Sounds of Colombian Port City Inspire Album

By 04 February, 2014

A collaborative project by the Todomono collective along with a variety of our favorite artists and DJs has resulted in a special album that brings the sounds of Barranquilla to listeners.

Sonsonete: la memoria sonora de Barranquilla” took form early last year to celebrate the bicentennial of the city often referred to “la puerta de oro.”

Todomono is a design collective (and store) started by Johnny Insignares and Fernando Vengoechea. While most of their work is inspired by the streets, people and stories, of Colombia’s Caribbean coast, the pair credit city sounds as the inspiration for this album.

“We wanted to give listeners a return to the city sounds they grew up with, and woke up to, every day,” Insignares said via press release. “The sounds we hear on the bus en route to university, television commercials, subconscious radio spots, and street vendors’ cries that evoke the memory of Barranquilla.”

The album includes the support of artists such as Bomba Estereo’s Simon Mejia, Frente Cumbiero, Colectro, Miami’s Locos por Juana, Austin-based Peligrosa DJ Orion, Colombian DJ/producers, Don Alirio, Monosóniko, and Femputadora, and the Barranquilla-based band, Sicotrópico. All were given the task of remixing or reinterpreting a classic with their own touches.

Colectro, for instance, reworked “El Disparate Musical (hear an original here)” adding their special brand of “coletera” by way of trippy sound effects and electric guitar.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/121527775″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

And if you’ve ever been to a street party in Barranquilla’s “barrio abajo,” where the picós blare champeta extra loud come Carnival time, you’ll certainly recognize “Rokiatu” by Congolese soukous band, Loketo, remixed by Medellin-based DJ/producer Don Alirio.

Check out all of Sonsonete below. Download it here. And keep up with Todomono on Twitter.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/15099332″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”false” /]


Follow Sounds and Colours: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Mixcloud / Soundcloud / Bandcamp

Subscribe to the Sounds and Colours Newsletter for regular updates, news and competitions bringing the best of Latin American culture direct to your Inbox.

Share: