Jhonny Ortiz is the one who introduced me to the rumble of Colombian sound systems! I first met Jhonny Ortiz at a picò party in Barranquilla. We started talking about each other’s work and he kindly invited me... Read Article
While I was investigating vinyl culture in Barranquilla, a friend of mine told me that a costeño was now living in Medellín trying to spread the culture of the Caribbean coast over in that part of Colombia. So I... Read Article
Lucas Silva is a workaholic. If he’s not recording music, he’s shooting a music video or a documentary or writing a script or something else. It was hard to catch him during my first trip to Colombia because... Read Article
Sidney Reyes Reyes aka ‘the Musical Library’, is the very first person you need to contact if you plan to go to Barranquilla, on Colombia’s Atlantic coast, to investigate Afro-Colombian culture. His work is well known in the... Read Article
“¡Barranquilla es la capital mundial de la mùsica africana!” (Barranquilla is the world capital of African music). If you ever have the chance to visit the city of Barranquilla on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, then there is a good... Read Article
Joe Galbraith takes a trip to carnival in Barranquilla, Colombia. He finds out why it’s the second largest carnival in South America, discovers its afro-caribbean roots, its close ties with cumbia and checks out the picó soundsystem culture... Read Article
Ask any Colombian, and they’ll tell you there’s nothing as beautiful as the tradition of noche de velitas (night of the candles) on the 7th of December. Held on the Eve of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the... Read Article
No one represents better the current sound of the Afro-descendent population of Colombia’s Caribbean coast than Rey de Rocha, a mammoth sound system (known as a picó in Colombia) that plays champeta at block parties in the big... Read Article
Systema Solar is one of those Colombian bands that I love because it’s obvious their picó–inspired sounds can power any street party. There’s also the lead singer’s scraggly voice (that’s a compliment) and their absolute homage to AfroColombian... Read Article
A new craft is winging its way through the sonic solar system, built from creaky amps and sleek laptops, powered by dayglo Caribbean sun and the brilliant pulse of street parties, and steered by hip-hop Afronauts from one... Read Article
System Solar are one of the heaviest groups coming out of Colombia at the moment. They call themselves a ‘collective’ and this couldn’t fit them better. Each member is involved in all kind of enterprises but bring their... Read Article
