Back in 2015, Americo Garcia and Jorge Medina burst onto the scene under the name Boombox Cartel. They separated themselves from the pack by fusing together the best elements across the bass, dubstep, trap, latin, and hip hop spectrums. Almost 10 years later, they are stronger than ever and Americo Garcia is still packing venues as if they were the hottest kids on the block. I got the opportunity to see Boombox Cartel absolutely shut down The Observatory in Orange County, California. Let’s hop into it. 

First up was the newcomer Santo Santo. As electronic dance music enthusiasts filled the venue, they were greeted by a blend of haunting bass heavy beats. Rocking what seemed to be a ski mask and a pair of dark shades in the dimly lit venue, this new artist Santo Santo was locked in on the reverberating party vibes. For being relatively unknown by a large amount of the audience, he lived up to expectations and had the crowd moving. Up next was Altierr. Honestly, I’ve never heard of Altierr until this show but this dude was a highlight of the night. He hit the crowd with nasty kick drum after nasty kick drum. The beats this guy dropped were soul crushing. Every beat was dirtier than the last. For whatever reason, I fully expected each of the openers to be more in the dubstep/trap/bass lane but Altierr unapologetically brought the crunchiest pure house beats. And it wasn’t just me. The crowd was feeling every moment of it. Towards the end of his set, the venue was really starting to pack in and everyone was enjoying his set. Second to the top of the bill was the duo Blurrd Vision. These two dudes played an amazing set bouncing energy back and forth that kept the fans dancing into the night. The energy these two bounced off of each other tee’d up the night for the main draw. 

As the clock struck midnight, everyone knew what time it was. The Observatory plunged into darkness and the crowd erupted in cheers. The stage lit up revealing Americo Garcia behind the boards. The beats of Boombox Cartel electrified the room. I kept trying to focus on grabbing good shots of the DJ dropping the beats, but I noticed the loud banging on the rails behind me. When I turned, I noticed the head bangers in the front row had pivoted themselves against the barricade and headbanged in lockstep. I looked over at security to see if it was an issue but those guys found it to be one of the more amusing things they’ve ever seen at a show. In addition to just the headbanging, Boombox Cartel’s genre defying sound and blend of bass heavy beats had the fans rocking and rolling into the wee hours of the night. Typically, Observatory shows are out by midnight but this one kept bouncing till past 1:30 AM.

All in all, Boombox Cartel absolutely crushed this show in Santa Ana, California. Armed with heavy bass, lasers, and smoke machines, the fans were treated to a sonic and visual feast. Boombox Cartel crafted an unforgettable journey for their audience. When Boombox Cartel plays a date near a venue near you, grab your earplugs and head down there ASAP. I guarantee it’ll be a great time!