and Cypress Hill's new one, Rise Up.

Read my interview with Ana Tijoux here: http://tinyurl.com/2vrodt2

Austin Listening Party for New Maldita Vecindad

Fans of the Latin rock legends, Maldita Vecindad y los Hijos del Quinto Patio, have reason to rejoice on March 30th when Maldita releases their first studio album in 13 years. The new album, Circular Colectivo, will be released on Nacional Records. As we have with every Nacional Records release this year, my crew and I at Austin Vida will be hosting the Austin listening party at Mi Casa Tamales & Cantina on 503 East 6th street.

Win Free Tickets To See Los Amigos Invisibles in Austin!

Win these on Tuesday, March 2nd at Mi Casa Tamales & Cantina!

We just announced on Austin Vida that we are giving away two free tickets to see Los Amigos Invisibles when they come to Antone's on April 2nd. What makes this show even better is that Ocote Soul Sounds will be opening up for them. If you haven't seen or herd either, you are in for a treat. These two bands are some of the best the Latin Music world has to offer.

Nacional Records Listening Party at Mi Casa: Chocquibtown & LFC Tribute

 

We're doing it again Austin! My Austin Vida crew and I are teaming up with our friends at Bemba Entertainment to host another Nacional Records Listening Party at Mi Casa Cantina on 6th street. On March 2nd, we'll be celebrating the release of not on, but two cool new albums from the world's hottest Latin Alternative record label. Just like before, we'll be giving away cool prizes while eating tamales. You how we do....

Also our boy DJ Chorizo Funk will be spinning the new records for us and doing his own thing before and after. Here is some information about the new albums we'll be celebrating. I hope you can join us. We'll post pictures and such on our Austin Vida blog. 

ChocQuibTown – Oro – Release date: March 2

Take a listen here:  http://www.myspace.com/chocquibtown

Fresh off a Latin GRAMMY nomination for “Best New Artist,” ChocQuibTown present their U.S. debut album. The group is an Afro-Colombian hip hop act, which formed in the Chocó region of Colombia’s Pacific coast. The group fuses hip hop, electronic and funk with traditional Afro-Colombian rhythms. 2009 was a banner year for ChocQuibTown, beginning with the their U.S. debut concert at SXSW in Austin. In addition to the Latin GRAMMY nomination, they showcased at WOMEX and toured from London to Paris and all the way out to India and Las Vegas.

 

Various Artists – Vos Sabes…Como Te Esperaba! –A Tribute to Los Fabulosos Cadillacs – Release date: March 2

Take a listen here:  http://www.myspace.com/losfabulososcadillacs

This special Fabulosos Cadillacs tribute release features new versions of classic Cadillacs tracks by a variety of leading Latin alternative acts, including Colombian music icons Aterciopelados, Tijuana’s electronica stars Nortec Collective, Puerto Rico’s reggae masters Cultura Profetica and Venezuelan disco funk rockers Los Amigos Invisibles. A Tribute to Los Fabulosos Cadillacs has already topped the album sales and radio charts in Argentina and Mexico.

There you have folks. I hope you'll mark it down on your calendars now and join us.

Nacional Records Listening Party Presented by Austin Vida

Mark your calendars for February 2nd Austin. Your source all things "Hip-spanic" and Bemba Entertainment are bring you the first Nacional Records Listening Party in Austin this year. Arguably the best latin Alternative label in the World, Nacional Records is releasing two new albums that Tuesday. The first album is by Banda de Turistas titled Magical Radiophonic Heart. Already all the buzz in Argentina, Banda de Turista's jangly indie stylings will soon be heard worldwide and enjoyed by every indie kid who gets a hold of the album.

The second album Nacional is releasing on February 2nd is by Misterio tilted 10 Year Old Zombie. C'mon hipsters! It has zombie in the title! You love Zombies. It has a cool rockabilly feel to it. Fun fact for you, Mysterio features Senor Flavio, a founding member of Los Fabulosos Cadillacs.

This listening part will be the first of many this year at Mi Casa on 6th. I am working with Brandon Badillo if Bemba Entertainment and Mi Casa ownership to make the Latino version of Hole in the Wall meets Red Eyed Fly. Badillo already has some good Latino acts playing there, but I'm working with him to get some different sort of latino kids in there. Stay tuned for more details on that.

For complete details and links, visit out blog post on Austin Vida here.

Album Review: 'Colour' by Latin Bitman

Nacional Records recording artist and Chilean mix master, Latin Bitman, recently released his follow up album to his critically acclaimed debut entitled Colour. Multi-lingual, upbeat and funky, Colour feels too summery to be a fall record. None the less, it may just be what you need to warm up your iPod or morning commute. Every influence of Colour comes from someplace tropical like Puerto Rico, Jamaica or Brazil. What’s cool about Colour is that it is more international club versus being something too world music section, which makes it accessible to broader audiences.

Read the full review here on Austin Vida

Exclusive Live Performance of Nortec Collective in Austin

Bostitch y Fussible (photo by Mari Hernandez)

www.myspace.com/tijuanasoundmachine

On September 25th, the Tijuana Sound Machine known as Nortec Collective came to Austin and gave a killer performance at The Hogg Memorial Auditorium. I wasn't there as I was covering another show, but my crew from Austin Vida were there. For the Nortec show, Austin Vida teamed up again with our friends from Blastro to bring you two cool new videos from the show. The one I posted below is the best live video ever captured of Nortec Collective. The sound is amazing and the show visually mind blowing. As jealous as I am that I didn't get to attend, this video puts me there. My hat is off to Blastro and Nacional Records on this one. Did I mention an interview? That's right! My girl Christina Garcia sat down with Bostitch and Fussible of Nortec for a NRP-PBS style video interview. They even let her play with the Tenori. I'm jealous again there.

Here's the live video! This ain't a YouTube clip folks. It's twenty minutes of Puro Chido:

Nortec Collective Presents Tijuana Sound Machine: Bostich & Fussible - Exclusive Live Performance

Since you can't get enough Nortec Collective, check out our Austin Vida video interview here on Austin Vida

Video Interview on Austin Vida

Friday Night Show Pick: Official ACL Aftershow with Los Amigos Invisibles

Los Amigos Invisibles

http://beta.amigosinvisibles.com/english/

ACL officially begins today at Zilker Park. The grass is greener, less dustier and maybe even a little damp due to some rain here in Austin. If you have a three day pass or a Friday Day Pass, you will get to see Nacional Records recording artists, Los Amigos Invisibles.  They are touring to support their latest album, Commercial.

Los Amigos Invisibles are set to play the Wildflower Stage from 7:15 to 8:15. Let me tell you something people, Los Amigos at night is quite the experience. Often compared to Thievery Corporation, this Latin funk collective in my opinion is the quintessential festival band. People will be dancing. Not everyone will understand the lyrics as they are all in Spanish, but that won't matter. They will still get down.

For those of you not planning on being at Zilker Park today, you have your chance to see Los Amigos Invisibles with Devotchka at La Zona Rosa. Los Amigos Invisibles are part of this Official ACL Aftershow. They are set to play from 10:00 to around 11:00. Both bands are amazing live and together they make for one hell of a bill. It is the best ACL Aftershow of the night without question. You'll need to purchase tickets online and get there around 9:00 PM.

On another quick note, Los Amigos Invisibles will be on KUT's program, Horizontes with Michael Crockett today at 2:00. Be sure to tune into to 90.5 here in Austin or listen online at www.kut.org.

Here's a quick look and listen to one of my favorite's from Los Amigos Invisbles. It is for an older song called "Yo No Se". Enjoy.

Yo No se - Los Amigos Invisibles from felixjzz on Vimeo.

For more on tonight's show, visit the following links:

Purchase advance tickets at Front Gate Tickets

Show information on Do512

Friday Night Concert Pick: Nortec Collective featuring Bostich & Fussible

 Tonight at Hogg Memorial on the U.T. campus is where it is at tonight. It wasn't easy making my concert selection as there are several great shows tonight. Del Castillo at Antone's is going to be great as always. You could experience some Red River history at The Red Eyed Fly and see the Riddlin' Kids and Rubberhead. I used to like seeing the Riddlin' Kids in my early twenties, but the rare opportunity to see Nortec Collective takes precedence over all. It is not everyday you hear music like Nortec's, much less get the opportunity to see them live here in Austin.

 

Nortec Collective featuring Bostich and Fussible

www.myspace.com/tijuanasoundmachine

Nortec Collective is a group of four DJs from Tijuana, Mexico. At Hogg Memorial tonight you'll get to see Bostich and Fussible. No stranger to Austin, this same duo was the headlining act at the first annual Pachanga Fest. Signed to Nacional Records, arguably the best Latin Music label in the world, Nortec has received nothing but praise and critical acclaim. Their fusion of electronica and Mexican Norteno music is truly original. They coined the sound. Their Tijuana Sessions albums are some of my favorite in my personal collection.

