News & Updates — NYC

Out in April, Peace & Rhythm will be dropping the debut single by psychedelic disco-cumbia Latin supergroup Locobeach. "The Devil Is A Charmer", written by Joshua "C.A.M.P.O.S." Camp, will be available as a digital single, the first in a series leading up to the band's full-length debut vinyl LP to be released in late 2017 on Peace & Rhythm. This fantastic group features members and ex-members of Los Crema Paraiso, Chicha Libre, Los Amigos Invisibles, La Muy Bestia Pop and C.A.M.P.O.S...Stay tuned!!

We're excited to announce a new 7" coming next month by the NYC Latin-funk-soul-boogaloo outfit Fulaso. With hefty brass and raucous rhythms rooted in Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Colombia, the bilingual, multicultural 10-piece band Fulaso knows how to keep the dance floor jumping with its signature brand of FUnky LAtin SOul!. These folks are unstoppable with the magnetic energy of one of the most captivating frontwomen on the mic, the soulful songstress Erica Ramos. Fulaso’s music and vibe emanate New York City, anchored in the classic boogaloo and Latin soul of El Barrio in the ’60s and ’70s, infused with...

The social worker-turned-rap producer/DJ Scott La Rock formed Boogie Down Productions with homeless teen KRS-One in the South Bronx in 1986 and the act brought the art of rap to a new level of poetry. Their first album, the proto-gangsta Criminal Minded, was a heavy blast of borough pride, battle raps, sparse and cutting funky production (inspired by James Brown and dancehall) and a gritty urban realism that has been a continuation in rap (for good or bad) ever since. They (theatrically?) initiated the "rap beef" with their battle boasts. Scott was shot while trying to defuse a situation and...

Here's a birthday shout to Lou Reed, urban storyteller, composer, guitarist, avant-rocker and NYC icon. The Velvet Underground are one of my all time favorite rock bands, and although his solo work is very hit-or-miss he displays heart and passion through all of it. He was a drug-using, free-jazz loving, dark poet with a life of ups & downs who captivated through song and sound. He is one of the godfathers of punk & no wave, a huge influence on Krautrock and sympathized with the freaks of the world. His biggest hit "Walk On The Wild Side" has been sampled...

Perhaps the original "freak-folk" artist, the Bahamian musician & herbalist Tony McKay (aka "Exuma") was created from a lightning bolt and raised on Cat Island before moving to NYC in the late '50s. He participated in the Greenwich Village folk scene of the mid-'60s, hanging and playing with Dylan, Hendrix, Richie Havens, Peter, Paul & Mary and others. He released his first Exuma album in 1970 and proceeded to create his unique brand of psychedelic folk/funk/island pop with his Junk Band (sometimes members of the Blues Magoos), very much rooted in junkanoo and Obeah culture while also displaying the influence...