Oh New York, what a week you have ahead of you! The quinceañera edition of the annual Latin Alternative Music Festival takes over the five boroughs July 8 – 12 with bookings all over the musical map, taking us through non-stop showcases, club nights, after-parties, after-after-parties, and warm-up parties that’ll ease you back on track again before your next stop.
Get your rest in this weekend, and prepare to take in some of the best and brightest talent next week at these official and unofficial showcases!
Tuesday, July 8th
Los Rakas w/ The Illuzion, Tecla, Nena Rudas & Big Nito
8 PM at Webster Hall, 125 E 11th Street
Bay Area by way of Panama hip hop duo Los Rakas kick off the week with support from Tecla and the Illuzion, and DJ sets by Nenas Rudas and Big Nito. This event is actually 19+, so you can leave the fake ID at home.
LAMC and the Summer Barrio Film Series Present: “Amor Crónico”
8 PM at El Museo del Barrio – 1230 Fifth Avenue at 104th St.
If you want to start the week off low-key, head over to El Museo del Barrio for a screening of “Amor Crónico,“ which follows the story of the Grammy-nominated Cuban-born singer CuCu Diamantes on her tour around Cuba. The self-proclaimed “first ever Cuban musical romantic docu-comedy” is a touching look into the singer’s return to her homeland. Q&A with artists and filmmakers will follow the screening.
Picó Picante: LAMC Unofficial Edition at Bossa Nova Civic Club
9 PM at Bossa Nova Civic Club, 1271 Myrtle Avenue, Brooklyn. Free, 21+.
Boston’s transnational bass night Picó Picante makes a stop in Brooklyn to host an unofficial welcoming party, featuring Dutty Artz fam Chief Boima and Ushka, Las Nenas Rudas of Azucar, the island industrial stylings of False Witness, Picó’s own resident Colombo-Venezuelan Oxycontinental, and resident Riobamba.
Wednesday, July 9th
LAMC/Central Park SummerStage Show
6 PM at Rumsey Playfield (Entrance at 72nd & 5th Ave). Free.
Head to Central Park for a showcase of some of rap & hip hop en español’s heaviest hitters. This year’s roster features nineties hip hop sensation and self-proclaimed “Supa Supreme team from Queens” the Beatnuts, Chilean/French hip hop poetess Ana Tijoux, Spanish Harlem papi and Celia Cruz-sampling emcee Bodega Bamz, and the legendary Tony Touch aka Tony Toca. Lineup dreams do come true.
LAMC Indie Showcase
8:30 PM at The Mercury Lounge, 217 E. Houston Street.
Open to LAMC registrants with a limited number of tickets for purchase at the door.This year’s showcase features up-and-comers with an array of new indie sounds: Caloncho’s blissed-out tropical funk, Sante Les Amis’ disco punk, Los Crema Paraiso’s breed of high-speed bossa nova, (me llamo) Sebastían gender binary-destroying pop sounds, El Mato a Un Policia Motorizado‘s lo-fi alt-indie rumblings, and hip hop from Cuban poetess Danay Suárez.
Chicano Batman wth Forro in the Dark & DJ Greg Caz
9 PM at Nublu, 62 Avenue C, New York. $10, 21+.
Drawing influences from Brazilian bossa nova, psych-rock from the 60’s & 70’s and a dash of surf-rock cumbia, Chicano Batman brings a unique spin on the traditional sounds of Brazil. Check them out during their visit from Los Angeles in this showcase presented by Brazilian Beats Brooklyn and #FUTUREROOTS with Forro in the Dark and DJ Greg Caz.
Subsuelo vs Cumba Mela
9 PM at Louie and Chan, 303 Broome Street. Free, 21+.
In the west coast corner, we have Subsuelo’s Canyonazo, DJ Gozar, and Dj Ethos plus a live flamenco performance from La Tigresa aka Cristina Lucio. In the east coast corner, we’ve got Cumba Mela’s Atropolis, Thornato, and 2melo, with special guests Brooklyn Shanti and Olmeca bridging the bi-coastal gap. Who will prevail? It doesn’t really matter, because we know the “equatorial crunk” and “tropical funk” from both sides are sure to be hot fire.
Thursday, July 10th
Supercrush Studio and NRMAL present: Sólo Dame Indie Pop!
8 PM at Radio Bushwick, 22 Wyckoff Avenue, Brooklyn. $8, 21+.
Festival NRMAL, the independent music and arts festival out of Mexico who brought the likes of Matias Aguayo, DJ Rashad, and Kelela to Monterrey and DF, and Supercrush Studio are teaming up this year to curate a series of showcases over at Radio Bushwick. Head over this night to check out underground garage punk band AJ Dávila y Terror Amor of Puerto Rico, plus Fletcher C. Johnson, Las Rosas, and Good Intentions.
LAMC Celebrate Brooklyn Showcase
6 PM at Prospect Park Bandshell, 9th Street and Prospect Park West entrance. Free, all ages.
ChocQuibTown are named after their native Choco, Colombia. Just as you’d expect from that geographic reference, this amazing group mixes rural sounds, rumba, flow and hip-hop and a lively concoction of Afro-Colombian beats and bembé. Joining them live will be the reunited Argentine duo Illya Kuryaki & The Valderramas who deliver a pupil-dilating blend of hip hop, rock, funk, and salsa with an irresistible sense of fun and mischief. They headline this official LAMC showcase, which also includes hypnotic Chilean duo RVSB.
