Not to make gross generalizations, but I think it’s pretty safe to say that most Remezcla readers are also big fútbol fans because duh, we’re Latinos. Which is why many of you might be excited to hear that we are partnering with Heineken to throw the biggest soccer event of the year in NYC – a ginormous United European Football Association (UEFA) Champions League finals viewing party, complete with food, drinks, surprise musical guests, giant plasma viewing screens, and more!
This year, the final comes down to two German teams – Bayern Munich and Dortmund (Bayern beat Barca in an unexpected twist – sorry Piqué…) So, in homage to the Deutscheland and in prep for the match, we’ve put together a small playlist of Latin Alt musicians with German influences or backgrounds. After all, millions of German speakers have emigrated to Latin America over the last two hundred years (hello WWII), and their seminal contributions to electronic music are especially felt in the budding digital cumbia scene.
So without further ado, prep for the UEFA Champions League final with the playlist below, and make sure to RSVP for our event here or by clicking the flyer above!
The Peronists
“Villa Alemana”
Argentine ñu-cumbia group The Peronists (who took their name from said politician and you might remember from their appearance on the first ZZK Cumbia Digital compilation), are deeply influenced by German electronic music. This track is called “Villa Alemana” (German Ville or German Slums, in local slang), and it’s a cumbia/moombahton version of a track by their favorite German band of all times, Kraftwerk.
Mueran Hermanos
“Festival de las Luces”
Mueran Humanos is a glossy post-punk experimental duo from Buenos Aires, Argentina who relocated to Berlin, where they are experiencing impressive underground success. Think dark, goth-y soundscapes that still get your feet moving.
Alex Anwandter
“Como Puedes Vivir Contigo Mismo?” Fun Fact: Alex Anwandter is a descendant of one of Chile’s first German colonizers, Carlos Anwandter. Another fun fact: this song will literally never get old to me.
Track 4
Señor Coconut
“Autobahn”
The German with a million nicknames, Uwe Schmidt aka Atom aka Señor Coconut moved to Santiago in the 90s, where he became the grandfather of the “electrolatino” movement. Since then he’s put out a ton of “latin-ized” song covers (some questionable – Prince’s ‘Kiss’??), but there’s no denying his major role in the digital latin scene.
Track 5
Checkpoint Guanabana
“Checkpoint Guanabana”
Checkpoint Guanabana is a band formed in Berlin by Colombianos who are very much influenced by the new trends of digital Afro-Colombian rhythms (think Bomba Estéreo, Systema Solar, Pernett), but also the electronic music typically produced in their new metropolis. They’ve only got two tracks up on Soundcloud, but we’re excited to see what these guys have to offer.
Track 6
Intiche
Huayman
We don’t know tons about Intiche – other than that he was born in Buenos Aires, relocated to Berlin, and puts out electro nativo-mestizo music that is furthering Berlin’s burgeoning avant-garde, cumbia inspired, Andean/Amazonic flavored movements. Check it out.