The global music village we all live in has accustomed us to the most peculiar and at times bizarre, cultural brews. Still, discovering and enjoying a Lithuanian trio so passionate and dedicated to cumbia, chicha and tropical sounds doesn’t happen every day. Planeta Polar is indeed such a one-and-only act...
Tag Archives: Chicha
There’s a small but wonderful miracle going on air throughout the depths of the Peruvian Amazonas. Aptly named La Voz de La Selva, the radio station based in Iquitos (in North Eastern Peru) is the only media of communication reaching and giving voice to the communities living in the vast,...
![Album Review: Manzanita y su Conjunto – Trujillo, Perú 1971 – 1974 [Analog Africa; July 2021]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/manzanita-y-su-conjunto-trujillo-335x335.jpeg)
Savour, swing, rhythm and joy distinguish the magic guitar of Manzanita, spanning around the golden age of Peruvian Cumbia. Trujillo, Perú 1971 – 1974 comprises the personal style developed by the self-taught guitarist Berardo Hernández (1943-2007). Along with his Conjunto: Antonio Medina (bongos), Héctor Mattos (congas), Ricardo Valles (timbales), Enrique Ibérico...
Los Bitchos are five hilarious, humble and super friendly ladies that form the UK’s best-known instrumental cumbia-inspired psychedelic rock band. Maybe the UK’s only band of the kind because it’s unique. And they said I could join their band! I’m just looking for a new Latin instrument to learn quickly...
It’s not every night that all the Pizza Express Live audience divert their attention from their pizzas, stand up from their chairs, move their tables away and dance to the notes played on stage. With Malphino, who performed at the Holborn venue on 2nd November, that was quite natural and...
You are all invited to join us for a one-way trip to Malphino Republic, the tropical music land where grooves are luscious and vibes heart-warming. Dance shoes on your feet, appetite for quality notes strongly encouraged, and desire to spend a fun-filled evening more than welcomed; we will take care...
They might be a French band, but The Bongo Hop heartbeats follow pure Afro-Colombian rhythms. So much so that, their second release, Santigarana Vol.2, is overflowing with Afro-Caribbean sounds (next to being one of our favourite albums of the year). After having performed on the Tropical Pressure stage, the ensemble,...
![Album Review: Sonido Gallo Negro – Mambo Cosmico [Glitterbeat Records; 6th April 2018]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sonido-gallo-negro-mambo-cosmico-335x335.jpg)
Mexico City’s Sonido Gallo Negro returns with their third album and keeps the exploration of Amazonian psychedelic music coming. Alongside the exhilarating cumbia sounds, they experiment with different sounds and textures such as mambo, cha-cha, porro and danzón; all of which add to the growing sound and reputation the instrumental...
Welcome to the mystic depths of Mexican music, where vintage cumbia intertwines itself with psychedelia, electronica, boogaloo and chicha, which sprout up into a visionary and mesmerising sound. Sonido Gallo Negro, a nine-piece combo from Mexico City, is undoubtedly one of the most successful and imaginative bands to emerge from...