Now in its 37th year, South by Southwest, the annual arts and tech conference that runs March 7-15 in Austin, Texas, has no shortage of stellar Latin music acts on its roster.
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On March 11, we at De Los will host our second annual SXSW showcase at Mala Fama. Arsenal Efectivo, Edgar Alejandro and Midnight Navy will star in the program, which you can find here.
In the meantime, below are 10 essential Latino performances we’ll be penciling into our schedule, listed in chronological order.
El Dusty
March 10 at Coconut Club
11-11:45 p.m.
Corpus Christi-based DJ and cumbia electronica pioneer El Dusty will be on the decks, melding soul, reggae and house with his homegrown Tejano groove.
He will perform a second SXSW showcase on Wednesday at Rivian Park from 3-3:40 p.m., as well as a third performance Thursday at Hotel Vegas from 12:40-1:20 a.m.
Trooko
March 11 at Coconut Club
12:45-2 a.m.
Grammy-winning Honduran producer Trooko has been credited on a number of acclaimed releases, including records by Beyoncé, M.I.A., Residente and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “The Hamilton Mixtape.” Yet this year, Trooko will go back to his roots by spinning at La Subcultura’s epic club night.
Vanessa Zamora
March 11 at Flamingo Cantina
10-10:40 p.m.
The daughter of Mexican pianists, bilingual indie darling Vanessa Zamora upped the ante by mastering the acoustic guitar, keyboard and drums to craft her own dreamy, psychedelic approach to pop music.
She will perform a second show March 14 at Vaquero Taquero from 10-10:40pm.
Blood Club
March 12 at Elysium
8-8:40 p.m.
Hailing from the South Side of Chicago, the post-punk romantics will usher in the moonrise at SXSW on multiple nights. Their festival dates are a preview of their North American No Llores Tour, which will see the band passing through the U.S. and Mexico before landing at the Regent Theater in Los Angeles on May 18.
Their second official SXSW showcase will take place March 15 at Las Perlas from 10-10:40 p.m.
Gale
March 13 at the Moody Theater
7:45 p.m.-8:15 p.m.
The Latin Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Gale (pronounced “gah-leh”) packs a punch in her indie-tinged pop music. Lauded as the “Latin It Girl” by Rolling Stone, the Puerto Rican starlet will grace the stage at its “Future of Music” showcase.
Valé
March 13 at Cuatro Gato
8:20-9 p.m.
Si necesitas reggaetón: Valé. The Baranquilla native brings punk baddie energy to her perreo- and R&B-infused dance tracks like “Fit Mami” and the newer “Arrebatao.”
Twin Shadow
March 13 at Coconut Club
9:30-10:30 p.m.
The Dominican American synth-pop hero will tease new songs from his sixth studio album, “Georgie,” a tribute to his late father. After years of cutting up dance floors with guitar tracks like “Five Seconds” and “Saturdays” (with Haim!), “Georgie “ will be his first album sans drums. Get into it.
He will also perform a second show March 14 at Central Presbyterian Church from 10-11 p.m.
Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso
March 13 at the Moody Theater
9:35-10:20 p.m.
Quirky Argentine MCs Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso enjoyed a career breakthrough last year with their appearance on NPR’s “Tiny Desk” series, which became the No. 1 most-watched episode of 2024. “With ‘Tiny Desk,’ we feel that we hacked the system,” said Amoroso in an interview with De Los this week. At SXSW, they’ll serve an encore.
Oya Baby
March 13 at the Speakeasy Kabaret
10:50-11:05 p.m.
The audacious Cuban MC Oya Baby cut her teeth as a backup dancer for Pitbull, Bad Bunny and Flo Rida before she signed a record deal with the latter’s International Music Group label. She shared an electric collaboration with Miami hip-hop legend Trina in her 2022 single “Ride the Stick” and bounced back in January with a swaggering reggaeton single, “Perra.”
Ivan Cornejo
March 13 at the Moody Theater
10:55 p.m.–midnight
Música Mexicana’s prince of darkness will command the Moody Theater on Thursday night with releases from his outstanding 2024 LP “Mirada,” as well as his first hit, “Está Dañada,” which debuted on the Billboard 100 when he was just 17.
