Afropop Worldwide

Quantic (AKA Will Holland) has something of a history with cumbia. Over the years, he's a done a great deal to unearth the music's overlooked history, including everything from putting together some of the best compilations on the market to- with the help of compatriot Frente Cumbiero- pulling together Ondatropica, a generation spanning Colombian band whose album we glowingly reviewed last year. He's been a little bit quiet as of late, which is why we were delighted to see that he had released "Tipica Sound", a mix of vintage Panamanian cumbia from the 50's and 60's. The vibe is more laid back then much of the Colombian material from the period, with a bit less of a percussive rush, and more of a gentle swing. The mix is also spiked with some particularly excellent female vocalists, which is always nice. Check it out! [soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/84804160" iframe="true" /] And for our take on Panama, check out our visit to the isthmus in "The Panama Beat!"