Read on Twitter
(cracks knuckles)
OK, @Bandcamp Day is here and with the zeitgeist focused on unlearning / pummeling racism and uplifting Black voices, this is the perfect opportunity to share music by Afro-Latinx musicians (which you again should support on Juneteenth aka June 19).
OK, @Bandcamp Day is here and with the zeitgeist focused on unlearning / pummeling racism and uplifting Black voices, this is the perfect opportunity to share music by Afro-Latinx musicians (which you again should support on Juneteenth aka June 19).
A great place to start is @Carolinacmch and her fantastic album AfrotaĂna, where she invokes Afro-Caribbean rhythms to examine her heritage, discrimination and skin privilege in thoughtful depth. Highly recommend "Leona" and "Palo de Colores." https://carolinacamacho.bandcamp.com/releases
In 2016, @AlgodonEgipcio laid it all on the line with his exquisite sophomore album La Confianza Ciega unpacking anxieties about race, Venezuela and new expressions of masculinity. Personal faves include "La Estrella Irregular" and "El Ciclo del Agua." https://music.algodonegipcio.net/
A relatively new discovery, @oituyo are melding black resilience with black vulnerability and powerful visuals that bring attention to the unique strife of Brazil's black people. Get into their healing and aptly titled album Pra Curar for a taste. https://oituyo.bandcamp.com/
Black Panther brought Afro-Futurism to the global mainstream, but Latin America has been on this wave for a minute. Check out Colombia's @GhettoKumbe, who blend Afro-diasporic percussion with electronic production in spectacular fashion. https://ghettokumbe.bandcamp.com/
El rey del Afro-Futurismo Tropical, DJ JigĂŒe is forever colliding house and Cuban Afrobeats which I can personally vouch for their raving excellence. He is also the founder of @GuamparaMusic, Cuba's first independent urban music label. https://guampara.bandcamp.com/
A longtime #Songmess fave, @LidoPimienta is la montra, la diva and la papessa all wrapped up in one, using ver visual and musical art to give voice to Afro-indigenous women of Colombia and the world. Her new album Miss Colombia is PHENOMENAL, don't sleep. https://lidopimienta.bandcamp.com/
@ElzaSoares, Brazil's 89 year old queen of samba is on @Bandcamp and her 2016 album Mulher Do Fim Do Mundo is one of the best of the decade, taking aim at homophobia, racism and raising her voice for sex workers and trans people. A FUCKING QUEEN! https://elzasoares.bandcamp.com/album/the-woman-at-the-end-of-the-world-a-mulher-do-fim-do-mundo
Chicago's @kainacastillo invited us into a much needed world of healing with her full-length debut Next To The Sun, colliding everything from neo-soul, R&B and bedroom pop. A can't miss record from 2019. https://kainamusic.bandcamp.com/
A boundary pushing Cubana from the Pacific Northwest, Guayaba has explored everything from R&B to psych throughout her riveting career. https://itsguayaba.bandcamp.com/
I know y'all love some @EmpressOf, and so do I! Most of her discography is on @Bandcamp and even though she dropped a new record earlier this year, I am still extremely hooked on 2018's Us. Highly highly recommended. https://empressof.bandcamp.com/album/us
An experiment gone extremely well, producer @lechugazafiro teamed up with 5th generation candombé drummers from Northern Uruguay for a heart-pounding collision of techno and Afro-diasporic percussion called F5 and it kicks ass. https://hiedrah.bandcamp.com/album/surco-2
Panama x Atlanta papi @NinoAugustine has joined the chat, recently uploading his discography to @Bandcamp to get the perreo popping off. Do not sleep on last year's excellent Me Toca A Mi EP if you're looking for a good twerking time. https://ninoaugustine.bandcamp.com/music
How about some visibility for Ecuador's often overlooked black community? Check out Rio Mira to explore the sonic treasure's of one of South America's oldest African diasporas. https://ayarecords.bandcamp.com/album/adios-morena
Oh, you wanna talk heritage, then take some time for @CanalonT where group leader, singer and educator @NidiaGongora is helping to preserve the African roots of Colombia's vibrant music landscape. https://lloronarecords.bandcamp.com/album/de-mar-y-r-o-canal-n-de-timbiqu
Let's head to Peru and visit NOVALIMA, a beautiful intersection between Afro-peruvian music and DJ culture that will have you dancing all day and night. https://novalima.bandcamp.com/
The Dominican Republic has a long and virulent history of anti-blackness, making PororĂł's debut Por Los Dos all the more remarkable for highlighting the linguistic and religious heritage of Dominican born Haitians in the community of Villa Mella. https://pororo.bandcamp.com/releases
This list is nowhere near complete without hip-hop, so start diving with DR's @CeQei, who's poetic ramblings unpack race and income inequality on the island of Quisqueya. https://ceqei9.bandcamp.com/releases
Women forever push Latin American hip-hop forward, so make sure to check out rapper and educator @CynthiaMontanoC for some of the realest bars in Colombia, tackling everything from race to violence against women. https://cynthiamontano.bandcamp.com/
And we can't forget the God of Brazilian rap, @emicida. Not much to say here, he's just that iconic. https://emicida.bandcamp.com/
Afro-Mexicans were counted for the first time in the 2020 census. Begin correcting this erasure by checking out LA-based, Guerrero native @Sumohair (co-founder of the Dynamita collective and Reyna Tropical), melding electronica and afro-diasporic rhythms. https://sumohair.bandcamp.com/
Similarly, DR's @adrielmusic_ unpacks centuries of colonization and erasure over a canvas of techno, glitchwave and vaporwave. Weird, danceable thinking music ahead. https://adrielmusic.bandcamp.com/
Raw, personal, DIY af and uncompromising, @hilandera89 is sharing stories that need and deserve to be heard from Venezuela's besieged indie scene. GIVE HER YOUR MONEY. https://hilandera.bandcamp.com/releases
Central America in the building, so show some love to @unrojo from Costa Rica, putting a spotlight on the exceeding regional popularity of reggae and CR's extremely underrepresented Afro-Caribbean community. https://unrojoreggaeband.bandcamp.com/
From Honduras, The Garifuna Colelctive are EVERYTHING. Dance your ass off to ancestral Garifuna afrobeats with an electronic twist. https://garifunacollective.bandcamp.com/
The reigning queen of Afro-Cuban jazz, @DaymeArocena puts Yoruba culture front and center, dazzling on record and in live performances. If you like Ibeyi, you're going to LOVE Daymé! https://daymearocena.bandcamp.com/
They might be major today, but @chocquibtown started out on @Bandcamp and this is the best time possible to revisit their 2010 album, Oro. Also follow @GOYOCQT for extremely nuanced thoughts on the state of Afro-Colombians and the world. https://chocquibtown.bandcamp.com/
Another recent discovery, but I've become obsessed with @jeandawsn in recent months for his unflinching collisions of alt-rock, electronic production and west Coast rap. Hoping he uploads more of his excellent discography to @Bandcamp soon.
https://jeandawsn.bandcamp.com/releases
https://jeandawsn.bandcamp.com/releases
@MituMusic is one of my favorite shows to experience live, filling the air with Julian Salazar's frantic synth playing and Franklin Tejedor's trancelike ancestral drumming. Rich Palenque heritage meets 21rst century tech in explosive fashion. https://mitu-mitu.bandcamp.com/
Fun Fact: my first show in this whole Latin indie adventure was @xeniarubinos at LAMC 2012, and I've been hooked ever since. Experimental jazz meets soul, R&B, punk and the kitchen sink. And baby, her 2016 album Black Terry Cat fucked me all the way up. https://xeniarubinos.bandcamp.com/
Let's go back to Brazil and talk about @Mahmundi real quick! Love her beautiful collisions of singer-songwriter storytelling, electronic flairs and traditional Brazilian music. https://mahmundi.bandcamp.com/
Also, @Xeniafranca is putting a major spotlight on Black women in Brazil, particularly with her grammy-nominated 2018 self-titled debut. https://180g-xeniafranca.bandcamp.com/
Colombia's Caribbean coast is home to some of the country's most vibrant musical offerings, a crossroads of indigenous tradition and afro-diasporic musical wealth. @systema_solar have risen to the top of the charts in Colombia, so get into them now! https://systemasolar.bandcamp.com/
OK, so I've pretty much run through my list but I want to add a few honorable mentions:
Panamanian-Boricua @djbembona is a badass, organizing safe, inclusive events across NYC and you should book her in your city NOW! https://soundcloud.com/djbembona
Panamanian-Boricua @djbembona is a badass, organizing safe, inclusive events across NYC and you should book her in your city NOW! https://soundcloud.com/djbembona
Also, Honduran Garifuna rapper, dancer, choreographer #QueenKartel should be on everyone's radar. Releases are still few, but man is she amazing.
Stateside, rising Dominican pop diva @AmaraLaNegraALN has been a vital catalyst for conversations on the intersections and erasure Afro-Latinxs face day-to-day.
And because we can never overstate how much #BlackTransLivesMatter 
, you should be all over @Liniker and the dozens of trans women and femmes taking massive strides for visibility in the Brazilian mainstream.
, you should be all over @Liniker and the dozens of trans women and femmes taking massive strides for visibility in the Brazilian mainstream.
Please keep the conversation going and drop any other Afro-Latinx artist you wanna shout out below. For interviews with several of the afore mentioned artists, check out the #Songmess podcast, available on your favorite streaming platforms. https://open.spotify.com/show/6XaS0yhnQbH0mMPHGMMny6?si=vpM2CyX7SXq6-KumzbMLEw
