Chicago, IL · Latin psych · cumbia

Dos Santos

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Chicago Latinx quintet fusing cumbia, salsa, and psych-rock into sweaty, politically charged pan-American grooves — organ-driven and built for dancing.

Dos Santos formed in Chicago in 2013 as a quintet drawing on cumbia, salsa and other Latin American forms, filtered through psychedelic rock and jazz. The members' backgrounds span across the Americas, and that range shows up directly in the material, from barrio cumbias to desert-toned instrumentals.

The group works with organ, electric guitar and layered percussion, and sings largely in Spanish. Alex Chavez, who is also a scholar, sings and plays within the band, adding a research-minded angle to lyrics that often carry political weight.

Dos Santos has released music through the Chicago label International Anthem, mixing danceable rhythms with looser, more exploratory passages. A fourth full-length album is in the works, produced by Beto Martinez, a Grammy-winning producer, and made by a lineup that has played together long enough to know its own instincts.

Live, the band carries that same balance between groove and improvisation, letting songs stretch out without losing the pulse that makes them work as dance music.

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Latin psychcumbia