Urban Bachata in NYT

It's an interesting phenomenon how Latino markets often run completely parallel to the mainstream Anglo music industry, united (and divided) by language demographics rather than geography.

Jody Rosen explores it in this recent New York Times profile of Anthony Santos, the Bronx-born urban bachata star of Aventura. I first heard his name about 10 years ago from my friend Milli, who said that all the jukeboxes in her Brooklyn neighborhood were playing Anthony Santos.

"As the hits have piled up, the band’s critics have been replaced by followers — American-based, pop-oriented bachata acts like Xtreme and Toby Love, a former Aventura backup singer."

[Source: "Crossover Dreams of a Bronx Bachatero," New York Times, 6/3/09]

Links:

Click here to see my coverage of Toby Love at the Lincoln Theatre this past February.