Words by Jesse Serwer—
New York City has seen a lot of changes over the last few decades, and one of them has been the shrinking of the borough’s longstanding Puerto Rican communities, as newer groups move in and Boricuas relocate to the suburbs and other areas.
Which is a shame, as Puerto Rico and NYC have a symbiotic relationship when it comes to music and culture that is unmatched. Without the Nuyoricans in Spanish Harlem and the Bronx—can’t forget smaller pockets like Los Sures in Williamsburg, too—there would be no salsa music as we know it. So it’s good to see that the genre is still being kept alive and reinvented in fresh ways by Latinos (and Latinas) in New York.
Specifically, we’re talking about “La Paz Del Freak,” an infectious new track from “psychedelic salsa” band La Mecanica Popular. We’re not sure what the exact heritage of the band’s members are, but the sharp video provides a nice snapshot of Boricua culture en NYC. Specifically it takes us inside the action at Caribbean Sports Bar, Williamsburg’s last remaining Latin social club, according to Names You Can Trust, the Brooklyn record label releasing the group’s debut album later this fall.
Speaking of that LP, it was produced by Xuxi Lazzaro, the guy behind Rita Indiana’s El Juidero, one of the freshest nuevo latino albums in recent memory, and also features Fania Records’ Louis Bauzo as a guest percussionist, so we’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for that.. And if you like what you hear in the “La Paz Del Freak” video, the label is giving the track away for free for a limited time, so head over to their Bandcamp site. And we’re pretty sure you will after watching the video below: