SXSW 2012

Featuring Cults, Wallpaper, Quiet Life, Bear in Heaven, Quiet Company and Mister Loveless. Curated by SAY and TastemakerX.

MANEJA BETO
ESCANTE CALLING

Alex Cuba is a rebel. "When it comes to creativity, I need to go to places I've never been before," he says. With the wanderlust of a world traveler, the Cuban-Canadian singer-songwriter explores new sonic spaces on Ruido En El Sistema / Static in the System. Following the compass points of rock, soul, pop, and Latin-funk on his fourth album, Cuba continues his journey as a critically acclaimed independent artist who's charted his own destiny across the world stage while earning a growing legion of devoted listeners at each new juncture.

Known for her striking voice and magnetic performances, Mexican-American singer and composer Lila Downs (Oaxaca, México) has created one of the most singular explorations of Mexican roots music on both sides of the border. The daughter of an American professor (her father) and a Mixtec cabaret singer, Downs came of age in both countries. By studying folk Mexican rhythms and native dialects and blending them with American folk, blues and rock, Downs has created a unique body of work through releases such as La Sandunga (1999), Tree of Life (2000) Border (2001), One Blood (2004), Entre Copa y Copa (2006) and Shake Away/Ojo de Culebra (2008).

Cuban born with French, Spanish, African and Chinese heritage, CuCu Diamantes came to New York with music in mind. After finishing ‘fine arts’ studies in Havana and Rome, CuCu felt the pull of the Manhattan’s unique rhythm and has been a devotee and contributor ever since.

Music and fashion merge to celebrate the winner of maurices Hometown Sound Band Search 2012. maurices created Hometown Sound in partnership with PlayNetwork and Sonicbids to uncover the best undiscovered band in the country. After 815 entries and thousands of votes, we are excited to feature our winner along with an incredible line up including Graffiti6, Ximena Sariñana, Eve 6, and Every Avenue. We welcome artists to stop by our VIP gifting lounge at Terrace59 on the rooftop of the Speakeasy for some fun fashion giveaways, food and drinks.

We are a Colombian band that has been writing music for about 2 years and has been playing live shows for about 8 months.
We have a broad sound that can pass through a number of musical genres such as folk, punk or dance music while generally maintaing a pop sensibility.
We haven´t made an official release for the moment.

BAMBARABANDA is a unique group, one that synthesizes an authentic approach infused with a strong cultural identity, nourished by musical traditions of the Andean regions of Colombia and South America in a fusion of universal rhythms. Leading a project involving various forms of expression, the group labors constantly toward creating works with a profound artistic sentiment. Since its beginning in 2000, BAMBARABANDA has worked as a collective which, through diverse avenues of expression, has created an experience melding music, theatre, visual art, design and audiovisual concepts.
Aiming to project its musical statement throughout Colombia and beyond, in 2008 BAMBARABANDA released its first recorded project, an independent endeavor titled EL BAILE DE LOS OBLIGADITOS. In 2009, the group was invited to participate in ROCK AL PARQUE, considered one of Latin America’s most important alternative music events, earning the recognition of being the biggest revelation (BANDA REVELACION) of the festival. In the same year, BAMBARABANDA was nominated for Colombia’s respected PREMIOS SHOCK, winning honors in two categories, including Best Alternative Band. In 2010, the band received the top award at the SUBTERRANICA COLOMBIA Awards for Best Live Show and was invited to participate at SXSW (South By Southwest) in Austin, Texas.

