KCRW’s Global Beat is a series highlighting emerging artists from around the world. Our second season takes us to Mexico, hosted by KCRW DJ Raul Campos alongside our curators, Mexico City DJ and music supervisor Junf, director of Festival NRMAL Moni Saldaña, and NPR’s Betto Arcos.
Mexico City’s premiere party-starter Junf continues to flex the breadth of his taste. This week it’s old soul folk with a modern heart from David De La Luz, Girl Ultra vibes courtesy of Latin Grammy-nominated Nana Mendoza, and Kumbia Boruka’s evolutionary approach to the widely popular cumbia sound.
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David De La Luz – “Amor Distante”
21-year-old David De La Luz is an old soul with a modern heart. The Mexico City-based folk singer leads with his love of mariachi and other traditional forms of Mexican balladry, but it’s La Luz’s keen ear for crisp, modern production alongside his avant-garde approach to lyrical composition that makes his work pack a punch.
Nana Mendoza – “te espero (Feat. Jaxx Landry)”
Sleek, spare, and minimalist alt-R&B stylings take our love of Latin Grammy-nominated Nana Mendoza to the max. For “te espero,” she teamed up with Mexican jazz mystery man Jaxx Landry, and a few other unnamed players on the scene. Whatever she’s doing to produce this pleasure-inducing, Girl Ultra-esque sound… we hope she keeps it up forever.
Kumbia Boruka – “Fiesta En Las Calles”
As proteges of the Monterrey cumbia legend Celso Piña, Kumbia Boruka take further strides to evolve the widely embraced, Mexicanized take on the Colombian genre of cumbia. Junf likens their approach to long-time KCRW favorites El Gran Silencio. Compare and contrast execution by revisiting El Gran Silencio’s 2004 performance on Morning Becomes Eclectic.
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