I appreciate any holiday that increases the probability of seeing puppies and/or babies in costumes (that sounded less creepy in my head). But what I really love about Halloween—other than seeing Hocus Pocus for the 311th time—is the chance to experience a legit spooky playlist. The ghoulish folk over at La MiniTK del Miedo were gracious enough to supply us, and you, with said legit spooky playlist. Now, this playlist is sorely lacking in the Bette Midler category, but it makes up for this gross oversight with its Chombo shout out. There’s something for everyone, so scroll down to see what and why they chose. —Paola Capó-García
1
MUERAN HUMANOS / “FESTIVAL DE LAS LUCES” [ARG]
During our recent Yankee Tour, we came across this track on the road, at night, and were immediately silenced by its magnetism. It’s a deep ballad of pure and beautiful nightmare. A post punk/synth wave “tour de force,” as the snobs would say. The lead synth is unbeatable, as the crooney mantra the Argentinian girl-boy duo drone: “Shueve sangre.” 10/10.
2
LOS MACUANOS / “ALMA” [MEX]
Delicately reworked by our older cousins from Tijuana, this is a classic bolero sample in slow mo (or better, “rebajada” version) that sounds like a cantina ghost still mourning for a love lost deep down in the tropical ’60s. Majestic.
3
PROYECTO UNO / “EL TIBURON” [DOM]
During the longtime clash for the merengue-house-hip-hop title that lasted almost all of the nineties, it was the fiercest of the ocean predators the one who, undisputedly, won the crown for Latin America’s favorite party animal: Proyecto Uno’s “Tiburón” kicked both Sandy y Papo’s “Alacrán” and Rikarena’s “Gorila”’s asses. ¡Duro y seguro!
4
ALASKA Y DINARAMA / “MI NOVIO ES UN ZOMBIE” [ESP]
This one has it all. Early electro a la Moroder, wet and sexy digital snares, pink synth lines, an inescapable melody, lots of dishonorable nu waver essentials like hair spray and eye liner, and obviously: Alaska…and her zombie boyfriend! A mandatory anthem of our teenage miniTKs, this is a classic sing along for ’80s nostalgics…if, of course, they speak Spanish…and can hit the last chorus.
5
MERIDIAN BROTHERS / “SALSA DEL ZOMBIE” [COL]
Master timbre bender, cliché collector, and overall motherfucking supersonic prodigy, Eblis Álvarez’s surreal sabrosura takes the game to a whole new level. Son of Bogotá, his special blend of martian salsa is all you need to experience life in the post-tropics. Danza demente.
6
RITA INDIANA Y LOS MISTERIOS / “DULCES SUEÑOS” [DOM]
Rita’s retirement from music is the most tragic loss the Latin scene has suffered since El General decided to become a Jehova’s Witness. This darksabroso cover of the classic Eurythmics track makes Annie Lennox look like a petrified mummy. As Rita herself says: “¡Everybody is looking for mambo!”
7
JUANECO Y SU COMBO / “EL BRUJO” [PER]
Selvatical, mystical, shamanical. Directly from the ’70s, chicha supergods Juaneco y Su Combo bring all their witchcraft to the floor with this trance-inducing palliative. Surf rock, colonial church organs, Colombian cumbia, and Peruvian huayno amalgamated with the finest “third world” mixing techniques. Hardcore South American psychedelia. Next to this venom, The Dark Side of The Moon is pure alpaca shit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1qQb7pTqSY
8
EL CHOMBO / “CUENTOS DE LA CRIPTA II” [PAN]
Through his celebrated Cuentos de la Cripta series (that included killer hits like “Celebrando,” “Dame tu cosita,” “El gato volador”), panamanian El Chombo is, among a few others, suspected of spreading the reggaetón virus around the Hispanic universe. How did he manage to do this? Bang the first three minutes of this mixtape and the answer shall emerge. ¡Bienvenidos a la cripta!
9
CHIMO BAYO / “EXTASY, EXTANO” [ESP]
Chiqui tan chiquiti tan tan tan que tum bam bam que tum bam que tepetepe tam bam bam que tum bam que bim, chiqui tan chiquiti tan tan tan que tum bam bam que tum bam que tepetepe tam bam bam que tum bam que bim, chiqui tan chiquiti tan tan tan que tum bam bam que tum bam que tepetepe tam bam bam que tum.
10
MENEO / “VAMO A VE” [GUA]
To pay our due respects to our bastard, subversive, genre-breaking parents, we were going to throw some Willie Colón, Cadillacs, Cafeta, Aterciopelados, or even some old school Manonegra on the mix. But after watching Meneo’s new video, we had no other option. What does this cabrón eat for breakfast?