Best Albums of 2017
selected by Max “Drlacxos” Cueto

10
La Paralacer <BR> “Afwler”

La Paralacer
“Afwler”

Sosa Mas Nada is a producer and drummer who belongs to groups such as La Alucinante banda, Guillermo del Tuete or Sin Fin de Lucro, also the other half of the project: “Nock Nock”.

Under the name of La Paralacer, produced Afwller an album full of layers of sounds that shows another face of electronic music.

If you think you can not mix urban rhythms with alternative or electronic beats with organic instruments, I’m sure Afwller can change your mind.

♪♫ Listen: “Bräunee” + album stream

La Paralacer on Soundcloud.

9
Irka Mateo <BR> “Vamo a Gozá”

Irka Mateo
“Vamo a Gozá”

Can a folk record be alternative at the same time? Of course, and more seeing where the Dominican scene has been tilted in recent times, this has become common. We already know that Vamo a Gozá will be a reference in the future as Irka’s music has no age and gives the music scene a production that apart from entertaining educates.

It’s based on accordion sounds filling genres such as La cumbia villera, bachata, tango, Twoubadou, Mangulina, merengue, among others, intertwined with rock guitars, saxophones that reach afrobeat, ethnic percussions, we even hear Irka rapping on some occasions.

♪♫ Listen: “Corazón” + album stream

Irka Mateo on Soundcloud, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, www.

8
Cult Exciter <BR> “Cult Exciter”

Cult Exciter
“Cult Exciter”

Zeli and Philip are Dominicans, making music in the United States, looking for land where they can take their sounds.

A singer-producer duo in their first album take advantage of every beat, from R&B to electronics, feels that nostalgia and sweetness in the voice of Zeli in each track.

Cult Exciter is a production that took time, creating a sound trip of just 20 minutes, in 6 songs worked in a delicate way ideal for these new times.

♪♫ Listen: “Get” + album stream

Cult Exciter on Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

7
Whitest Taino Alive <BR> “Manda Nudes”

Whitest Taino Alive
“Manda Nudes”

It wasn’t a mistake that the Dominican trio appeared in the top 10 Latin albums of the Rolling Stone, for many it was a surprise, but not for us.

It is a local project formed by Cohoba, Cesar Pineda and Haru (DaBeat Ortiz, Dominicanye West, Jon Blon Jovi). Their proposal that goes with the new times, irreverent, spoiled, risky and is what they show in “Manda Nudes”, finding collaborations with artists such as Acentoh!, Vfro, Maeloo and La Ñapa.

Also adding other colors to the entrenched genre of Trap, merged with Merenge (QLON) and Bachata (La Empanada).

♪♫ Listen: “La Empanada” + album stream

Whitest Taino Alive on Soundcloud, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

6
Boundary <BR> “Fantasmagórico”

Boundary
“Fantasmagórico”

I’ll start by clarifying something: Boundary is the project of Josué Suero Javier. It is a time traveler just 17 years old, and in times when electronics has taken other paths this young man offers novelty with his way of experimenting with sounds.

Which makes it great – each tone and each melody seems like a code to communicate with someone out there. What was born as a room project made Boundary a revelation of this 2017.

Nostalgia made music, is what “Fantasmagórico” offers.

♪♫ Listen: “Fabrica de Baja Resolución” + album stream

Boundary on Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

5
Jonatan Piña Duluc <BR> “Drip/Culebra”

Jonatan Piña Duluc
“Drip/Culebra”

Jonatan Piña Duluc is a guitarist, saxophonist, vocalist and leader of the legendary rock band santiaguera “El Trío” in 2016 launches “Proyecto Piña Duluc” based on the union of Jazz and Dominican rhythms on the same line.

In 2017, Jonas went further in a proposal as soloist building an experimental jazz with high degrees of psychedelia, a mix that results in Drip / Culebra a production where the musician and composer is in charge of everything and brings the darkest side of jazz to to empathize with the Afro-Dominican.

As if it were a rock opera in two acts, summarized in 14 songs and 33 minutes.

♪♫ Listen: “Veneno” + album stream

Jonatan Piña Duluc on Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Facebook, www.

4
Ocean Lips <BR> “Poets All Around”

Ocean Lips
“Poets All Around”

More than 10 years ago Diego Cepeda, David Lopez, Andres and Alberto Paino decided to put together a band, make music they enjoyed and share it with friends.

Only 5 years ago, they decided to start documenting these years in a sonorous way, and as a result, “Poets All Around” was born where the new wave re-born in the Caribbean.

Here Ocean Lips draws with sounds everything that surrounds them, landscapes with cuttlefish tones, trips to the beach, lights, etc. In short, a game of finding poets, poets everywhere.

♪♫ Listen: “Selling Boats” + album stream

Ocean Lips on Bandcamp, Facebook.

3
Alex Ferreira <BR> “Canapé”

Alex Ferreira
“Canapé”

We have known Alex Ferreira for a long time and we have listened to many Alexes in the way of his musical career.

The sober Alex, the electric, the Alex with string arrangements, the one who starts his career, the Alex who lives in Spain, but we have also met an Alex Tropical, and 2017 he introduced us to a new Alex, an Alex more mature, who has learned from his path and shows it in Canapé.

“Simplicity” the key word of this production, 10 songs where we find from a cover in English (An Audience With The Pope), songs with that tropical flavor (Ven que te quiero ver/ Me La Saludan) or dramatic (Que Extraña Tu Manera de Decir Que Sí) that undoubtedly leaves us one of the best productions in the singer-songwriter’s catalog.

♪♫ Listen: “Ven Que Te Quiero Ver” + album stream

Alex Ferreira on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, www.

2
Riccie Oriach <BR> “Viaje Al Infinito”

Riccie Oriach
“Viaje Al Infinito”

Without a doubt Riccie Oriach is the artist of the year for the local scene.

A phenomenon worthy of study, presentations at the main festivals on the island, many parties, accompanied by a band of friends who enjoy what they do. From Prima Tecata to La Guayaba, it shows that being urban is not just singing dembow, and it had to be reflected.

This is how Viaje Al Infinito was born, 5 songs that travel in the sounds that explore the Dominican music with its influences going beyond our borders, with many colors and many stories.

Here we augur the beginning of an extensive and solid career, full of Dominican folklore.

♪♫ Listen: “Viaje Al Infinito” + album stream

Riccie Oriach on Soundcloud, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

1
MULA <BR> “Aguas”

MULA
“Aguas”

When Anabel, Cristabel and Rachel decided to create the music that would identify them, they were not afraid, being “typecast” was the least important thing, who would think of using reggaeton and urban merengue bases to be turned into pop with dark lights and electronics? But “Aguas” is the result of all this, after MULA (2015) it was already clear that the formula would work.

Brazil, The United States, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras and The Dominican Republic were the countries where in 2017 they carried their “waters”. Last year they started it with a pre-release recorded on flexi-disc vinyl, as well as collaborations, and more songs would be part of the tracklist of his career.

“Aguas” is the result of their maturity as a group, a luxury production, danceable, interesting, each song is a hybrid, from bachata, to trap, from the forgotten merenhouse to the dominant dembow.

♪♫ Listen: “Diamantes” + album stream

MULA on Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.