Upon perusing the frenetically updated
GorillaVsBear, I was exposed to the realization that
here on the SXSW site there are now hundreds
and hundreds of mp3s. If you dared to dive into them I would be willing to bet that you would find some very interesting bands. I got about 260 yesterday and I only scratched the surface. If you are exceptionally brave and well-connected and you decide to check them out, feel free to comment and let me know which ones are exceptionally great.
In other news, I am working on an extra-large multi-part foreign-language international hip hop post, part one of which will be up by the weekend. So if that sounds interesting to you stay tuned, and feel free to give obscure recommendations.