Jazz sensibility with future dancefloor orientated grooves, deep funk, tough drums and tropical rhythms.
Will Holland, aka Quantic, is one of the most talented and prolific artists in the world of alternative dance music today. Recording under various guises, (Will’s musical projects also include The Limp Twins, a duo he formed with sometime DJ partner Russell Porter on vocals, and his unmistakably savvy production completing the magic), it is under the Quantic moniker that he has blazed a trail where others have followed, enjoying consistent acclaim and success, with solo work leading to live bands the Quantic Soul Orchestra and more recently Quantic and his Combo Bárbaro, plus the intriguing Flowering Inferno side project.
Holland released his first Quantic album, ‘The 5th Exotic’ in the summer of 2001 on Tru Thoughts, when he was just 20. It was picked up on by some of the most respected names in underground music. Richard Dorfmiester, Mr Scruff and LTJ Bukem all raved about it, not surprising when tunes like “Common Knowledge” and the near classic “Life in the Rain” had blazed across dance floors all over Europe. With elements of jazz, funk and Afro blended with tight breaks and distinctive production, ‘The 5th Exotic’ proved irresistible and won many plaudits.
Building on this acclaim, the release of ‘Apricot Morning’ less than a year later dispelled any talk of “the difficult second album”; his sound seemed to expand in every direction and he became the first Tru Thoughts artist to collaborate with Alice Russell as well as recording with MC EQ and Bristol’s freshest hip hop crew, Aspects. ‘Apricot Morning’ is a perfect snapshot of everything happening at the jazzier end of underground music in 2002, as proved by Gilles Peterson who ranked it amongst his albums of the year.
The release of the album ‘Mishaps Happening’ in 2004 saw Quantic continuing to work with Alice Russell as well as recording two tracks with the legendary Spanky Wilson (with whom he went on to collaborate on a tour and an electrifying album for his Quantic Soul Orchestra…but that’s another story). Quantic released a two-disc ‘One Offs, Remixes and B Sides’ album in 2005, which featured Mr Scruff and remixes by Pilooski and Seiji; and his fifth long player, ‘An Announcement To Answer’ followed in 2006, cementing his reputation as a 21st Century Quincy Jones.
Quantic regularly DJs across the world (and we mean the World not just America, Europe and Japan) spreading the unique Quantic sound with each set. His music has been featured on countless compilations and TV soundtracks, and he has a busy schedule of remixes and collaborations across the board; his track with Nickodemus, “Mi Swing Es Tropical”, soundtracked Apple’s worldwide summer iPod advert.
In 2007 Will Holland relocated to Cali, Colombia, where he has had a studio built and is continuing to create exciting music at a characteristically prolific rate, taking inspiration from the heady mix of rhythms and sounds on his doorstep. This inspiration saw a new project come to life in 2008, under the moniker Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno, a summery dub and reggae-inspired affair with an authentic tropical vibe. The album, ‘Death Of The Revolution’ came out in July 2008 featuring Holland on various instruments with contributions from a host of Latin American musicians, including the legendary Peruvian pianist Alfredo Linares. This album pricked up the ears of many tastemakers and fans alike, including Gilles Peterson and Mark Lamarr (BBC Radio 2), who were excited and curious about the new musical progression - and impressed that it sounded as stunning and original as any Quantic album to date.
Over the years, Quantic’s amazing catalogue of releases has been peppered with highly acclaimed albums by full live band The Quantic Soul Orchestra, and the big story for 2009 was the formation of Quantic and his Combo Bárbaro, a handpicked band of internationally renowned musicians (several of whom featured on the Flowering Inferno project) to take over from The Quantic Soul Orchestra in realising the next stage of Holland’s musical vision. The highly acclaimed album, ‘Tradition In Transition’ reached No. 4 in the official European World Music Chart and garnered rave reviews and features in publications across the board, from world music titles to hipster lifestyle magazines. It was accompanied by a beautiful and intriguing film by renowned photographer/director B+, capturing the rhythms of life in Cali. A tour of the UK and Europe included a headline set at the Big Chill, a sold-out show at London’s Roundhouse, and proved to be an electrifying live experience.
The Combo Bárbaro toured the UK and Europe again in June/July 2010, with major festival sets including Glastonbury, which was broadcast on BBC TV. The new Flowering Inferno album ‘Dog With A Rope’ came out to much acclaim in July.
Early 2011 saw the release of the “Caliventura EP”, featuring remixes of Quantic and his Combo Bárbaro by Daedelus, J-Boogie, Cut Chemist and more; further DJ dates and a full live tour of the UK and Europe are confirmed for the Summer, and a ‘Best Of’ collection will be released in September, to celebrate ten remarkable years of Quantic making music on Tru Thoughts.

