Cumbia Bestial: Tropicannibalism Blows Fire into Bogotá’s Underground

Bogotá has always been fertile ground for cumbia mutations: psychedelic, electronic, punk-inflected, and everything in between. This year those scattered currents are finally joining forces under a new banner: Cumbia Bestial.

Launching October 4 at local venue La Mecánica, this isn’t just the start of a party series, but the creation of a collective space. Equal parts dancefloor, art lab, and cultural experiment, the circuit is dedicated to amplifying the city’s ever-evolving cumbia and tropicannibalistic scenes.

Leading the night is Divino Colapso, a project steered by Marco Fajardo and Sebastián Rozo, both members of the legendary Frente Cumbiero. With a roster featuring Edgar Marun (bass), Richard Arnedo (drums/percussion), Nicolás Mejía (guitar), and a fiery brass section with Jorge “León” Pardo (trumpet), Fajardo (sax), and Rozo (euphonium), Divino Colapso embodies the event’s ruthless spirit: tradition colliding head-on with experimentation, each instrument adding its own roar to the collective explosion.

The program also features Conjunto Media Luna, who are fresh off a European tour. Helmed by Iván Medellín (also of Romperayo), this accordion-driven project stretches cumbia between its folk roots and more experimental, electronic horizons. Medellín’s fearless approach bridges the lineage of Colombian tradition with the playful chaos of the city’s psychedelic underground.

On the decks, Felipe Orjuela will bring Discos Guacharaca, a vinyl project digging deep into Colombia’s tropical archives. His sets pull vintage cumbia and tropical gems into dialogue with contemporary beats, pushing dancefloors into full combustion.

But this collective isn’t just sound-centric. It’s also about visuals. Pegatina Criolla, muralist and illustrator known for work at Hip Hop al Parque and Jazz al Parque festivals, joins forces with Yodax, one of the city’s most striking visual artists, whose designs have graced acts like La Dame Blanche and León Pardo. Together, they’ll turn the stage into a living canvas, sketching and projecting in real time.

The result is a sensory overload: a collective ritual where cumbia doesn’t sit still but instead mutates, feeds, and bursts into new forms rooted in Bogotá’s chaos and creativity. Rather than a one-off event, Cumbia Bestial marks the beginning of a travelling cycle. An open space for catharsis, experimentation, and celebration in the city’s ever-expanding underground.

Cumbia Bestial kicks off this Saturday, October 4 at Bogotá’s La Mecánica. You can check out information about location, tickets and more at the event’s official Instagram page.

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