On A La Altura: Visionary Mexican Music 1977-1999, Volume 1, a new compilation of Mexican experimental music from the latter quarter of the 20th century, the misconception that cosmic exploration is reserved for futuristic science fiction is thoroughly righted. Instead, ambient and New Age ruminations sprawl with celestial curiosity, while pre-Hispanic instruments and cinematic field recordings ground the secrets of the universe in our own verdant home-world. The result is a fascinating dialogue between ancient wisdom and Space-Age zeal, with just enough rock grooves for the body to pick up wherever your intellectual journey peters out.
Curated by the Mexican journalist Carlos “Tropicaza” Icaza and Mark “Frosty” McNeill of…
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Orchestra Baobab was founded in 1970 to serve as house band at Dakar’s Baobab Club. Between 1971 and 1987 they cut numerous albums fusing Afro-Cuban rhythms, Wolof griot traditions, mbalax, Congolese rhumba, and jazz. 1982’s internationally celebrated cassette Pirates Choice offered the depth and breadth of their musical range. It has been reissued internationally several times. After splitting in the ’90s, they reunited for 2002’s Specialist in All Styles. 2017’s Tribute to Ndiouga Dieng offered homage to OB’s late original vocalist. No less than six of the band’s former members have died, leaving alto saxophonist and musical director Seydou Norou “Thierno” Koité the only survivor from the original group. On 
In the small town of Bomarzo in central Italy lies the Parco dei Mostri, a 16th-century garden filled with enormous, grotesque sculptures that have been carved directly into the rock. Also known as the Sacro Bosco (“Sacred Grove”) it was commissioned by Pier Francesco Orsini and stands apart from the more ordered ideals of Renaissance garden design. Among its many sculptures, the Orcus Mouth — a huge stone face with an open mouth leading into a small chamber — has become its most recognizable image.
As a club DJ, radio broadcaster, podcaster, and label founder, Jamz Supernova has become one of the U.K.’s foremost tastemakers, exposing audiences to music from around the world, particularly from regional dance music scenes. Her first official release is 
For the most recent offering on Easy Eye Sound, the Swiss-Ecuadorian siblings Hermanos Gutiérrez wanted to craft an instrumental love letter to South America. The resulting ten-track breezy affair, Los Ojos Del Cóndor, is an elegant journey through these soundscapes.
Innovative guitar duo Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero began working together in Mexico City in the 1990s, first in the heavy metal band Tierra Ácida, then as a beach bar-playing duo in Ixtapa, then as a busking duo in Dublin, Ireland, Western Europe, Australia, and Japan. They are citizens of the world. 
Talent alone is not enough to get ahead in the music business. You need some breaks too.
Tokyo-based large ensemble Minyo Crusaders take elements from Japanese working-class folk songs known as min’yō, and hypercharge them with rhythm, energy, and celebratory excitement. The group has grown progressively into this hybrid of the traditional and the new over the course of several albums, combining Japanese melodies handed down over generations with Latin flare, cumbia sounds, and other global cross-pollinations. From Japan with Love finds Minyo Crusaders in a mode that’s both fiery and playful, with powerful percussion, electrified horn arrangements, and group playing that emphasizes fun. The album starts off with a bang, kicking into high gear with the salsa-flavored “Hokkai Bonuta.” There’s a clash of uncanny…
Latin America is a true musical universe – a fusion of countless influences, genres and references layered in endless ways. One undeniable representative of this universe is the Argentine trio 
Roberto Carlos Lange and Fabi Reyna feel like kindred spirits. Long before they met two summers ago, they were making music — as 
Swampy surf rock, psychedelic Peruvian chicha and ambient blues – within 
The term tropicanibalismo has been circulating within experimental music scenes in Colombia since at least the early ’00s, broadly encompassing new and innovative approaches to coastal popular and folkloric music forms. Cumbión Planetario is Bogotá-based duo 
The Analog Africa label continues its obsession with the music of Peru with this retrospective of famed psychedelic cumbia pioneers 
Anenoa is Chilean-German artist 
Since releasing 1994’s Ofrenda, singer/songwriter Lila Downs has been making records. That said, Cambias mi Mundo, her first since 2023’s 
Fresh off the success of 2025’s