Nacional Records is simply the dopest record label releasing pretty much the best Latin Alternative music on the planet. That's not even hyperbolic, just true (if for me mainly) and it's ongoing. At the noon and at the 1pm spots Sound Travels was on top of their latest, a particularly Portishead-ian edit of a beat I first heard used by Damian Marley on his overlooked album Halfway Tree. On "Pasado Y Presente," Tijuana's Los Macuanos continue to craft progressive, Latin-electronica. Their new album, El Origen drops on November 19th and like Tijuana itself, reflects a hedonism born of American excess but in a more nuanced aspect. Rave-y sounds like dubstep, glitch and techno get treated to real instrumentation and a cultural base as the crew deftly incorporates just the right element of cumbia and norteño-- a sound that has been called by some 'ruidoson,' for its mash of genres.
Meanwhile, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs' Señor Flavio hit at 1pm with a punk-infused, anthemic tune called "Mexican Princess." His new solo piece, Proxima Ola (Nada Especial) dropped on October 29th and my initial impression was of being underwhelmed. Two weeks later, I'm down; sometimes I just need some time I guess. For whatever reason, this album reminds me of Sublime, but en Espanol. Drawing support from a variety of Latin musical luminaries, Senor Flavio is a punky, ska-ish excursion that rocks quite heavily at times but throughout, has a good time in mind.
