A CumbiaSazo event ignites a kind of energy in us that hangs out long after the lights have dimmed and the space has cooled. It stays with us, then boogies its way into other venues of our selves with its infectious love and positivity...
Read MoreA few days have passed and the music is still flowing through my being. Memories of performances from the weekend dance about and blend together as if I was mixing records:
Camilo Lara and Toy Selectah's "Te Andan Buscando" starts things off then makes way for Master Blaster Soundsytem's "Borrale", which opens up some space for Bumbac Joe and his accompanying congo player. The disco-funk that DJ Afro kicks bounces its way into the mix while Dellarge jumps in for a tag-team set. Then the record scratches...
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Bardo Martinez of Los Angeles vintage band, Chicano Batman, made a comment in a Billboard Magazine piece this year: "That's really how I am, listening to that variety of music all the time. It's very important to hear music when you're a kid; it gives you a soundtrack for your life." Up until that point, I had been feverishly listening to their music over and over again - falling into trance after trance of reminiscent joy not quite understanding what was going on, or why. Really, at that point, I was still so emotionally involved in where the sounds were moving me, I didn't care to think about the why. Then I read Bardo's thought and it flashed - I knew what was happening here: I had just discovered a childhood-defining group in Chicano Batman.
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Positioning is important; something Mariel Mariel seems to have understood when she left her home in Santiago for Mexico City in pursuit of her music. Leaving one's family and friends can be difficult. We get entrenched. We fear the unknown. Or maybe we fear the aftermath of failure. There are numerous ways we reason ourselves into paralysis; but regardless, positioning is important and in this case - inspiration was at stake.
Read MoreEl Sonido Sonic Octopus - the name was compelling. I hadn't had a listen yet, but something told me I was about to tangle with a phonic kraken; and it was thrilling. El Sonido Sonic Octopus - just let it sit for a second...
