Pachanga Fest, the annual Latin-themed music festival, kept hips gyrating and feet tapping this weekend with an all-star lineup of Latin America’s best.
Held at Fiesta Gardens, just North of Lady Bird Lake, the two-day festival brought together acts from Puerto Rico to Chile and everywhere in between.
Pachanga Fest 2012 featured a slew of artists from across Latin America.
I missed out on all the day-one action, since I was only lucky enough to get a wristband from a friend for the second day. While I missed out on some stalwart musicians, like the Puerto Rican hip-hop idols Calle 13, I caught Saturday’s rhythmic highlights.
Hailing from Santiago, Chile, rapper Ana Tijoux brought a blistering set of bombast. Backed be a DJ and drummer/keyboardist, the trio moved the crowd to politically tinged hip-hop anthems like the MC’s breakout hit “1977.” Tijoux reminded the crowd, apologizing for her broken English, that despite the language, music is universal - a theme running through the veins of the fest.
Austin’s Brownout brought the funk during Pachanga Fest 2012.
While many of the fest’s main acts hailed from all corners of Latin America, some acts were home-brewed talent. Local jazz/afro-beat heroes Brownout showcased their funk-salsa skills. Featuring members of Groupo Fantasma, Austin’s premiere Salsa band, blazed through select cuts from their new full-length “Oozy.” Their musicianship is unparalleled, and they’ve received the accolades to prove it. They’ve backed up Prince at Coachella, and now Brownout/Grupo Fantasma have been selected by Wu-Tang Clan member GZA to back him up as he performs “Liquid Swords” at the Bonaroo Music and Arts Festival June 9th.
