Ozomatli
A high-octane collision of salsa, hip-hop, and funk that captures the multicultural pulse of Los Angeles. Vibrant, activist-minded, and impossible not to dance to.
A high-octane collision of salsa, hip-hop, and funk that captures the multicultural pulse of Los Angeles. Vibrant, activist-minded, and impossible not to dance to.
Ozomatli sounds like a block party where every house on the street is playing a different record, but somehow they all sync up into one massive, irresistible groove. It is a dense, brass-heavy explosion of sound that moves seamlessly between Spanish-language salsa hooks, old-school hip-hop scratching, and the rhythmic swing of New Orleans jazz. The energy is consistently high, driven by a percussion section that feels like a living heartbeat.
What makes them truly distinctive is their ability to be both a world-class dance band and a serious political voice without ever feeling heavy-handed. They use the language of the street, from turntablism to urban slang, to tell stories of labor rights and community identity. Their sound is a literal map of Los Angeles, blending the city's disparate cultural pockets into a unified sonic travelogue that feels both local and global.
Start with their 2004 album Street Signs. It is the perfect distillation of their genre-mashing powers, featuring guest spots that range from Eddie Palmieri to Jurassic 5. It captures the band at their most confident, proving that a mix of cumbia, ragga, and funk isn't just an experiment, it is a celebration of how we live together.
Ozomatli is an American rock band, formed in 1995 in Los Angeles. They are known both for their vocal activist viewpoints and incorporating a wide array of musical styles – including salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, hip hop, and others. The group formed in 1995 and has since released seven studio albums. Although the band has had many member changes over the years and has sometimes had as many as ten members, the current six members have been in the band since its debut album. In 1998, Ozomatli released its self-titled debut album, and soon after opened for Santana on their Supernatural Tour. The group released Embrace the Chaos in 2001, followed by Street Signs in 2004. Don't Mess with the Dragon followed in 2007, which saw the band experimenting with a more diverse array of musical styles. The group composed music for Happy Feet 2 and recorded Ozomatli Presents Ozokidz, a family-friendly album. From 2011 to 2014, Ozomatli also served as the house band for stand-up comedian Gabriel Iglesias' television show, Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand Up Revolution. The group is also known for advocating for promoting various social causes, such as farm-workers' rights and immigration reform.
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