Bomba Estéreo
Bomba Estéreo is a Colombian band founded in 2005 that crosses the region's traditional cumbia with electronic , techno , dancehall , reggae , Afro-Caribbean champeta and hip-hop . With their forced, modern ethno dance sound and an above-average live performance , the formation also made a name for itself in North America and Europe .
Band history
Bomba Estéreo were founded in 2005 in Bogotá . The group consisting of five musicians initially formed as a loose collective. The founder was the native Spaniard Simon Mejia. In 2006 bassist Mejia met the Santa Marta- born singer Liliana Saumet, who , according to his own statement, was equally influenced by rock and techno music . In the same year the band's first official album was released - succinctly labeled Volume 1 . Stylistically anchored in traditional Colombian popular music, the cumbia, the band enriched it with elements from techno, house and rock-influenced sounds. Dancehall, reggae, African music, hip-hop and a pinch of surf were added as further style borrowings .
From the beginning, the group was well versed in live concerts. Soon, Bomba Estéreo also completed tours outside of their home country. In 2008 the second CD was released, Estalla. Initially published by a regional label, a version for the US market was also released the following year under the English title Blow Up . The first tour in the USA was associated with the usual starting difficulties for foreign newcomer bands: low budget, grueling travel conditions and stress in obtaining the necessary entry visas . Simon Mejia on the situation at the US Embassy in Bogotá: “Before I knew it, I was standing in a line of a thousand people and was about to freeze to death. We heard police officers giving instructions over the public address system and saw posters warning of drug trafficking . I cursed the whole world and its politics. Welcome to the American Embassy in Bogotá. Fortunately we all got the visas. "
2009 and the following years brought further international tours and festival appearances - among others in Mexico , Brazil and Argentina as well as in Japan , the USA, Germany and other European countries. On the occasion of the US Summer Tour 2010 , the group performed in Chicago , San Francisco , Philadelphia , New York , Boston , Washington and Seattle . Occasionally they have performed at concerts with other new Latin American bands such as Calle 13 , La 33 and Chocquibtown . The highlight of the US tour in 2010 was an appearance at the SXSW festival near the Texas capital Austin . Another significant event in the band's history was Simon Mejia's participation in the Rolex Mentorship Program , accompanied by Brian Eno - together with musicians DJ Rupture and Ben Frost .
In 2011, the group's third release, the EP Ponta Bomb, was released. In contrast to the previous two full albums, the band focused primarily on different remixes of a track - the single Fuego. In addition, the group released Fuego as a video clip .
Style and media coverage
The combination of traditional cumbia and modern pop music varieties is a key unique selling point of Bomba Estéreo. Band founder Mejia believes that Cumbia, with its different local characteristics, is the ultimate Latin American popular music: “Cumbia is really powerful music. It originated in the colonial times when Indian , African and Spanish influences mixed. In Latin America we have cumbia from Mexico to Argentina. Every country has its own kind of cumbia. ” The audience at concerts, according to Mejia on another occasion, is not specifically Latin American, but rather mixed.
Traditional cumbia plus contemporary sounds - does this recipe work commercially? With regard to Bomba Estéreo, the MTV Iggy website answered the question clearly positively: “With one foot in the traditional earthy Latin American music, the other on the stainless steel floor of modern electronica, one would think that the balancing act of Bomba Estéreo would be a failure is condemned. One might think that it is only a matter of time before the band loses its footing and falls into the abyss in view of the over-ambitious crossover projects. But none of that would be further from the truth. ” The live performance of the group also receives regular praise. On the occasion of the appearance of the Bomba Estéreo at the Summerjam Festival near Cologne 2012, the organizers explicitly praised the live qualities of the group on their website: “Bomba Estéreo concerts are truly an experience. Liliana Saumet dominates the stage and the audience with her presence and attitude somewhere between Nelly Furtado and MIA , while the band conjures up an absolutely hypnotic sound with beats and bass. Whoever withdraws from this has no heart and no feet. During their showcase at WOMEX 2010 in Copenhagen , Bomba Estéreo transformed the tidy concert hall and audience into a boiling, dancing, jubilant party within a few minutes. And not many can do that. "
Discography
- Vol. 1 (2006; Poland Records)
- Estalla (2008; Poland Records)
- Blow Up (2009; Nacional Records, identical to Estalla )
- Ponte Bomb EP (2011; Nacional Records)
- Elegancia Tropical (2012; Poland Records)
-
Amanecer (2015; Sony Music, US:
gold) - Ayo (2017; Sony Music)
-
To My Love (Remix) (2018, single, US:
× 3Triple platinum , MX: 
× 5Diamond + quintuple gold )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bomba Estéreo ( Memento of the original from August 21, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Brief introduction of the band on the online program page of the Swiss Paléo Festival Nyon, accessed on September 7, 2012
- ↑ Bomba Estéreo: My SXSW . Simón Mejía, Austin Chronicle, March 19, 2010
- ↑ Bomba Estéreo soon to be headlining across the US . Russ Slater, Music weblog Sounds and Colors, July 20, 2010
- ^ ACL Music Fest Sunday Interviews. Bomba Estéreo . Thomas Fawcett, Austin Chronicle, September 16, 2011
- ^ "Cumbia should be the Latin Music". An interview with Bomba Estéreo . Russ Slater, Music weblog Sounds and Colors, July 23, 2010
- ↑ Bands We Like: Bomba Estéreo . MTV Iggy, March 25, 2010
- ↑ Bomba Estéreo . Announcement text for the 27th Summerjam Festival 6th to 8th July 2012. Accessed on 7th September 2012
- ↑ Music Sales Awards: US MX
