For over 16 years, the men of Locos Por Juana have been fusing together traditional North American music to create a new kind of reggae/hip hop/Latin/dub hybrid. Since their start in 2000, the band has grown from their Miami roots to encompass rhythms of the Caribbean and Latin Americas, earning both GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY nominations in the process. After their debut album Musica Pal Pueblo in 2005, Locos Por Juana have produced two follow-up full-length LPs (and one EP) which have garnered the band both an escalating fan base and deserved recognition from the music industry. Their last album, Somos de la Calle, premiered in September of 2012, thus, it is absolutely thrilling to announce that Locos Por Juana have released their sophomore single to digital outlets. Just for reference, their first single since 2012 “Mueve, Mueve” has gained over 400,000 VEVO views to date and the band has subsequently been touring ever since. Not too shabby, and this new single is set to even surpass those numbers since it features one of reggae’s finest.
Ladies and gentlemen, the party has officially started.
Locos Por Juana is a self-described ‘bilingual Latin Jam-Band’, and what better blend of island style could there be than to incorporate a Bermuda native into the mix like Collie Buddz? “The Cure” is an ode to not only weed, but the idea of taking it easy – if only for the duration of the song. The track features a heavy bassline with bold horns and an interesting back beat. It’s borderline dubstep over dub, but not entirely: although reggae is drifting into further electronica territory every day, this track posits its reverb just enough to not detract from the other cultural roots involved. And, true to their Latin vibe, the track bounces back and forth between English and Spanish – a fitting technique with lyrics claiming the band has “found the cure for the world”, “world” being the key word here. By the time the bridge hits, the Locos Por Juana boys assume that you’ve already rolled your blunt, passed it around, and now need to take a break to enjoy your high. This is dictated in the disappearance of the song’s drum and bass to make way for a playful bubble organ solo, with remnants of spoken word lyrics dosed with reverb in background. The horns reappear just in time to finish off the track with the same gusto that it began with. Ladies and gentlemen, the party has officially started.
What’s discomforting is that “The Cure” peaks a listener’s interest for more, and there unfortunately is no word of a full-length release coming in the future. One could only hope that Locos Por Juana has more of their sleeve, since this kind of fusion is rare to find on the reggae market. Since the band has been hitting the road hard over the past four months, there isn’t a tour set in stone yet for the summertime. The Locos Por Juana boys will be performing at the Wynwood Yard April 8th, 2016 as well as Humboldt County’s annual Reggae on the River this upcoming August.
Download “The Cure” on
Track listing
- The Cure
Locos Por Juana “The Cure” lyric vidue feauring Collie Buddz
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Release date March 18, 2016 • Copyright: Rock The Moon Productions Label: Rock The Moon Productions
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Disclaimer: All views presented in this album review are those of the reviewer and not necessarily those of Top Shelf Music.
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