SUBTERRANEO 18: Locos Por Juana // Guarco // Salt Cathedral
8 PM at The Silent Barn, 603 Bushwick Avenue, Brooklyn. $8, all ages.
Subterraneo has put together an unofficial LAMC showcase with some of Latin indie’s finest: Locos Por Juana brings us champeta, mapalé, chande reinterpreted in the Colombian diaspora, Brooklyn by way of Uruguay’s Guarco holds down Afro-Uruguayan candombe and dub rock, and Brooklyn’s own Salt Cathedral takes the stage not long after releasing their debut EP, packed with glitchy electro-pop gems.
iBomba vs. Subsuelo
10 PM at Bembe, 81 South 6th Street, Brooklyn. Free, 21+.
“NYC’s Best Underground Latin Party” iBomba is hosted at Bembe with resident DJ’s Beto and Ushka. And since it’s that time of year for LAMC, they have invited West Coast Subsuelo crew to join them on the decks in Brooklyn for the after-party. Come out and get sweaty with good tunes and beautiful people!
Friday, July 11th
An Evening with Juana Molina & La Mecanica Popular
7 PM at The Green Space, 44 Charlton Street, New York. $20, 18+.
Beginning her career as a comedian, Juana Molina decided to pursue a career in music and has become the darling of the indie folk scene. Her music skirts many lines– both experimental and pop, electronic and acoustic, contemporary, yet rooted in Argentine folk music. Soundcheck’s John Schaefer and Latino USA’s Maria Hinojosa team up for a night of live music and conversation with singer-songwriter Juana Molina and a performance by psychedelic salsa band, La Mecánica Popular.
Empress Of & Corin Roddick of Purity Ring
10 PM at Webster Hall, 125 East 11th Street, New York. $15, 18+.
You don’t want to miss the ethereal, dream-pop sounds by our favorite and oft-covered new artist, Empress Of. Lorely Rodriguez has been a darling of music blogs all year and after watching her amazing live shows during this year’s CMJ Music Marathon in NYC, we have a feeling she’s going to be really big! She will be sharing the stage with Corin Roddick of the equally dreamy band, Purity Ring.
LAMC Acoustic Showcase
6 PM at SOB’s, 204 Varick Street, New York. Open to LAMC registrants with a limited number of tickets for purchase at the door.
The annual LAMC Acoustic Showcase features Esteman, Ana Tijoux, AJ Dávila, Diana Fuentes, El Mato a Un Policia Motorizado, Danay Suarez, Caloncho, Sante Les Amis, and Babasónicos.
Ana Tijoux with Chicha Libre, Rebel Diaz, Concrete Elephant, Maracuyeah
8 PM at Europa, 98-104 Meserole Avenue, Brooklyn. $15, 21+.
Ana Tijoux makes a stop in Brooklyn to team up with globe-trotting psychedelic cumbia muchachos of Chicha Libre, plus Rebel Diaz, Concrete Elephant, and DC’s finest party starters, Maracuyeah.
Supercrush Studio and NRMAL present: Sólo Dame Indie Pop!
8 PM at Radio Bushwick, 22 Wyckoff Avenue, Brooklyn. $8, 21+.
On the second night of NRMAL and Supercrush studio’s showcase series, Argentina’s El mató a un policía motorizado will deliver their distortion-heavy live performance that’s carried them across their self-dubbed “El Nuevo Magnetismo” tour, plus representation from the Dominican Republic with Grand Resort and Franny & Zooey, and Puerto Rico’s Casual Creatures.
Saturday, July 12th
Barbès presents a Night of Latin Iconoclasts
8 PM at Drom, 85 Avenue A, New York. $10-30, 21+.
Park Slope bar and cultural space Barbès has put together a roster that pays homage to new Latin sounds from Uruguay, Venezuela, Colombia and Peru, with a few nods to Gringolanida thrown in for good measure. Make a stop at Drom to check out Sante Les Amis, Los Crema Paraiso, Chicha Libre, M.A.K.U. Soundsystem, Mariachi Flor de Toloache, and Rana Santacruz, with DJ Afro holding it down between sets.
LAMC/Central Park SummerStage Show
8 PM at Rumsey Playfield – Entrance at 72nd & 5th Avenue. Free, all ages.
Juana Molina, Babasónicos, and La Santa Cecilia keep the week-long party going with a free, all-ages show at SummerStage.
Que Bajo?!
11 PM at Tammany Hall, 152 Orchard Street, New York. Free until midnight with LAMC wristband, 21+.
Tropical bass papis Uproot Andy and Geko Jones of Que Bajo?! are keen on keeping their lineup real mysterious for their return to Tammany Hall. We trust we won’t be disappointed– past all star editions have brought together Toy Selectah, El Freaky, Maracuyeah, Rafi El…and more!
Supercrush Studio and NRMAL present: Sólo Dame Indie Pop!
8 PM at Radio Bushwick, 22 Wyckoff Avenue, Brooklyn. $8, 21+.
The final night of the Festival NRMAL and Supercrush Studio series features Brooklyn tropiglitch outfit Amigos Poderosos, and more acts TBA.