Punta Cartel

If the purpose of music is to take the listener on a journey, then Punta Cartel takes the listener on a vacation! This group, founded in Los Angeles in 2000, is comprised of ten extraordinary musicians from Belize, Honduras and Guatemala. Their music, while conforming to the tradition of modern Punta, is also influenced by Reggae and Cumbia. Their most recent album, “La Coleccion Vol. #1,” is a shining example of their mastery of these diverse Latin sounds. The album takes you on a journey through Latin America reverberating through the Garifuna Punta rhythms of Central America.

The ten talented musicians that comprise Punta Cartel met through the Honduras’ Kitchen, the Huntington Park restaurant owned by their manager Rafael Larios. It had long been a dream for Larios to bring this traditional form of Garifuna Central American music to the forefront of Latin music. Practicing at his restaurant during the week and taking the stage for fans that now come from all over Southern California to see them perform on Saturday nights, the band has matured from ten individually exceptional musicians to one unified sound. With musical influences that include Marco Antonio Solis, Kumbia Kings, Mana, Don Omar, Hector El Father, Bob Marley, Sean Paul, Gregory Isaacs, and Los Bukis, to name just a few, their deep breadth of musical influences fused over their traditional Punta rhythms culminates in a singular and unique sound.

Since they were formed in 2000, Punta Cartel has appearred on television for Telemundo’s "De Mañanita", on Telehonduras, and on the shows “De todo un Poco” and "Hola El Salvador” among others. They have traveled the United States and Latin America, sharing the stage with artists of great magnitude, including: Don Omar, Aventura, Sean Paul, Elvis Crespo, Los Iracundos, Terricolas, Banda Blanca, Banda Limon, Aniceto Molina, Leo Dan, Sonora Dinamira, Baby Rasta y Gringo, Big Boy, Don Chezina, Ivy Queen, Winsin y Yandel, Hector El Father and more. Every performance reveals the universality of their music, the infectuous quality of their rhythms and intoxication of their sound, as audiences are always driven to their feet to dance.

Their sophomore release, “La Colección Vol. #1,” is not a departure from their sound, but rather an affirmation of their development as a group. Released independently by Larios Music, the album is a collection of cover songs and original compositions. The idea is to give the listener some songs with which they are familiar and place those lyrics over the infectious rhythms for which the group is known. Listeners will recognize the likes of “ A Puro Dolor,” Tu y Yo,” and “Gallo Mojado” set to new and refreshing rhythms. The song that stands out on “La Coleccion” is “Puty Puty,” an original song that drives listeners to the dance floor in droves.

“La Colección Vol. #1” is a sophisticated collection of Cumbia, Reggae and Punta sounds that takes the listener on a journey…a veritable vacation through Afro Caribbean Latin America.

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