Introducing: Pan Caliente

Written by

Pan Caliente blogheader_600x133_final

Check out the first post on Pablo Malaurie

There’s always a bit of skepticism from my friends when I tell them, “I heard this great new rock band in Spanish!”

It takes the form of a frightened look that is exactly the same on both the faces of my Anglo hipster friends as it is on my friends of Latin American descent. And I really can’t blame them for being gun-shy.

Music in Spanish is not, for the most part, associated with the hip, the cool, the fresh or groundbreaking.  Many people only encounter the traditional forms made “popular” by radio stations and marketing firms attempting to reach a new emerging Latino market, genres like Rancheras, Banda, Tradicional, Grupera, Rock en Español and Romanticas.

But there is so much more. And what these companies with huge platforms and reach fail to recognize is that Latinos listen to EVERY type of music. Our musical tastes resemble that of any typical KCRW listener. Because, being in LA, we are your typical KCRW listener.

So on this very blog we are going to try and do what KCRW has successfully done on the airwaves for decades: Integrate great music from all over the world — with a language twist.

Pan Caliente, as the feature is called, will focus on highlighting young bands producing amazing music in Spanish-speaking countries.

We will introduce you to musicians creating unique concepts in strong indie rock scenes like Chile, Argentina, Mexico, and Spain that often go widely unheard.

We’ll also feature great music that showcases a harmony between indigenous folk rhythms of the Americas with traditional music genres. Many are insane combinations of sounds that surprisingly work — bands who play Murga coupled with Hip-Hop or Tango combined with Electronica or even Jarocho mixed in with Ska to give you an idea.

There’s no good reason why you should be missing out on all this great music simply because it’s in Spanish. And we’ll bring you the best of what’s around.