Latin Alternative Music Conference in New York

My good friend Paul works for Nacional Records, an alternative Latin music label, and was in New York last week helping run the Latin Alternative Music Conference. The main shows got an excellent review in the New York Times, which also provided an interesting perspective on the whole Latin alternative scene. Paul always sends me tons of stuff: music, articles, news, and I was really happy to be able to see what he's working on. I'm very jealous of him, because he's one of the few people my age that I know who is living his (career) dream and working in the field he really wants to be in.

Eli and I went to see Bomba Estereo and Calle 13 at Central Park's Summerstage, and Paul gave us the VIP treatment, which made it an even more fun experience (thanks, Paul!). The show opened with Eric Bobo, a drummer who mixes different musical styles and plays with a DJ.

Then came Bomba Estereo, which was my favorite. I've never quite heard anything like it, and that was part of what made them so interesting to listen to. The band hails from Colombia, and mixes cumbia and traditional Colombian music with rock, techno, hip hop, and some genres I couldn't even identify. It sounds like a bunch of songs were put in a blender, but it comes out sounding really cool. Also, I thought each of their songs sounded unique, which is somewhat rare. They're also great live.

The headliner was Calle 13, a hip hop band from Puerto Rico. They were also great live, and it was treat to be able to finally see them in concert.

The problem with alternative music, especially Latin alternative, is that it has a smaller audience than "mainstream" music and less coverage in the traditional music media, like the radio and music TV channels. But the digital age has helped the genre gain popularity, like on iTunes and Youtube, and its selective audience may be in its favor, as Jon Pareles from the NYT pointed out:

"Still, Latin alternative music hasn’t become a Next Big Thing. More often than not it is stranded between commercial radio formats. 'It’s not going to be exploding tomorrow and then gone nine months later,' Mr. Cookman said. 'It’s not about one song, one band, one dance move, one fashion. We don’t need our Macarena moment.'”

Comments

[Ernest Barteldes]

I've been attending LAMC for a number of years now. It's a great opportunity to check out that specific music scene - Latin Alternative is really an umbrella term that translates as Latin that is not traditional or folk music. It's young, it's vibrant, but it is also struggling to be heard. But thankfully there are many success stories - the huge crowd for Calle 13 last Sunday (btw nice seeing you and also finally meeting Eliseu) is evidence of that. Today, many of these acts are performing in mainstream festivals - something unheard of
just a few years ago...