Discos Inmigrantes, my radio show on Radiosombra.org returns on Tuesday, January 17th at 8PM-10pm PST. My guest this week will be Arshia Haqqani, aka Aruna Irani from Discostan, playing nostalgic LPs from her native India and other worldly treats. As always, Discos Inmigrantes is all analog, all LPs and 7’ singles. To check out the show or to listen to past shows, go to radiosombra.org/discos-immigrantes.

On Saturday, January 21st, I’ll be taking Discos Inmigrantes on the road. First, with an in-store DJ set at Amoeba San Francisco in celebration of the compilation, Juan Lennon Presents: 213 Cumbia Vol. 1. I’ll be playing tracks off of 213 Cumbia as well as vintage Cumbia. My set will be from 2pm-4pm.

Later that night I'll be at Brick and Mortar at the 213 Cumbia Release party with my L.A. homies Buyepongo and San Francisco’s own Cumbia Tokeson.  Brick and Mortar is located at 1710 Mission St., San Francisco. Show starts at 9 pm

Once I return to Los Angeles, I have two shows. The first is in Boyle Heights for a Radio Sombra fundraiser called Transmission. Myself, along with fellow Radio Sombra DJ’s Reyes (Arts & Grooves) and Libre (Radio Merkado Negro), will be broadcasting live from the M Bar. The M Bar is at 1846 E. 1st Street In Boyle Heights.

To check out extensive LP label and price guides, head to the Vinyl Beat website!

What if there was a band that could play great rock & roll, cool R&B, plus hot Mexican and Chicano grooves?  On top of that, what if this band could also synthesize those influences into their own wonderful songs without losing any of the flavor or intensity of the various original genres?

Luckily for us, Los Lobos can do all this and more. Their body of recorded work is staggering in its breadth, beauty, and rhythmic groove. They are truly a national treasure and define the term “Americana band.”

David Hidalgo on lead guitar, vocals, and assorted other instruments gives the band a lot of its diversity and musical muscle. Steve Berlin on sax and keyboards is the newcomer in the band, having joined in 1983! Cesar Rosas is also an excellent lead guitar man and a soulful singer. Louie Perez writes much of the material, used to be the drummer, and now plays rhythm and sings. Last but certainly not least, Conrad Lozano always plays strong solid bass lines.

Other bands have successfully combined styles and, in some cases, created a whole new genre. However, I don’t think there’s ever been such an eclectic band as Los Lobos. As you can hear below, they cover a lot of bases.

"Chuco’s Cumbia"

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Los Granadians Del Espacio Exterior-Donde Ningun Hombre Ha Llegado Jamas

Reggae is huge in all Spanish-speaking countries. Almost every genre within modern Latin music has some nod to Reggae, whether it be the Ska-Core groups, Reggaeton, Digital Cumbia, Hip-Hop and even some of the lightweight Spanish pop. Not too many groups venture into Traditional Ska and Rocksteady though. There are some that I’ve heard, such as some of the excellent bands out of Mexico like Jamaica 69 (Matehuala) Los 4 Vientos (San Luis Potosi) and The Riddim Cats (Monterey), who skip the punk/ska fusion and go for the sound made famous by labels like Studio One and Trojan Records.

Los Granadians Del Espacio Exterior from Spain replicates that 60’s Jamaican sound perfectly. On their latest release, Donde Ningun Hombre Ha Llegado Jamas (Where No Man Has Gone Before) Los Granadians blend their vintage Rocksteady rhythms with playful Spanish lyrics and a hint of good ol’fashion Mersey-style rock. This is what I think a 60’s Spanish Rock band like Los Yorks would have sounded like if they went to Jamaica and hung out at the many Studio One recording sessions. Outside of the language you could swear this band came from the 60’s Jamaica.

The thing I like about this band is that they can sing as well as swing. Most of the retro Ska and Reggae groups play well but falter on the vocals, forgetting what crooners people like Derrick Williams and Desmond Dekker were. I think that’s why I really like these guys. There’s your Hepcat and Los Granadians and then there is everyone else. Period.

STUMBLING ONTO A SCENE


Three years ago I went to a party in Echo Park at a friend's home near the New Hope Mission Methodist Church. I don't remember what my friends were playing but outside the downstairs neighbors were bumping some amazing dance music. It was a variety of Cumbia, which I've always loved since being exposed to Carmen Rivero y su Conjunto's Cumbia LP as a child. I don't just like traditional Cumbia either; from the creative, unsteady "Cumbia Sobria el Rio" by Celso Piña, Control Machete, and Blanquito Man to the straight up cheese of groups like Los Temerarios, I like it all… and the album covers make me happy too.




Anyway, the DJ kept playing tune after amazing tune and, whilst three generations of friends and family danced, I was transfixed by the music. It was fast and almost completely synthesized. I don't think I had Shazam on my phone but I'd bet all of it would've come up unrecognized anyway. I figured I'd just go into Amoeba the next day and hit up the helpful folks in the World section. I was pointed in the direction of some hip Chicha collections which, though interesting, were not at all what I was looking for.