About Us
Press
"There are no borders in the music of Empanadas Ilegales –only portals. With one foot in tradition and the other in full improvisational flight, the Vancouver-based ensemble returns with Sancocho Trifásico, their most expansive and celebratory project to date."
- Tigre Sounds
"Vancouver's Empanadas Ilegales have quickly become festival staples, and their boundless energy will keep audiences on their feet as they invite listeners into their mix of psychedelic cumbia and surf rock."
- Exclaim!
“Empanadas Ilegales have curated a highly original sound that feels as modern as it is traditional and,[…],
are continuing to expand on that very sound as they play with style, instrumentation, and voicings”
- Spill Magazine
"The soundtrack for a quinceañera held in a haunted house"
- Bandcamp
“something mystical in the mirage of Beefheart-like guitars that swirl depth into the sound”
- Farout Magazine
Success
Nominations and Features
- Nominee to Best 'NEW ARTIST' and "ALTERNATIVE BAND" in Latin Awards Canada 2023
- Feature Band at CBC's Road To The Junos concert series, 2025 Radio airtime in over 50 stations across Canada, USA, and UK
- Featured on KEXP, Aquarium Drunkard, Dekmantel Selectors playlists
- Sancocho Trifasico Ranked #3 most added "world" album on NACC charts and Peaked at #74 on NACC top 200, 2025
- Spent 25 weeks on the Earshot National Charts, peaking at #2 (July 29, 2025) NACC
Event Highlights
- Vancouver Road to the Junos, 2025
- Vancouver International Jazz Fest, 2024 & 2025
- Montreal International Jazz Fest, 2025
- Calgary Folk Music Festival, 2025
- Festival De Musique Émergente, 2025
- MIXTO, Sunfest, Mission Folk Music Festival and many more, 2025 stages