In the Colombian Caribbean coast, the black population used to dance a music called Cumbia.

During the dance the man tried to seduce the woman. He used his straw hat, the same one he use to wear during the long hours bent down working in the fields, in an elegant and respectful gesture to invite the girl. Invariably, she would smile and constantly get close to the man, just to turn her back in a sensual way, followed by her large white skirt that describe amazing circles in the air. The man keeps on trying to seduce and the girl to accept and running away at the same time.

It is an amazing game of seduction danced to the rhythm of Caribbean music.

If you played FIFA 2010 recently, you probably listened to a modern version of this traditional music. While Lionel Messi was dribbling the ball, your speakers probably started to play ”Fuego” by Bomba Estereo.

Bomba Estero is a Colombian duo that mixes the traditional Cumbia music with electronic bases and the powerful hip-hop voice of the explosive singer, Lisa Saumet, in what is now called Electrocumbé.

Lisa, as singer and co-author of the lyrics gives to the band a character that fuse a rap voice, in the style of singers like la Mala Rodriguez, with the melodic and psychedelic voices of the Caribbean coast. She conquered Bogotá’s people with her strong voice, her sensual dancing, and above all, her Caribbean blood, she is like a bomb that explodes on the stage.

The band was created by Simón Mejía, who is the responsible for the rhythm created mixing traditions with electronic music. “When I started with Bomba Estereo, he says, ”I was just beginning to experiment with electronic music and it has all been a process of exploration. Now I think we try to do a style a bit more solid.” He is today the composer, guitarist and producer of the band.

Lisa is still surprised by the explosion of their success. “For me, being in this group was like a moment of surprise and this continues today, because we started like a small experiment and since then we have every day new challenges: essays, travel and responsibilities in the stage with the public,” she says.

He makes the music, she makes the lyrics. This process is made separately, they almost don´t talk to each other when they are making the skeleton of the song. However, the final touch is made between the two of them, when they transform that skeleton into a whole explosion of joy and energy.

Their new album, ”Estalla”, was released in 2008 in Colombia. In 2009, National Records published an international version titled ”Blow Up.” The promotional single was ”Fuego”, which became the most famous song of this innovative band. After this, they were invited to sing in US, Europe and Asia, they even appeared at SXSW and in the LAMC in New York. After that day the New York Times praised them largely.

Bomba Estero was also selected for the Iggy Show project by MTV as one of the 25 best new bands in the world.

Even if Bomba Estero is mostly know to make people dance, in Estalla there´s not only rhythm and party. The instrumental tracks, Camino Evitar and Palenke are psychedelic. Agua Salá and Pa Ti are sad and melancholic songs. Most of the rest of the songs talk about love, sex and passion.

http://www.myspace.com/bombaestereo



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