En La Misma Onda

(Sorry about the lack of music posts, I'm in the middle of some heavy exams, I'll post whenever I find the time. To tease you a little: expect new material from Daddy Yankee, Los Hermanos Rosario, and La Valentina!)

One news item overshadows all others: a series of tragic deaths hit latin music last week, with three young icons passing away unexpectedly.

• Andy Palacio, aged 47, died of multiple strokes and heart attacks in his homeland Belize. His album Watina - honoring the music and traditions of his Garifuna people - earned him a prestigious WOMEX award, the top spot on many world music lists and the title of UNESCO Artist for Peace. Belizeans are very affected by the loss, Palacio will receive a state funeral and a tribute concert is planned. The full press release is over at Soundroots.


• Gabriel Manelli, bassist of Argentinean rock band Babasonicos, passed away at the age of 38, after a 'severe illness he has been fighting for a long time'. You can read the communiqué on their website. Babasonicos were working on their ninth studio album in London at the time. (via Latin Gossip)


• And in a continuing spiral of violence in the Mexican grupera community, Jorge Antonio Sepulveda - better known as 'El Koquillo de Sinaloa' - was brutally murdered by multiple gunshots. He was only 20 years old. This is the fourth consecutive murder in little over a month, other victims were Jose Luis Aquino (Los Conde), Sergio Gomez (K-Paz de la Sierra) and Zayda Peña. (via VivirLatino)

May they all rest in peace.

Turn That Shit Off posted the second part of its "Hitchhikers Guide to New World Music". To be honest, I haven't had the chance to read it entirely, but considering the quality of part one I'll take the chance ;) This time they talk about 'nu' reggaeton, merengue, kuduro and much more - quite a goldmine.

More 'nu whirled' music thanks to Fat Planet (who are starting to deserve a space in our sidebar with that continuous post quality). El Remolón is one of the nueva cumbia geniouses that's conquering the blogosphere at the moment, and I was completely overwhelmed by his latest mashup of Modeselektor vs. Calle 13. Really combining the best of two worlds: Modeselektor are pioneers of modern Berlin techno, Calle 13 are the most inventive reggaeton combo out there. Read the full post with mp3!

Europe has a new reggaeton portal - Reggaeton.eu arises from the ashes of our former partners Reggaeton.be and Reggaetonworld.eu, bringing you news, videos, reviews and party info in four languages. I'm quitely hoping the Google News bit gets replaced by true content, but at least the party section tipped me to a great latin dance last weekend :)

Daddy Yankee is not the only reggaetonero to star in a movie soon (though half the world is wondering when Talento de Barrio will actually be released). Rene Perez a.k.a. Residente, the rapping half of Calle 13, also has plans to appear on the big screen. Pasiones Urbanas will tell the tale of three couples, all played by Perez and his girlfriend Denise Quiñones (ex-Miss Universe). (via BlogReggaeton)

And finally, here are two nice videos of songs we featured before on La Onda. Tego Calderón keeps it ghetto-style in La Perla, San Juan on "Ni Fu Ni Fa". Read the review of his album El Abayarde Contra-Ataca here. And Shakira takes us back to the time of cholera in "Hay Amores". Videos below!