What is great about Nortec is not just their original sound, but their live show. They perform to a back drop filled with an array of multi-colored lights and images while their band backs up their DJing. Pictured in the show flyer, you'll see them holding this white board with squares. It is actually called a tenori and they use it in their music. It's pretty cool actually, and rather than describe it I figured I'd post a video clip for you to check it out. Go to the show and you'll see it live in person. If I had a tenori, I'd never leave the house.

BOSTICH PLAYS TENORI-ON NORTEC from ramon amezcua on Vimeo.

For more on Nortec Collective or ticket info, visit the following links:

Nortec Collective Myspace

Click here to purchase tickets

Show details and chance to win tickets on Do512

Album Review: "If You Want It" by Pacha Massive

If You Want It is Pacha Massive’s follow up album to their successful debut, All Good Things. The New York based Latin Fusion group, fronted by Dominican born DJ Nova, was the hottest new band in the Latin Alternative market in 2008 after MTV3 chose them as their first “Duscubre and Download” artist. Their single, “Don’t Let Go”, is a timeless classic that even non-Latinos will be groovin’ to for quite a while. It is because of their early success that my expectations for a second album from them were sky high.

Click here to read the full review on Austin Vida

Album Review: Blow Up by Bomba Estereo

Nacional Records recording artist, Bomba Estereo, is a five piece Colombian Reggae Fusion band. Their latest release, Blow Up, is a unique collective of different Latin and Afro Caribbean sounds. It is difficult to make comparisons off hand because not a lot of bands, other than Todos Tus Muertos or perhaps The B-Side Players, are in this genre. With all the different sounds and influences involved in Blow Up, it may appear on paper to be an unorganized, chaotic listening experience. Somehow Bomba Estereo make it all come together and make it a good fit for the vocal stylings of Li Saumet.

Click here to read the full review on Austin Vida

New Mexican Institute of Sound Video Interview on Austin Vida

Our last and final Pachanga Fest installment is now live and online at Austin Vida. We teamed up with Blastro Networks to bring you the best Mexican Institute of Sound interview ever seen. The video is a little long for a web video, and longer than anthing I have ever seen on the Blastro. After days of discussing edits and different versions, I am happy to say we (Austin Vida and Blastro) collectively agreed that the video was so entertaining that it needed to be seen in its entirety. The concept for the video was to get an interview with intelligent questions, inform new audiences about Camilo Lara, and get an exlcusive look at his live set up. For all you DJ enthusiasts and gear heads out there, you'll really dig what you see. Check out what he does with his Iphone. We also input live footage from MIS's Pachanga performance and clips from some of their previous music videos. Many thanks to Blastro and Nacional Records for teaming up with us. I couldn't be more proud of how it turned out.

Click here to check out the video on Austin Vida

The Pinker Tones Not Coming to The Scoot Inn After All

The Pinker Tones are not coming to Austin, Texas ladies and gentleman. On June 6th, Professor Manso and Mister Furia were rumored to be at the Scoot Inn on 1308 E. 4th. The first time I saw them was during SXSW 2007. While this amazing DJ team hails from Barcelona, their music has a large universal appeal. Many of their popular hits are performed in English, such as "Sexy Robot" and "Happy Everywhere". Hipspanics everywhere (hipster+Hispanic) have been getting down with The Pinker Tones for a while now, and it is about time that you get down with them too. The opening act for for the Pinker Tones was supposed to be the talented DJ crew, The Peligrosa All Stars.

Check out these quick videos from The Pinker Tones and see what you think:

Working Bees from The Pinker Tones on Vimeo.

Happy Everywhere from The Pinker Tones on Vimeo.

Fugaz from The Pinker Tones on Vimeo.

Nortec Collective Coming Back to Austin

They were here last year as the headliner for the first Annual Pachanga Fest, but will be performing at Hogg Memorial Auditorium on September 25. To quickly describe Nortec Collective, I'd say they are a fusion of Mexican Norteno and techno. After having seen them live last year, I can honestly say that they do no dissapoint and the accordian player has the most blinged out accordian I've ever seen. It will be an awesome show to say the least. For those of you not familiar with Nortec, check out these two videos and turn it up loud.

AKAI 47


Tijuana Sound Machine



Click here for venue and ticket information