DURAN is a solo project, it has a new sound called chirripop, this style of music includes electrocumbia,
dance hall. R&B, rock & trip hop. However, the lyrics have a particular style full of street and raw
elements, evoking a real Colombian sound beneath an obscene “fandango” that will make you move by the rhythim of hell. His album debut comes with all the flavor of his country, providing the popular music a hot and hip status that makes the colombian sound into an aproachabble music to the world.

Canalón de Timbiquí honors the richness of its land. Its music is born in the mines, on the banks of the river, in the jungle and in the resistance of the blacks. The group is musicaly directed by the teacher Elizabeth (Licha) Sinisterra García and is made up of musicians and traditional singers ¨cantadoras¨ with etnical roots on afro-colombian heritage. They all come from a small town on the colombian Pacific Coast: Timbiquí. They interpret the colors and folklore of the colombian Pacific Coast. Its members recreate arrullos, myths and legends around Santa Bárbara, patron saint from their town. They play jugas, bambucos and bundes to honor the activities they do in their town: fishing, mining, agriculture. Canalon de Timbiqui plays traditional marimba, 2 bombos: golpeador and arrullador, two cununos: male and female, and the guasás that the traditional singers play rhythmically along with their choirs.

Monsieur Periné, more than a musical group, it’s a creative project that was born out of the artistic and rhythmic exploration undertaken by Catalina Garcia, Santiago Prieto, Nicolas Junca and Camilo Parra in 2007. Today our project has grown and we have the talent of three new members: Fabián Peñaranda, Miguel Guerra and Daniel Chebair on the drums.

Janka Nabay is the undisputed king of bubu music, a frantically-paced electronic dance music with ancient, magical origins in Sierra Leone (known as Salone by locals). Before Janka, Sierra Leoneans thought of bubu music as a relic of the past, something best left in the hills with the folk singers and witches. But in the mid 90s, during the Sierra Leonean civil war, Janka resuscitated and modernized bubu. Salone quickly fell under its spell.

Individually and collectively, M.A.K.U SoundSystem (M.A.K.U) has been searching for a musical voice, experimenting in jazz, rock, hip-hop, and folklore. After a year of trying to build M.A.K.U and delving into individual and cultural past, members simply came to accept themselves. M.A.K.U is an immigrant experience, a life style, the musical expression of who and what already exists.

Chicha LIbre is a Brooklyn collective made up of French, American, Venezuelan and Mexican musicians who play a mixture of Latin rhythms, surf and psychedelia.

Debo Band is a 11-member group led by Ethiopian-American saxophonist Danny Mekonnen and fronted by charismatic vocalist Bruck Tesfaye. Since their inception in 2006, the band have toured Ethiopia twice, having appeared at both the Ethiopian Music Festival in Addis Ababa and Sauti Za Busara in Zanzibar, the largest music festival in East Africa. In North America, they’ve shared stages with Gogol Bordello, The Family Stone, Tilahun Gessesse (one of the great voices of Ethiopian pop since the 60’s), The Ex with Ethiopian sax legend Getatchew Mekuria, Group Doueh, and Khaira Arby and Her Band. They’ve also performed at Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, The Kennedy Center, Montreal Jazz Fest, globalFEST 2012 at Webster Hall, Joe’s Pub, and World Music Festival: Chicago.

From Chase Hoffberger, The Austin Chronicle:

Former members of Gogol Bordello and clever rapper Tomer Yosef combine gypsy music, dancehall, and hip-hop to spark the wildest party south of the Gaza Strip.