Amantes del Futuro, Espanglish Cumbia Rosa (2019)
You probably guessed it from the subject line, today’s newsletter is about Espanglish 😅 But not the mix of Spanish and English that bilinguals casually throw around. No, this is about Espanglish, the band!
Blending tropical, electronic and traditional Latin rhythms, the band, which was formed in 2019 by Mexican musicians Lisette Martell and Alfredo Fernández, crosses musical borders as much as cultural ones. Their musical affinity to a vibrant cultural movement rooted in Mexico’s electric street party scene, where DJs (known as sonideros) blast cumbia and other Latin beats through massive sound systems, often gets them tagged as a sonidero band. At the same time, Espanglish recorded their debut album Love Can’t Stop all the way up in Vancouver, Canada, and sprinkle in enough English lyrics that their band name actually makes sense.
But don’t get it twisted, today’s track is pure Latin heat. For “Cumbia Rosa”, Espanglish teamed up with digital cumbia maestro Immanuel “Ima Felini” Miralda—aka Amantes del Futuro—to take the vibes to the next level. Here, Lisette Martell’s lucid voice glides over feverish cumbia rhythms, electronic beats and glowing synth waves, building up to a wild synthesized flute solo that absolutely steals the show 🔥
Dig Deeper
After a misunderstanding with a local cartel, Ulises—a teenager immersed in Monterrey’s cumbia subculture and a member of the street gang Los Terkos—is forced to flee to the United States, leaving behind his family, friends and way of life. This is the premise of Ya no estoy aquí (I'm No Longer Here), a poignant drama from 2019 set against the backdrop of Mexico’s vibrant cumbia scene. In New York, Ulises struggles to adapt, caught between the unfamiliarity of his new environment and a longing for the world he left behind. The film explores themes of cultural identity, alienation, and displacement, offering a nuanced glimpse into a rich subculture shaped by passion and resilience.
Watch here
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