• email
• print
• Tweet
  
  
• 
  
  

Oh, to be in New York. You get the pick of the Latin litter when it comes to free summer concerts. You wouldn’t get this much Latino music action if you lived in, say, Arkansas—so give thanks to the City that feeds you. We have by compiling the best concerts July has to offer, from indie to plena to electronica. We want to make sure you’re making the most out of your City experience. We didn’t fail you in June, did we? Hit up these shows and fall in love with NYC all over again. (If you don’t combust from the heat, that is.)

Wednesday, July 7
Nortec Collective Presents Bostich + Fussible, El Guincho and Anita Tijoux at Central Park SummerStage, part of the 2010 Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC)
Central Park has managed to jam this SummerStage performance with three drastically different acts—and we dig it. Nortec Collective brings out one of its meta-projects, Bostich + Fussible, a poster child for cultural repurposing. With their mix of norteño ranchera and indie electronica, they’re a great match to Spain’s mix-maker El Guincho, whose sound resembles a tropical version of Animal Collective. Rounding it out is leading lady MC Anita Tijoux, whose U.S. debut 1977 is the perfect city summer soundtrack.

Friday, July 9
Ozomatli, Fidel Nadal, Toy Selectah at Celebrate Brooklyn!, part of LAMC
Feel-good flock Ozomatli headline the Celebrate Brooklyn! 2010 LAMC stage, channeling their urban big-band, So-Cal sound, complete with rapping, brass instruments, cumbia and guitar riffs. Opening for Ozomatli are chill-fest Argentinean reggae artist Fidel Nadal and buzzed-about Mexican DJ Toy Selectah.  

Saturday, July 10
Maldita Vecindad and The Pinker Tones at Central Park SummerStage, part of 2010 LAMC
Sax-infused Latin mainstay Maldita Vecindad have been around for a while, ska-ing it up all over the world with their high-octane shows. Joining them is the Barcelona duo that spews quirk-electro pop from every angle: The Pinker Tones. This is sure to be sound overload in the park.

Friday, July 23
Bomba Estéreo, La Secta All Star and Rita Indiana at Celebrate Brooklyn!, part of LAMC
You will sweat. Colombian cumbieros Bomba Estéreo will serve up their usual “Fuego” to the Prospect Park crowd, a set that always gets rave reviews wherever the band goes. Puerto Rico’s La Secta All Star are rock en español perennials, and Rita Indiana has crafted her own brand of merengue: amplified and electronic. 

Wednesday, July 28
Plena Libre at Wagner Park, part of the River to River Festival
The twelve-piece Puerto Rican collective is all about their roots. They incorporate all Boricua staples, from dance to drums, in one high-energy set. Even if you don’t dance, take it as an interactive Caribbean history lesson.

Saturday, July 31
Natalia Lafourcade, Los Amigos Invisibles and Jovanotti at Central Park SummerStage
Mexican singer-songwriter Natalia Lafourcade has been pedaling her latest album Hu Hu Hu to the masses, and they’ve agreed: she’s good. Watch her perform at Central Park on the same bill as Latin disco-pop group Los Amigos Invisibles and Italian rapper Jovanotti.

Saturday, July 31
Heineken Inspire Presents Tito El Bambino, Mexican Institute of Sound, Nacotheque and D’Marquesina at St. John's Center Studios
Heineken is providing what is perhaps the most ridiculously fun and generous summer concert series. They’ve assembled an awesome cast of DJs to make you dance well into the night, partnering up with leading reggaetonero Tito El Bambino for its NYC stop (the show tours Miami, Chicago and LA). Best part: it’s all complimentary! Just “like” Heineken’s Facebook page and you’ll get an exclusive invite. Food, beer and music are covered.

For the complete list of Latin concerts in New York City this July, visit Remezcla.com.