In 2024, De Los, the Latino-centric vertical of the Los Angeles Times, hosted an official showcase at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas, a multiday event that turns every nook and cranny in downtown into a makeshift stage. It was an intimate affair with a lineup that included the likes of Los Aptos, Pink Pablo and Bodine, all acts who recorded songs that made my list of most played tracks last year — a special shoutout to Pink Pablo’s “Perdimos el Control,” whose hook I hum at least once a day.
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We had so much fun that we’re doing it again.
On Thursday, De Los announced via Instagram the list of acts performing at our upcoming showcase. While 2024’s lineup featured a sampling of various Latin music genres, this year’s selection of artists has a strong emphasis on música Mexicana, which has been dominating the streaming services over the last 12 months.
If you’re in Austin for SXSW, join us at Mala Fama, located at 422 E. 6th St., Austin, on Tuesday, March 11 starting at 8 p.m. And if you’re not going to the festival, I encourage you to check out these acts anyway. Who knows, you might just discover your favorite new band.
Here’s who’s playing at the 2025 De Los showcase.
Conjunto Rienda Real
One of the fastest-growing subgenres within música Mexicana is norteño sax, which, as the name suggests, utilizes the alto saxophone as its main instrument. With more than 2 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Conjunto Rienda Real is among the acts leading the charge. Originally from San Luis Potosí, a state in central Mexico, the band has won over fans with their love-laced ballads and their penchant for collaborating with other norteño sax groups (La Pocima Norteña, Los Primos del Este).
Noteworthy track: “Nadie Va A Pensar En Ti Mejor Que Yo” (Ed Maverick cover)
Arsenal Efectivo
It could very well be that Arsenal Efectivo is your favorite música Mexicana artist’s favorite música Mexicana act. The trio — composed of L.A.-based Francisco “Shrek” Rodriguez, Francisco “Poncho” Alfonso and Javier Bojorquez (the latter reside in Phoenix) — is considered the originators of “trap corridos,” a fusion of narco ballads and hip-hop. The band’s 2015 EP “Vida Peligrosa” set the template for the subgenre, which has since blown up on a global scale thanks to a slew of younger artists like Natanael Cano and Peso Pluma.
Noteworthy track: “LoLo Félix”
Sultanes del Yonke
I won’t lie, I was sold on Sultanes del Yonke solely on the strength of their name, which in English translates to “Sultans of the Junkyard.” It’s a fitting one, too! The band, which hails from the Ciudad Juarez/El Paso borderlands, plays a brand of music that takes scraps of genres like cumbia sonidera, funk and pop to create something wholly unique. It is sonic rasquachismo at its finest.
Noteworthy track: “Corazón de Troquero”
Midnight Navy
Midnight Navy is a one-man act, the artistic moniker of Francisco Jose Rosales, a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter producer and saxophonist who incorporates Chicano Soul, R&B and indie pop. Rosales has earned the praise of local media outlets, including the Austin Chronicle, Texas Monthly, NPR affiliate KUT and Austin Monthly.
Noteworthy track: “Corazón” (featuring Grace Sorensen)
Edgar Alejandro
The son of two mariachi players, Edgar Alejandro seems as if he was destined to take the extremely popular Mexican genre and refashion it for the TikTok age. And that’s exactly what he’s done with his fusion of mariachi-backed románticas, jazz, Bossa nova and salsa. The 23-year-old born in Guadalajara and now based in Los Angeles blew up on Tiktok thanks to the release of “A Tu Lado,” a timeless track that could have very well been performed by the likes of the legendary Pedro Infante.
“I was like that one dude,” Alejandro told Times staff reporter Nathan Solis last October of his proclivity for the sounds of a bygone era. “I mean I’ve always loved modern music, but I would start putting all my friends onto older music.”
Noteworthy track: “A Tu Lado”
Bolo
Born in the Bay Area and now based in San Diego, Bolo (real name: Edgar Avalos) has made space for Latin sounds in the world of electronic dance music. In the last year, he’s performed at high-profile festivals like Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas and Hard Summer.
Noteworthy track: “Tuku Tu”
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