Archives

Lila Downs

Lila Downs

Lila Downs is one of the most influential artists in Latin America. She has one of the world’s most singular voices, and is known for her charismatic performances. Her own compositions often combine genres and rhythms as diverse as Mexican rancheras and corridos, boleros, jazz standards, hip-hop, cumbia, and North American folk music. Her music often focuses on social justice, immigration, and women’s issues.

She grew up in both Minnesota and Oaxaca Mexico, her mother is from the Mixtec indigenous group, and her father was Scottish-American. Lila sings in Spanish, English, and varios Native American languages as Zapotec, Mixtec, Nahuatl, Maya, and Purepecha.

She has recorded duets with artists as diverse as Mercedes Sosa, Caetano Veloso, Juanes, Nora Jones, Juan Gabriel, Santana, The Chieftains, Diego La Cigala, Celso Piña and Toto La Momposina. Chavela Vargas “named” Lila her “sucessor”.

Lila has graced the stages of many of the world’s most prestigious festivals and venues including Jazz at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Hollywood Bowl. She was invited by Barack Obama to sing at the White House, and has performed at the Oscars for her participation in the film Frida.

Lila has recorded 15 studio albums and 2 lives. She has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards and has won six.

Lila Downs in numbers
Facebook: 1.500.000 fans
Spotify: 2.007.447 monthly listeners
Chaine Youtube: 303.879.650 views
Grammy Awards: 6 (9 nominations)

The Mexican American singer has a stunning voice, a confident multicultural vision grounded in her Mixtec Indian roots. Los Angeles Times

Ms. Downs has multiple voices, from an airborne near-falsetto down to a forthright alto and a sultry, emotive contralto. New York Times

Few alternative artists have the dynamic power and range of this bilingual warrior-woman, who has recorded nine albums, earning a Grammy and four Latin Grammys along the way. NPR

Chico Trujillo

South America’s hottest Cumbia Orchestra

Chico Trujillo is Chile’s most prominent Cumbia band. They are the soundtrack to every party from Santiago to Valparaiso. They can fill stadiums. Their mixture of classic cumbia and hints of rock and ska has assured them audiences from every generation and every walk of life.

Chico Trujillo started as an offshoot of punk/Ska band LaFloripondio in 1999. Thirteen years and five albums later, the offshoot has come to symbolize a uniquely Chilean cocktail. One that is rooted in the cumbias of the pre-Pinochet days and manages to incorporate every aspect of Chile’s popular culture. They have meshed bits and pieces of Chile’s fragemented past with the global influence of alternative culture and merged it all under the pan-latin banner of Cumbia.

It’s the first time since ska erupted out of Jamaican onto the world’s dance floors (three times over) that a a popular musical movement not born in the United States is going global. This time, though, it’s a hispanophone movement, making huge headways in Latin America, Europe and Japan.

“Lollapalooza Chile has introduced me to a world-class party band: Chico Trujillo […] Every party band needs a rhythm, and Aldo Asenjo, the band’s leader and singer, relies on cumbia, the beat heard in countless variations across Latin America.” New-York Times

La Delio Valdez

La Delio Valdez

La Delio Valdez, is a cumbia orchestra created in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2009. As a cooperative of musicians, they have developed their own style based on cumbia as a musical rhythm that unites Latin America as a common language.

LDV takes up the great orchestral tradition of the continent. Its cooperative organization refers to the historical Argentinian Tango Orchestras; its theatricality on stage brings up the great Caribbean Orchestras, embracing powerful and overwhelming sound and dance as their main style feature.

The orchestra appropriate these traditions in its own way, taking a modern approach where the electric and the acoustic are combined. They have a diversified sound that combines resources from other styles (Andean music, salsa, rock, jazz and reggae) to create a sound that is both traditional and modern: an international and contemporary sound where the mestizo identities of the region are reflected.

In July 2021, the sixth and last album was released: “El Tiempo y la Serenata”.

In 2022, La Delio Valdez presents his new album on stage with a tour that includes Mexico (including shows in major festivals Vive Latino and Pa’l Norte), Chile, Uruguay, and 15 cities of Argentina (3 sold-out shows in the mythical Luna Park Stadium in Buenos Aires).

