Review: La Mecanica Popular is the sound that is coming out of the more traditional house and techno equation, filtering through on our charts with a tropical edge that merges just about all the facets of world-dance music possible! Peruvian, Colombian, Cuban, and North American influences are blended up and served to you on a platter, via the currently unstoppable Names You Can Trust label. There are six parts here, all of them showcasing something to do with the carnival atmosphere, at times speeding up into high-tech percussion or otherwise offering moody, seductive waves of pseudo-balearica. In a nutshell, this is the very best of what contemporary world-dance has to offer. 10/10.
Review: Two delicious freeform rhythm jams from the heart of Bogota; Los Propios Bateros (AKA drummer and percussionist Pedro Ojeda) is the result of a deep documentary project that plots the rhythmic thread through the Americas as a cast of Columbian's next generation musicians explore the national legacy of descraga and pornpo across two warm and seductive improvisations; "Batazo Batero" swoons with a little light jazz in its step while "Bolillo, Baqueta Y Tombo" is more of a loose funk riff that writhes in and out of the tight staccato trumpet riff. Sublime as always from Names You Can Trust.
Review: Bullerengue is a tradition that originated in the Caribbean region of Colombia. It is through the drums, chants, and dances that knowledge is transmitted from generation to generation. It is also a lifestyle: a way to celebrate festivities and the African legacy in Colombia. Bulla en el Barrio was born in New York City as a way to continue a learning process that started back in Baranquilla, Colombia. It culminated with the arrival of lead singer Carolina Oliveros to the city in 2013, and her connection with a tight-knit group of local Colombian musicians. They began to fill parks and other public places with the sounds of their home country to a small audience. The tradition of El Bullrengue is at the core of Bulla's process, and in the case of these recordings, you will hear two examples ("Fandango"/"Chalupa") of the three different rhythmic structures that make up the sound. From the beginning of Bulla, the group has since transformed into a community of over 12 active members who all share a strong sense of connection to their roots - and a consciousness of their ancestors.
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