Aventuras en la Musica Latina

A few folks have been asking me about latin music lately, so i figured i would compile some of my thoughts and make them available here. The following is a sampling of the latin flavor that makes up a good part of my daily musical diet.
WHOLE PLAYLIST HERE 
(plays seamlessly through YouTube)

personally i have been really digging the new cumbia, electronica, reaggae, hiphop, swing fusion coming out of COLOMBIA:
Systema Solar
Bomba Estereo
Choc Quib Town
Monsieur Periné
Lido Pimienta
Profetas
Pernett
Sidestepper 
Meridian Brothers 
Ondatrópica (ft. Ana Tijoux)
a bit of rock.... Aterciopelados
and no list of colombian music could omit Toto la Momposina, who has collaborated with everyone from Calle 13, to Lila Downs, and even been sampled by 50 Cent!
or the iconic Joe Arroyo
For more on the Colombian scene check out Sounds and Colours presents COLOMBIA.
Also this short primer on the evolution of Cumbia.

some international fusion showing up in ECUADOR too:
Swing Original Monks

these guys (Sonambulo Psicotropical) blew my mind a couple of years ago playing live in COSTA RICA!

closer to home, i have been following a few MEXICAN groups, from hip-hop to punk and electro to more traditional:
Lila Downs
Julieta Venegas (here with Mala Rodriguez)
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Niña Dioz
     (great duo with Li Saumet from Bomba Estereo)
Instituto Mexicano del Sonido
Quiero Club 
Son de Madera 
Café Tacuba
Los Crudos

always the PUERTO RICAN sensation Calle 13!
-took early inspiration from the reggaeton pioneer Tego Calderon,who was also known for exploring other genres; a far cry from the commercialized (albeit catchy) reaggaeton of folks like Daddy Yankee that assaults the eardrum in many a latin american city.

and the CUBAN expats:
Las Orishas

another cuban Ibrahim Ferrer rightfully gained world-wide populatity through the Buena Vista Social Club, which somewhat reflects the early sounds of groups like Sexteto Habanero.

on the HIP HOP front:
some great women MCs
Ana Tijoux (Chile)
Mala Rodriguez (Spain)
Arianna Puelo (Spain)
Keny Arkana (France (in french))
and Gabylonia from Venezuela

collective effort from Spain: "Rap contra el racismo"
'rap consienca' from the Dominican Republic Kachapela 
and NK Profeta also from Venezuela
the folks at La Republica Hiphop periodically put out free mixtapes  

of course these TRANSNATIONAL genre-benders out of Europe
Manu Chao (and Mano Negra)
Sergento Garcia
Señor Coconut

and a few more women from SPAIN
Amparanoia
Bebe
Buika
Ojos de Brujo 
Beatriz Luengo 
and a song about a woman from spain by Jarabe de Palo 

some offerings out of the USA; indie rock to latin jazz to hiphop:
LoCura
Brown Out
Carla Morrison
Ozomatli
Y la Bamba 
Poncho Sanchez 
Xenia Rubino
Las Cafeteras
Immortal Technique

1970's 'NUEVA CANCION' protest music:
Silvio Rodriguez
Mercedes Sosa

a little ELECTRO TANGO:
from Argentina (Bajofondo) 
and europe (Gotan Project)

CHILEAN reggae
Gondwana

a few more CHILEÑAS......
Pascuala Ilabaca
Sabina Odone
Catalina Walker
and some CHILEAN indie rock from Astro

the iconic AGENTINIAN rock band
Soda Estereo
and their funky compatriots Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas
or El Hijo de la Cumbia 
also Alika

URUGUAY
Campo

and the eminantly dancable MERENGUE
from the Dominican Juan Luis Guerra
and Puerto Rico Elvis Crespo
and on the alternative front (also from the Dominican): Rita Indiana y los Misterios

also I have been dancing some SALSA recently, so a few classics from that genre:
Tito Puente
Celia Cruz
Willie Colon
Rueben Bladés (ft. on a Calle 13 track)
Oscar D'León
Hector Lavoe

also getting turned onto some 'SALSATON' via the cuban salsa crowd:
El Rubio Loco
Seo Fernandez

and of course the international MEGA-STARS just for fun:
J-LO ft. Pitbull
Shakira

saludos y disfrutenlos!
tobias

ps WHOLE PLAYLIST HERE

pps for fans of Calle 13 check out this documentary about their trip through South America!

ppps great free mixtape from Polen Records (the folks who brought us Bomba Estereo)

pppps alt latino on NPR often has great stuff.....