For the very first time in Europe during the fall of 2023!

La Delio Valdez has recorded and shared the stage with international acclaimed artists from the cumbia and Latin American folk music, such as Toto la Momposina, Celso Piña, Los Mirlos, Chico Trujillo, Frente Cumbiero, Pastor Lopez, Julieta Venegas, Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto and Chango Spasiuk.

La Delio Valdez is

– 15 musicians
– 6 albums
– 553 million views on their youtube channel
– 3.667.000 monthly listeners on spotify
– 487.000 subscribers on youtube
– 340.000 followers on facebook
– 456.000 followers on instagram

SON ROMPE PERA

Son Rompe Pera

Born and raised in the deep outskirts of Mexico City, the Gama brothers are keeping alive the rich legacy of marimba music running through their family with their latest project, Son Rompe Pera.

While firmly rooted in the tradition of this historic instrument, their fresh take on this folk icon challenges its limits as never before, moving it into the garage/punk world of urban misfits and firmly planting it in the 21st century.

Originally performing alongside their father at local events since they were kids, they now find themselves at the forefront of the contemporary international cumbia scene with their sonic explorations of the classic marimba. Their absolute unique blend comes from a typical youthful rebellion, when as teenagers they left behind their upbringing on the marimba and began to play in various punk, rockabilly and ska bands.

Now they’ve gone full circle with the marimba back leading the way, and mixing all of their influences together with their energetic take on the popular instrument, giving it a new twist never before seen in Mexican folk music.

Their live shows are a sweaty mess of dancing fans, and this garage-cumbia-marimba-punk band (the only band of its kind in the world) never disappoints on stage. Their authenticity shines through as they give their modern interpretation of Mexican, Peruvian, and Colombian classics, as well as their own original material and some surprise covers. The contrast of the traditional marimba with their youthful attitude and street sense connects the audience to the past while they dance into the future.

Their first album, Batuco, due out on the ZZK label imprint, AYA Records, in 2020, is named after their recently deceased father, and is a representation of everything he taught them growing up, plus their first steps into a new, international career.

UNESCO inscribed the marimba on the 2015 list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

OFFICIAL SHOWCASE WOMEX 2022

KUMBIA BORUKA

Kumbia Boruka

Exciting cumbia from Mexico and beyond

The roots of Kumbia Boruka are to be found in Monterrey, the cumbia capital of Mexico and the place where Hernan Cortés, the accordion player and band leader, grew up in the eighties. He didn’t only learn to play the accordion from the living legend of Mexican cumbia, Celso Piña, but he was also the percussionist in the band of Celso Piña during long international tours.

Besides their own contemporary and festive compositions, the band knows how to bring new flavours to classic cumbias from the sixties, mixing it with influences from reggae, dub, African music and rock, psychedelic electric guitar melodies, an extensive rhythm section and powerful and exciting brass arrangements. The Peruvian cumbia, called chicha, is not forgotten either. The result is a hybrid cumbia, nueva cumbia, with fierce Latin energy that will blow your mind! It’s party time!

With three albums and more than 400 shows, Kumbia Boruka has fulfilled his challenge by making the Old Continent vibrate at the emblematic rhythm of Latin America, the Cumbia.

In addition, the band’s music appears with 5 songs in the soundtrack of the excellent documentary series Maradona in Mexico launched on Netflix last year.

The “Remedio” that Kumbia Boruka offers is an authentic and compelling cure against the evils of our time. To be enjoyed without moderation !

Line up

Hernán Cortés – Lead Voice & accordion
Christian Briseño – Lead Voice
Tadeo Cortés – Congas & guacharaca
Jonathan Cortez Castillo – Bass
Miguel Mino – Guitar
Cyril Gelly – Drums
Clément Buisson – Trumpet
Tristan Darphin – Trombone

Cumbia Mexico

Sonido Gallo Negro

Sonido Gallo Negro (Black Rooster Sound) is a stunning 9-piece, instrumental combo from east Mexico City that channels both the mystique and mysticism of 1960’s Peruvian cumbia. The band integrates styles like Amazonian cumbia, huayno, cumbia sonidera, boogaloo and chicha (Peruvian cumbia) with electric guitars, Farfisa organ, theremin, flute and of course fluid Latin percussion. Spaghetti western soundtracks, psychedelia and surf music also echo in their compositions.

