Melbourne, Australia may not seem the obvious breeding ground for psychedelic cumbia inspired by the Colombian and Peruvian cumbia groups of the 70s, but it was here that a group of Latin American immigrants decided to call home,... Read Article
Record labels—as in the actual sticker on vinyl records—were always fascinating to me as a kid, thanks to my dad’s absolute love and care for his discos, which my brothers and I were rarely allowed to touch. Most... Read Article
“No, no, we’re inside the Gran Centro, not next to it!,” Lisandro shouts to me over the buzzy loudspeaker of my pirated cellphone, on a sweltering cab ride in sunny Barranquilla, Colombia. I quickly prompt our grumpy cab... Read Article
One of the most important names in twentieth century popular Latin music is the legendary Discos Fuentes record label of Colombia. For almost eighty years, the Medellín-based label has created many of South America’s most famous hits, and... Read Article
We were listening to a few new tracks on Soundcloud this morning when we saw in the corner of our eye a song called “Marimbula Acordeon Beatbox” at the bottom of our Dashboard. Clicking ‘Play’ revealed a beautifully-texture... Read Article
World Circuit Records released Cumbia Cumbia 1 & 2 today as a double CD and limited edition double LP. The collection features a ridiculous array of tracks recorded in Colombia’s legendary Discos Fuentes studio between 1950 and 1988,... Read Article
I arrived at Discos Fuentes studio in Medellin late on Friday afternoon. It was supposed to be a day for Ondatrópica – the new project from Will “Quantic” Holland and Mario Galeano Toro – to pack up their... Read Article
Over the past sixty years, the Colombian music genre Cumbia has rocked dance floors in it’s native land as well as the global music stage. However, cumbia has not always been so popular with the music-loving masses. Its... Read Article
One of the most interesting groups coming out of Colombia’s nueva cumbia scene is undoubtedly Frente Cumbiero. So far they have released a 7″ on Brooklyn’s Names You Can Trust record label and a collaborative album with Mad... Read Article
Miles Cleret’s Soundway Records continue their winning streak with this 16-track compilation of barnstorming dancefloor rhythms from little-known Colombian bandleader Michi Sarmiento.
Soundway Records, the Brighton-based label dedicated to the mining of global grooves, might well only consider itself a conduit for the music it releases, and insist that the tunes are where the light ought to be shone. Realistically,... Read Article
