Tags: Mexican

Review: If you're into little-known South American gems from the dim and distant past, Mexico City's Discodelic label has got you covered. This limited-edition "45" marks the second instalment of their ongoing "Nicaraguan Afro-Latin" series and offers-up two deep cuts from the catalogue of tropical Afro-rock kings Bwama. Both tracks were originally featured on the band's second self-titled album in 1972. Our pick of the pair is A-side 'Ritmo Martizon', a richly percussive fusion of Guajira rhythms, salsa style pianos, gravelly funk-rock guitars and life-affirming vocals. That said, flipside 'Pa Goza' - a funky, shoulder-swinging affair featuring duelling organ and guitar lines atop a locked-in Latin beat - is also superb. In a word: essential!

Review: This album captures the evolution of corridos in 2023 and arrives as Peso Pluma dominates the global stage. It also marks the beginning of a new era in which the artists is redefining his sound beyond his usual hits. Across 14 tracks, Pluma moves from romance to raw intensity and reveals his deepest creative instincts. More than just commercial success, GENESIS solidifies his legacy and shows Mexican music's global appeal. With the requinto and bajoloche now recognised internationally, Pluma joins artists like Natanael Cano and Junior H in reshaping the musical landscape far beyond his homeland.

Review: Mexican singer-songwriter Natalia Lafourcade shared her tenth album De Todas Las Flores in 2022, drawing influence from a variety of folk and Latin jazz genres including bolero, cumbia, bossa nova, samba and son jarocho. Her first project of completely original material in seven years, since her fifth studio record Hasta La Raiz, the album was produced by French-Mexican musician Adan Jodorowsky, Lafourcade's former neighbour and multi-talent in his own right. A rare case of a "musical diary" among Lafourcade's catalogue, the album was a bittersweet, romantic jaunt from the get-go, dealing in themes of grief both thematically and formally: it was recorded entirely on analog tape in an El Paso exurb, not far, yet still a comforting ways away, from her home municipality of Veracruz, Mexico.

Review: Correcciones Calypso returns from a generous hiatus with the fourth edition of its acclaimed edit series, replete with four re-edits that veer from the subtle to the downright brazen. Thomass Jackson and INigo Vontier invite the French duo Youkounkoun to open proceedings with an insane early 80s edit full of big drums and exotic touches that's been blowing dancefloors all around the world for the past years - and definitely resides in the brazen category, despite a lot of work having gone into it. Olta Karawame make their debut on the series with a powerful, compact edit full of ballsy keyboard riffing and a military-sized kick drum that is guaranteed to have heads banging . To complete the release label bosses Thomass and INigo deliver edits of their own with their characteristic sound, giving this EP maximum a value for money factor and entertainment from start to finish.

Review: The esteemed gang at Dark Entries have been hard at work on another one of their always eye opening compilation. This time they turn their focus to Mexican new wave and post-punk on the 10-track Back Up: Mexican Tecno Pop. None of the tunes here have ever made it to wax before and they come with a 12 page magazine that is packed with extra context, lyrics and bios about the artists. The tunes all shine a fine light on the flourishing DIY scene that was present in 1980's Mexico when much of the world's focus was on the more well documented synth pop and obscure electronics from Europe and the United States.