Sonido Gallo Negro’s music proposal enrichens and cultivates this musical genre with its exotic sui generis version that integrates outstanding visuals performed live by designer Dr. Alderete, who illustrates in real time.

WOMEX 2017 official showcase

Pao Barreto

Pao Barreto

After having participated in many “French Latin” bands such as The Bongo Hop, Who’s the Cuban, Cumbia Ya! and Cumbia y Cardón, the Colombian Pao Barreto, settled in Paris for almost ten years, launched last year her solo career with a first album, “Spiralis”, released in spring 2021.

Her compositions draw on a multitude of styles: festive Caribbean rhythms (porro, champeta, cumbia) rub shoulders with highly reverberated electronic sounds, with touches of soul, funk, swing and reggae.

Her texts celebrate the themes which are dear to her: the connection to nature, the cyclical rhythm of everything and the capacity of each one to transform.

Peruvian Cumbia Masters

Cumbia All Stars

They come from the legendary bands of Peruvian Cumbia and, after 40 years, they meet again to play finally together the music they participated in creating !

This musical wave was a phenomenon that could only take place during the sixties in Peru. A product of the effervescent environment of a decade of rediscovered freedoms, it takes roots in remote cities of Amazonia, and among children of immigrants who gave birth to a musical genre that is now an integral part of the Peruvian identity: Cumbia Huaracha, Amazonian Cumbia or simply Cumbia Peruana.

The Cumbia All Stars are among the creators of Peruvian Cumbia and they interpret, during their concerts, the most emblematic songs and the forgotten treasures of the repertory.

2013 is definitely the beginning of international achievements. In July 2013, they travel for the first time to Europe, on a successful tour of 18 dates in 10 different countries, among the most famous festivals of european summer, such as Festival Polé Polé (BE), the WasserMusik Festival (DE), the Amsterdam Roots Festival (NL), La Mar de Musicas (SP)…

Back to Lima in August, they start to work on the preparation of their first album, which will be released in January 2014 in Peru. In the meantime, they are invited by the Womex 13 Official Showcase Selection to represent the best of Peruvian Cumbia in Cardiff in October and announce their second European tour in less than 4 months!

Band members :

– Luis Carrillo – Singer
– Lucho Reyes – Lead Guitar
– Cesar Nicho – Rhythmic Guitar
– Manuel Pecho – Bass
– Ernesto Cadenas – Congas
– Hector “Chiquito” Mattos – Bongo / Campana
– Dante Reyes – Drums & Timbales

Collaboration SELVAMONOS PROD

CANDELEROS

Candeleros

Psychedelic afro-caribbean Cumbia

Drawing from influences like Cumbia, Merengue, Dub and afro-caribbean rhythms, Candeleros surrender to a sort of exorcism full of differents sounds in which they reach altered states of consciousness. All of this includes percussion sounds coming from the beyond, Andean echoes, cinematic atmospheres and tunes that seem to come from an old episode of The Twilight Zone. Candeleros music is like digging into a postmodernism hole to find the very pure of tropicalismo.

Candeleros is a plurinacional group of six people that come from Colombia and Venezuela. They have their operational center in Madrid, from where they try to expand a multicoloured psychedelic sound to dance. “Echar una candela” is commonly known as the improvised reunion around the tobacco, fire and music. “La candela” also is the measurement for the lights units and their intensity. “Candela” and “fuego” are also used as metaphors for passion, hit and love.

Candeleros goal is to unify the afro-caribbean sounds as a proof of identity, folklore and modernity. William, Fernando, Urko, Sergio, Alex and Andrés come from places where we can listen to rhythms like Cumbia and Son. They have mixed these rhythms alongside with percussion sounds and guitars to create a sort of psychedelic ritual.

During their seven years of musical trajectory, Candeleros has performed in differents shows around Europe and United States. They have performed in important festivals such as Sonorama Ribera, Trans Musicales de Rennes (France), Sziget Festival (Budapest), BAM Festival (Barcelona), SXSW (Austin).

In addition to all of this, Candeleros music can be found in music platforms such as KEXP radio, FIP Radio, Radio Gladys Palmera and Sofar Sounds Madrid.

