julianne escobedo shepherd

photo T. Cole Rachel.

I ONCE WAS LOST BUT NOW AM FOUND. Spent the last week in Copenhagen at Distortion Festival for the second year in a row, and I’m happy to report that the dropcrotch pant is OUT! Also, that Copenhagen is an amazing place and you can read about some of the music I discovered/witnessed there in my latest column, including Japanese girl punks Nisennenmondai (major), Copenhagen cumbia addicts Copia Doble Systema (bonkers), German rave detonators Schlachthofbronx (total destructo towne), and Danish teen punks ICEAGE, who I didn’t actually see because they’re like totally going to be the Odd Future of Danish teen punks after they play in Brooklyn in 2 weeks. Sorry for writing that annoying OF/IA comparison, it’s midnight and 88 degrees and I had a momentary coagulation of the brain. JUST READ IT HERE, AND KNOW THAT I ALSO TELL YOU ABOUT THE TIME I WENT TO LOVE PARADE!!! More Distortion/dropcrotch pant elaboration coming soon on the style section of thefader.com, #noflatforms.

Here’s a piece I wrote for new sociopolitical/culture/music/art site, The Cluster Mag, on the ever-fascinating Chancha via Circuito, aka Argentinian experimental cumbia musician Pedro Canale, who samples stuff from the South American jungle and steeps himself in Andean musica folklorica. I think he’s playing Chicago tomorrow night, and again in New York on April 29. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Daniel Hernandez’s Down and Delirious in Mexico City is one of the best books I’ve read so far this year — it’s part travelogue/autobio, about moving to DF in the early 2000s from California, and part sociological essay. He’s a super badass journalist — hopefully you’ve read his work on LA Times’ La Plaza blog, or on his personal blog Intersections — and in his book, he explores topics like the emo riots, Santa Muerte, the kidnappings, the punk scene, etc. It’s precise and fantastic and absolutely, as he puts it, delirious, and incisively identifies the point where modern DF’s all-night parties and fabulosity intersect with ancient history and sacred tradition. Mexico City is fucking magical.

So, I’m suuuuper flattered that Daniel asked me to DJ his book party, based on listening to the archives on my EVR show. I’ll be attempting to capture the DF party flavor from a NY Xicana/global internet nerd’s perspective, which means lots of 3ball and cumbia. Maybe I can convince Erick Rincon to do a 3ball remix of Selena by then? One can only hope. Anyway, if you’re in New York, it’s this Thursday, in conjunction with awesome Mex in the City, and it is free, and it’s at the new restaurant in Wmsbg, Cantina Royal, which is like omfg supposed to be so good and I’ve been dying to eat there [anyone else notice New York’s having a mid-to-upscale MX food renaissance lately? there’s this, and the unbelievably delicious Hecho en Dumbo on Bowery, and Oaxaca Taqueria on 4th Ave in BKLYN, which is a little pricey but delivers to my crib and has some of the best salsas and horchata around.]

WEPA!!!