El Combo Oscuro, Organizacion Kumbiambera, Las Chicas en 512

Fusing Peruvian Sixties psychedelic and loose rhythmic Latin, El Combo Oscuro highlights a night of cumbia at Chess Club. Last year the local sextet released Cumbia Capital, a mezcal-fermented brew of slinky keyboard modulations, polyrhythmic percussion, and serpentine surf rock. An extension of Que Sonido Tan Rico (2021), the four-track EP unravels into a peyote hypnosis as sinewy-limbed six-strings uncoil (“El Ventarron”) and organs cut loose, swirling into zigzagged flourishes. Expect more cumbia and Tejano classics by fellow locals Organización Kumbiambera and Las Chicas en 512. – Alejandra Ramirez