Critic's Notebook

February has been filled with nothing but love from our hometown rappers and artists.

You can’t overstate the enduring influence of Laura of Miami, AKA Laura Sutnick, on the local alternative dance music scene. From her tenure as a WVUM radio DJ to her event promotions company Nightdrive and Klangbox.FM internet radio station, she has championed lesser-heard sounds for more than a decade.

Elastic Bond has never been the kind of band to concern itself with limits, be they conventions of genre, language, instrumentation, or influences within the group’s music. Songwriters Sofy Encanto, from Honduras, and Andres Ponce, from Venezuela, exist in two spaces at once, influenced by the music they heard growing…

It might only be February, but this month’s first release from Richie Hell’s newly launched Gumbo Limbo Music is already poised to be one of the best local-label debuts of the year. This tasteful new slab, Future Blues, includes four slow-burning Delta blues-infused disco-house bangers and is an auspicious sign from the…

Instrumental fusion quartet Electric Kif is like Miami’s musical version of the United Nations. The band, which will play the Coconut Grove Arts Festival February 20, transforms four cultures into one sonic experience. “I’m from Mexico City,” bassist Rodrigo Zambrano tells New Times. “Our guitarist is from France, with all its gypsy culture; Jason [Matthews, the keyboardist] is from Philadelphia, which has its own thing with soul and R&B; and Armando [Lopez, the drummer] is from here, the Magic City.”

After dedicating his previous four albums to South Florida and his love for coffee beans, Biddines’ fifth album, The Local Café, allows him to further embrace his passion for a hot cup of coffee as he tells personal stories from his past.

Coconut Grove Arts Festival music lineup includes Greyhounds, Locos por Juana, Electric Kif, and Patrick & the Swayzees.

Artists can learn about the legendary reggae label and how to get their own vinyl records pressed.

I remember the first time I heard Erykah Badu playing on my mother’s stereo in our little townhouse in Virginia. “Tyrone” echoed through the house while my mom cleaned the kitchen. I couldn’t help but think: Who the hell is Tyrone? Why does he need to be called? But then I became captivated by the sound of Badu’s soothing voice. It rang in my ears even after the song ended. “It’s called soul music,” my mom said. After that, I was hooked.

Radiohead fans were already excited that the English rock band will headline this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in mid-April. Now the band has announced an 11-date U.S. tour scheduled to kick off March 30 at the American Airlines Arena in downtown Miami.

A little more than a year ago, Gabriela Guerrero’s mother showed her a flyer for a Vevo DJing competition sponsored by Tiësto and encouraged her to register. Guerrero had messed around with her stepfather’s DJ equipment here and there, but had minimal experience in the booth. Still, she decided to…

Trina, Yung Simmie, Nell, and others release their latest.

Last week, Ed Calle — a Latin Grammy winner and one of Miami’s best-known musicians — found himself in hot water over a tweet in which he referred to President Barack Obama as “the Kenyan.” Now, it seems, that hot water has boiled over. Calle, who did not respond to an email from New Times seeking comment, resigned from Palo! — an Afro-Cuban funk band — this past Tuesday.

For the first time in more than 20 years, Stephen Marley will reunite with brothers Ziggy, Damian, and Ky-Mani onstage at Kaya Fest. The inaugural event will take place Saturday, April 22, 2017 at Bayfront Park Amphitheatre

Florida rappers know better than to sleep at the top of the new year. When the clock struck 12:01 January 1, South Florida artists such as North Miami resident Billy Blue and Hialeah native Eskeerdo refused to wait a minute longer to drop off their latest creations. Kiddo Marv not only celebrated 2017 but also put on for Haitians all over the nation via his video dedicated to Haitian Independence Day.

Friends of local musician Alex Diaz, better known as Xela Zaid, have started a crowdfunding campaign to raise money that will go toward helping Diaz recover from a stroke he suffered last month just before Christmas. Organizers ask that anyone who enjoyed Diaz’s work to donate to help the musician regain his ability to speak. He has been a staple of the Miami music scene for more than three decades.

Five years ago, when Johnny Deezal was living in rough-and-tumble New York City, he traipsed from sublet to sublet with one constant in his life: his portable home studio setup. “I guess I went there to discover myself musically as a solo artist. Everywhere I would go I’d…

Cavity was a wrecking ball during the ’90s. While not originators of the genre, they pioneered a new approach to the Black Sabbath-inspired, down-tuned, droning excesses of the sludge metal genre with magnificent aplomb and gusto. They left in their wake a wretched pile of carcasses beaten and abused by…

Coming up on the streets of Washington, D.C., Miguel “Fuego” Duran evolved from a gutter lyricist under the supervision of his late friend DJ Menace to an international sensation who works under Mr. Worldwide. His Spanish rhymes and catchy records have gained popularity in Latin America and in Europe. As we enter 2017, Fuego’s new year’s resolution is to raise the bar for Latin hip-hop via his upcoming album, Fireboy Forever 3.