Concert
Bogotá Boom
With: Los Trasantlanticos, Meridian Brothers, Papaya Republik, DJ Tio Changó
Compiled by Detlef Diederichsen
Colombia’s musical diversity comes together in the capital Bogotá, blending and clashing styles from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts, Vallenato and Cumbia, Gaita and Salsa, Rock and Hip Hop. What’s new is the willingness to experiment, the desire to try out the impossible, and, above all, to make it danceable.
Los Transatlánticos
This Berlin-Bogotá connection – two of the seven band members are from Berlin – use a bulky Hammond organ to show that even the dodgiest of sounds and constantly changing tempos can bring a concert hall to the boil.
Meridian Brothers
At first glance, the Meridian Brothers, led by the award-winning New Music composer Eblis Álvarez, look like a typical Indie band on stage. But they play music that uses elements of Minimal Music, Cumbia, Latin Pop and the Colombian Afro-Funk of the 1970s in equal measure; all filtered and twisted in their own unique style. With a guest appearance by the Chor der Kulturen der Welt.
Papaya Republik
This six-piece outfit with its Cumbia brass section made up of clarinet and saxophone plunders the treasure trove of Colombian musical traditions and enriches it with Funk beats and Hip-Hop basses in a way that is both unusual
Tío Changó
The evening is rounded off by the DJ Tío Changó, who is based in Berlin, where he runs Chusma Records, a label specializing in modern Colombian music.
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