“Africa, si señor!” shouts Bomba Estéreo’s Li Saumet at the beginning of the band’s new song “Qué Bonito.” We’ve been big fans of Bomba Estéreo for a while, featuring them on both our “Afropop Soundsystem 5: Neo-Cumbia” and “Womex 2010” shows, and we obviously approve of this opening. The band was formed by visual artist Simón Mejía, and the group’s colorful visual style– check the facepaint, gold chain, and sailor cap above– matches their music.
This song adds massive-sounding West African electric guitar playing to the Colombian band’s mix of champeta rhythm and electro cumbia production. The result is a sound that backs up our suspicion that people in Bogotá are having a really, really good time. Their last album was 2012′s rather tame Elegancia Tropica, so let’s hope that there’s a new one on the way with more of this style. Give it a listen below:
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