Brownout, Berlin Sessions: After Public Enemy and Black Sabbath cover albums, ATX guitar heathens low-ride woozy Latino funk-n-soul, both vocally (Spanish transport “Nain”) and instrumentally (KUTX hit “The Zealot”).
Tia Carrera, Tried & True: Taking acid constitutes the ultimate summer improv, so Jason Morales’ other-plane desert shred leads the longtime exploratory comet across scorched time and space (“Taos”).
El Tule, “Mil Mascaras” b/w “Acid”: Wax pressing of luchador mythology and an impromptu jam of Ray Barretto from shit-hot local rockeros rewinds to Seventies Monterrey, Mexico.
Amplified Heat, “In a Forest of Love,” “It’s Hard”: Li’l ol’ local mezcal trio Jim, Gian, and Chris Ortiz batter and fry Texan blues both contemporarily sludge-kissed (“Forest”) and Sixties hooky-n-rude (“Hard”).
Texicana Mamas, “Esperanza”: San Antonio natives Tish Hinojosa, Stephanie Urbina Jones, and Patricia Vonne tease forthcoming debut LP with a flourishing border melodrama and lyric video. Olé!
Ayo Tamz, “Rompelo,” “Omhoog”: Popping minimalist space-hop sex twerks, Spanish-language ATX femcee propositions casually, conversationally on two new bump-n-grinds alongside Mexican MC Ivan Dola and producer Djacobz, respectively.
JU4N, “Loops for MIDI Pt. 1”: Vintage hardware meets modern software in the watery, cleansing, insistent piano plink of Holodeck Records’ trending local composer Juan Cisneros.
Como Las Movies, “No Soy de Ti”: Encoring a “Shoegaze Cumbia” for NPR, this B-side to 2019 7-inch “YPQSP” balances a weightless grit atop a cover of salsa king Ralfi Pagan.
Stephanie Bergara, KUTX Storytime Presents: The Legend of the Bluebonnet: Selena obsessive behind local tribute phenom Bidi Bidi Banda melts hearts reading Comanche origin story of Texas state flower by recently deceased author/illustrator Tomie DePaola.
Gina Chavez, La Que Manda: EP (formerly LP) follow-up to 2014 smash Up.rooted leads with spacious electro seduction “Ella,” positioning the LGBTQIA icon as Austin’s Rosalía.
This article appears in May 29 • 2020.
