Ozomatli

Think about South Florida's intimate relationship with Cuba and the Caribbean and the influence it has had on our indigenous music scene. The same sort of cross-cultural, stylistic leg-humping goes on in Southern California across the Mexican-American border, and there's no better example than L.A.'s Ozomatli. The bilingual, genre-smashing, Latin-funk-rock-rap...

By Jonathan Zwickel

November 3, 2005

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Think about South Florida's intimate relationship with Cuba and the Caribbean and the influence it has had on our indigenous music scene. The same sort of cross-cultural, stylistic leg-humping goes on in Southern California across the Mexican-American border, and there's no better example than L.A.'s Ozomatli. The bilingual, genre-smashing, Latin-funk-rock-rap outfit came together as the original L.A. party band, but not until its defining role as agent provocateur at the 2000 Democratic National Convention did Ozomatli find a purpose to its party. The group has withstood a rotating lineup of drummers, horn men, DJs, and MCs — including original members Chali 2Na of Jurassic 5 and DJ/vinyl junkie Cut Chemist — but has stayed consistently anchored by bassist Wil-Dog Abers's anthemic, politically charged songwriting. With a live show that's as full-blown ecstatic as any you've ever seen (that's a guarantee), Ozo is a No World Border phenomenon that'll reaffirm your belief in the power of music.

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