Five SXAmérica acts to check out

Elena Mejia

March 11, 2016

With a mission to connect North America, Central America and South America with the Live Music Capital of the World, SXAméricas will spotlight the international creative community. It offers a series of events curated by South By Southwest Music from March 15-20 to showcase Latino musical talent in Austin venues. Below, The Daily Texan suggests five bands at SXAméricas you can’t miss.
Cocofunka — Costa Rica
Started in 2008, Cocofunka offers a new spin on Costa Rican music, merging indie, funk, rock, reggae and alternative latin sounds. Their blend of psychedelic and dance beats brought them to more than 400 stages throughout Mexico, Peru, Nicaragua, Panama and the U.S.
Sotomayor — Mexico City, Mexico
Siblings Raul and Paulina Sotomayor fuse rhythms of Cumbia and Peruvian “chicha” to create dance music project Sotomayor. Though recently formed, Sotomayor offers an innovative sound that has already reached the stages of London and Bogotá, despite having released their first LP Salvaje just last year.
Locos Por Juana — Miami, Florida
Locos Por Juana offers unique energetic live performances with a fusion of Latin, Caribbean and American influences. Vocalist Itawe Correa and guitarist Mark Kondrat were born in Colombia and incorporate sounds of their descent along with Cumbia and Afro-Colombian rhythms, into their music. This blend of sounds landed the duo a Grammy and Latin Grammy nomination in 2008 and 2005, respectively.
Lulacruza — Buenos Aires, Argentina
As an electronic folk duo, Lulacruza unites the modern and the ancient by blending shamanic and ritualistic influences with folk and electronic music. Alejandra Ortiz and Luis Maurette bonded over a deep connection and ritual music at the Berklee College of Music and have since performed together in over 50 cities.
Division Minuscula — Matamoros, Mexico
In the late ’90s, Javier and Kiko Blake started Division Minuscula in their small hometown of Matamoros. When Ricci Pérez and Alejandro Luque joined, the band entered the city’s punk rock scene, gaining attention for their Spanish melodic punk rock. The group recorded their 2008 album Sirenas in Los Angeles, CA, resulting in an organic classic rock approach to their sound and composition.

Five SXAmérica acts to check out

The Daily Texan