Ozomatli

Born at the intersection of social justice and diasporic sounds, Ozomatli has been channelling rock, cumbia, hip-hop, funk and reggae into freewheeling musical collages since the mid-’90s. The band's founding members met in 1995 while attempting to form a workers union in Los Angeles, pouring their diverse cultural backgrounds into a project that would help them amplify their support of farmers’ rights and immigration reform. Ozomatli's 1998 self-titled debut included fan-favourite cuts such as the rowdy “Chango” and the mystical “Cumbia de los Muertos”, which gained steam and led them to join Santana on their blockbuster Supernatural Tour. Their critically acclaimed follow-up, Embrace the Chaos, was released on September 11, 2001, and while many bands cancelled tours following the day's tragic events, Ozomatli’s subsequent shows became spaces of cross-cultural unity and resistance. Their 2004 LP, Street Signs, embraced Middle Eastern arrangements and earned a Latin Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album, while 2007’s Don't Mess With the Dragon paid tribute to old-school Chicano R&B. Cultural pride remains at the core of Ozomatli's DNA—fitting for a band that took their name from the Nahuatl word for the astrological symbol of the monkey in the Aztec calendar. The group has continued to celebrate its heritage through projects like 2017’s Non-Stop: México to Jamaica, which featured reimagined classics by Café Tacvba and Selena.