Bomba Estéreo – Fiesta (Colombia)
Bogotá’s top pop-electronic group have released the debut single from their much–anticipated fourth album – out in June. It will be their first record since 2012 and it’s as much of a heater as they’ve ever released. Building on the club syncopation of Elegancia Tropical, the track has a party beat with heart, letting the chorus inch towards festival-popular bass wobble but never letting go of their allegiance to traditional champeta rhythms. Singer Li Saumet is as raw as ever.
Lila Downs – Balas y Chocolate (Mexico)
This is the title track from Lila Downs’s new album. Out in April, it’s a document of protest against the cartel violence scourging Mexico that also celebrates and explores traditions from the Day of the Dead. She’s not mincing words on this modern banda jam, exploring the concept that Central America is full of bullets, but that chocolate represents the essence of its people. Some of the celebrated singer’s fiercest work.
Luzmila Carpio & Various – Luzmila Carpio Meets ZZK (Bolivia, Various)
Bolivia’s most famous indigenous musician, who’s been singing in the ancient Quechua language since the 60s, collaborated on 17 original songs with the various young producers of Argentina’s ZZK Records, updating very old impulses with modern digital folklorica, all rooted in the Andes. Carpio’s voice on haunting modern synths transcends into forever.
Compass – Te Andan Buscando (Mexico)
A new collaboration between Mexican Institute of Sound and Toy Selectah – two of Distrito Federal’s most prominent producers – this appears to be one of their rarities without a million amazing collaborators (their forthcoming album promises slots with Sly and Robbie, Boy George, Toots and the Maytals and Nic Harcourt among many others). It will surely be a genre-breaking treat, and Te Andan Buscando shows the core essence of both their styles: dubby, outer-space takes on cumbia, banda, and other traditional Mexican styles.
Prince Royce ft J Balvin – Stuck on a Feeling (USA/Colombia)
Bronx-based Dominican American Prince Royce is known for his silky voice on seductive dembow riddims, while J Balvin is his own prince in the realm of reggaeton. Their English-language collaboration is conquering pop radio worldwide, an early contender for the kind of hit that spills from cars on a hot summer day because they’re doing what they do best: suave lady-love with a slow grind.
