75% CUMBIA
Apparently at the end of the DUNE series the protagonist (Leo Atreides II) has inhaled so much spice that he’s no longer human or even a mytho-dynast, but has transformed into a huge sandworm (presumably with telepathic powers). The worms are spice, spice is the worm. Dune is a crazy book, I could barely finish it, much less move on to the 5 or 6 other ones.
Point is, if cumbia is the spice i feel i may be approaching sandworm status — a long round in Tepito ‘barrio bravo’ in Mexico City followed by a few pre-Postopolis days in downtown Los Angeles in the shops here. The twin poles of best contemporary cumbia production, in other words…. I’ve been traveling for the last three or four weeks, and look fwd to return home, sit down, and properly listen… Also picked up some great promising books in D.F., but that’s another post.
Last night’s radio show is about 75% cumbia, 10% tribal guarachero, 15% unreleased material from friends…
Here are 3 breakout cumbia tunes from it.
Celso Pina also versioned this one. I can’t resist typing the lyrics in all caps. AMOR! AMOR ROMANTICO! AMOR DE CUMBIA!
Chico Cervantes – Cumbia de la Paz
love the female vox here. bittersweet love tune.
and this last one, a classic — Manu Chao bit this one hard; those male backing voices actually sound like him singing!
Aurita Castillo y Su Conjunto – Chambacu
April 3, 2009
Greetings Big Up DJ/Rupture! I met you at the WFMU record fair last year when I was with DJ Andujar of Amherst’s WMUA. You were mixing some crazy cumbia joints. Anyway, I am putting together a compilation of contemporary cumbia for my folks at the Rough Guide and I wondered if you can send me any music to hear – yours, your remixes, experiments, or any you recommend? It would have to be something the Rough Guide could license – not from a major, and a legal recording.
Many thanks and I’m loving your music & blog, hermano!
Pablo/Bongohead
April 3, 2009
mexicans always eat the worm!
April 6, 2009
wow… i’m on the wrong side of the ocean man… these are some beautiful cumbias! i’ll see you soon jace, if there’s any cumbia battle weapons you want to share, lemme know?
April 7, 2009
I think that’s Dinastia Pedraza/ Grupo Kual on the Bailando Cumbia track.
Chambacu is magical track.
April 7, 2009
seconds on Chambacu. i remember it from your clandestina mix rajah!
April 13, 2009
[...] head/blogger/“Dune”-enthusiast Jace Clayton, aka dj/rupture, will be @publicassembly May 1st for a no-doubt-bitchin’ [...]
May 4, 2009
that Jeanette cover is pretty rad.
May 28, 2009
¿ Porqué le quitaste las voces a la canción de “Chambacú” ?
August 8, 2009
Thnks! i was looking for the CHAMBACU track, big upps!
December 1, 2009
It’s the second book in which Leto II becomes part sandworm. He does so by physically bonding with sandtrout, the larval form of sandworms.
December 13, 2009
Yes definitely grupo kual on that third joint cant miss that kual sample drop, If you are in vancouver and looking for some cumbia keep your eye out for Joven.