Los Mirlos

Named after a black bird in their native jungle, Los Mirlos are the uncrowned kings of tropical Peruvian Cumbia, or Cumbia Amazonica. The band came together in Lima during the oil boom of the 70s and created a uniquely new and powerful party music inspired by the Anglophone psychedelic rock and surf music of the time.

Fast-forward some 40 years, and Los Mirlos have travelled and performed in almost every Latin American country, and are still considered essential for the culture of Amazonian Cumbia, not in the last place because of popular compilations such as “Roots of Chicha”, “Back To Peru”, and “Cumbia Beat Vol. 1”.

Songs like ‘La Danza de Los Mirlos’, ‘Sonido Amazónico’, ‘Lamento en la Selva’, ‘Muchachita del Oriente’, and ‘Chinito en Onda’ are kept in the memory of many people worldwide, who all danced to them at one point of their life.

The iconic band is well known for the incredible productions of psychedelic Peruvian Cumbia that they have produced since the 70’s. Widely known as the mastermind of the Peruvian-Amazonian Cumbia, they are back to the musical scene to share with the world the Peruvian musical history and the value of it.

Musicians
Jorge Rodríguez Grández – Lead Voice/Director
Danny Fardy Jhonston López – Lead Guitar
Jorge L. Rodríguez – Second Guitar & Keyboards
Urbano Melitón Ramírez Rojas – Bass
Luis Ramos Gómez – Choirs
Carlos Fernando Rengifo Rodríguez – Conga
Genderson Pinedo Vargas – Drums/Timbales

CARMELO TORRES

Carmelo Torres

Accordion player and composer, Carmelo Torres is considered as one of the main protagonists in the story of Colombian Cumbia. He is the living legacy of Cumbia Sabanera, a rural accordion style of cumbia from San Jacinto, in the Caribbean region of Colombia, influenced by the traditional flutes.

He learned to play vallenato first, by himself, before he met the ‘King of Cumbia’, Andrés Landero who was his teacher since kid, and started to play cumbias.

Since Landero passed away in 2000, Carmelo’s major concern’s been to carry on his teacher’s legacy, keeping the cumbia genre alive and teaching the youngest.

Carmelo is now knowned as The Accordion Bible. In 2019, Carmelo Torres’ music still smells as the music of the countryside, the sabana is present when he sings about labour works, nature, life and love. Indeed, He lives this new century and the globalization of our world musics as cumbia and vallenato and his music can be danced in nightclubs making part of our generation, looking backwards and towards in the same song.

With his group, he has performed widely at home in Colombia at caribean festivals winning all the contests and at the prestigious Festival Colombia al Parque in Bogotá in 2013. Torres has also travelled extensively with his conjunto as far as Europe, Australia, South Korea, Morroco and throughout Latin America in México, Panamá, Perú, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and Brasil.

WOMEX 2019 Official Selection

Cumbia Villera

Damas Gratis

Damas Gratis (Spanish for “Ladies’ Night”, literally “Ladies for Free”), creators of the “cumbia villera” (from the word villa, the Argentine equivalent of Brazilian favelas) is undoubtedly the most important cumbia band in Argentina.

Debuting in 2000 in San Fernando on the northern outskirts of Buenos Aires at the hand of Pablo Lescano, Damas Gratis is considered by many Argentinians as the “Maradona of Cumbia” and is today one of the great names in Latin American cumbia; for its history, its trajectory and the popular craze at each gig.

Eight studio albums, three live albums, almost two million fans on Facebook, sold out concerts in the four corners of the continent and collaborations with the greatest Latin artists are amongst their achievements to date.

Dozens of groups have been inspired by this great band; commonly called “cumbia villera”, having spawned the diffusion of this undercurrent of cumbia, from Mexico to Patagonia, converting it as a standard bearer of the demands of the popular classes. This cumbiera villera, a soundtrack of Argentine ghettos, has for nearly two decades taken the place that the hip-hop movement occupies in our suburbs. Music has become the means of expression of the underprivileged classes.

Pablo Lescano is also the first cumbia artist to play in the famous River Plate stadium “El Monumental” in front of 80,000 people, invited by Los Fabulosos Cadillacs in 2008.