Cool Band Alert - Empanadas Ilegales
Creepy-Crawly Cumbia
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Name: Empanadas Ilegales
From: Vancouver, BC
RIYL: Meridian Brothers, Ray Barretto, Celia Cruz, Joe Bataan, Sonido Gallo Negro, Combo Chimbita, Orkesta Mendoza, Lido Pimienta
The Gist: The soundtrack for a quinceañera held in a haunted house.
An air of spookiness hangs over Sancocho Trifásico, the new LP from Vancouver’s Empanadas Ilegales. Maybe it’s the echo wreathing every note, or the way the lead sax and guitar lines will suddenly take a hard turn into a minor key. Whatever it is, the psych-cumbia outfit’s music carries a whiff of the supernatural—the perfect finishing touch for their delirious songs. The band are at their best on track two, the wonderfully creepy-crawly “Mano Peluda,” where a spidery guitar line tiptoes between queasy exhalations of brass atop a rhythm track that sounds like a parade of rattling skeletons. They’re just as great when the mood is brighter: “Cumbia Rajá” is a giddy blast, with a breathless rhythm and a melody line that explodes in a series of joyous staccato notes. The manic album artwork is just a taste of what awaits within: tripped-out takes on classic Latin music, with more than a hint of the surreal.
Sancocho Trifásico is out June 6 on We Are Time. Pre-order it.
Dig this record and want more like it?
Did you know that every month, Maria Barrios rounds up the Best New Latin Music on Bandcamp? Well, now you do. If you want to venture deeper into the sounds of psychedelic cumbia, we recommend a stop in Bogotá, where the reinvention of cumbia is in full swing. Novel takes on the sound were also all over pirate radio in Mexico City—the story behind it is fascinating. For other takes on cumbia, check out Los Bichos and Meridian Brothers, or go further into the past with this compilation of classics from Venezuelan bandleader Carlos “Tabaco” Quintana. And we would be remiss not to point you in the direction of the legendary Fania Records, who were ahead of the curve before there even was a curve to be ahead of.
Listening Party Picks, June 5th - June 11th
Come hang in the chat with artists celebrating their record release this week on Bandcamp.
June 5th, Soccer Mommy for Evergreen (stripped). RSVP.
June 5th, Brian Estepa for I See It Now. RSVP.
June 5th, zakè, Spieth, & Guentner for Arcadia. RSVP.
June 6th, Ben LeMar Gay for Yowzers. RSVP.
June 6th, Unwed Sailor for Cruel Entertainment. RSVP.
June 9th, Angel Electronics for ULTRA PARADISE. RSVP.
June 10th, FaltyDL for Neurotica. RSVP.
June 10th, Mary Halvorson for About Ghosts. RSVP.
June 10th, Steve Queralt for Swallow. RSVP.
June 10th, The Bug Club for Very Human Features. RSVP.
June 11th, Break for Digital World Remixes. RSVP.
June 11th, Maiya Blaney for A Room With a Door That Closes. RSVP.
To see the full calendar, go to here.