Alejandra Charry is a singer born in Cali, Colombia’s vibrant, third-most populous city. Unsurprisingly perhaps, she cites national musical treasure Totó La Momposina as an influence. Blessed with a warm, distinctive voice of her own, she fronts a... Read Article
Oye Manita is a glance at post-colonial musical resistance courtesy of Colombia’s legendary singer Totó La Momposina. Her voice is the leading instrument, the brush on Oye Manita‘s canvas; its hearty colors are the instruments that follow, providing light... Read Article
As well as the new sounds of Latin America, 2018 has also been a fine year for the reissuing of older material with this selection of 12 newly-refurbished classics a great place for searching out some of Latin... Read Article
Is it just us or has this past summer been a busy one for Totó La Momposina? Let’s be straight, she’s not a performer to sit still, regularly performing around the world, but in terms of new releases,... Read Article
Say it after me: “I am Jungle”. Two years after debut release Kumbé, left-field Afro-House three-piece, Ghetto Kumbé are back with a new 4-track EP Soy Selva. There’s a good chance you will be left repeating the literal... Read Article
It’s been eight months since Colombia’s Magín Diaz went “viral” for emerging from obscurity when a video put out by AJ+ went viral. The 95-year-old is said to have composed some of Colombia’s most iconic folkloric songs, though he... Read Article
Few artists have been as responsible for elevating the folk music of Colombia’s Caribbean coast – and in particular cumbia – to the world stage as Totó La Momposina. Born in 1940 to a musical family, Totó loved singing and... Read Article
According to oral histories, Magín Díaz has composed some of Colombia’s most famous folk songs. Songs that generations of Colombians know and love. Songs that have since been reinterpreted by big names like Carlos Vives and Totó la... Read Article
The crunching chill of the post-Christmas winter months is always a testing time for Londoners. And what with a Trump Presidency and Hard Brexit, 2017 presents an especially lugubrious prospect for many. But for Latin music lovers (partial)... Read Article
Let’s be clear: Tambolero is not Totó La Momposina’s new album, though it’s so imaginative it’s as if it were a new one. The record is a collection of unreleased tracks and alternative takes dating back to the... Read Article
This summer will bring us a reimagining of one of Colombia’s most important albums. Totó La Momposina‘s La Candela Viva (1993) will be remixed and remastered (with some additional instrumentation and vocals by Totó’s granddaughters) as Tambolero, to be released... Read Article
Brazil’s Metá-Metá bring together influences as diverse as afro-samba, punk, free-form jazz, candomblé and afrobeat to create visceral, experimental and soulful music that reaches from a whisper to an all-out aural assault. On their latest album, MetaL MetaL,... Read Article
