“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:
