Music in the streets. Whether the music is:~ Good… Bad… Sweet… Nice… Official and conservative…. Entertaining on the street, but not necessarily for consumption by me elsewhere… Music I like. Music I don’t like. Quality musicianship, or not. No matter to me. No me importa. Walking every day at the moment along the always busy and dirty,… Continue reading Street Music, Good or Bad, Makes People Happier
Author: Beaver on the Beats
Nestavibe – A Cute Reggae Band In A Stunning Venue
The band, Nestavibe…8 youngens. The venue… In a very beautiful, but reputedly dodgy (justifiably so) historical neighbourhood of Bogota called La Candelaria. I love La Candelaria. A stunning old theatre. One of a few different spaces within the walls where lives the Fundacion Gilberto Alzate Avendano. Every stone and piece of wood within those walls has character… Continue reading Nestavibe – A Cute Reggae Band In A Stunning Venue
Papaya Republik – Tongue in Cheek Colombian Fusion Music
Think about the meaning of ‘Banana Republic’. Know that ‘papaya’ is a Colombian fruit and, without wanting to sound obvious, that ‘republik’ is Spanish for ‘republic’. There you have Papaya Republik – a contemporary Colombian fusion band making unique sounding, quality music. Papaya Republik is 7 Colombians from different regions of Colombia, with diverse musical backgrounds,… Continue reading Papaya Republik – Tongue in Cheek Colombian Fusion Music
Electronic Fusion Music in Bogota is….
Diana Torres, Director of Fundación Cultural Arca, based in Bogota, says this about electronic fusion music in Bogota: What we have found about fusion in electronic music in Bogota since we started ´Conectados´ (Connected) – a program of live electronic music concerts – is that it take us to the cultural heritage of local sounds of… Continue reading Electronic Fusion Music in Bogota is….
Colombian Fusion Music For The Minority – Lesson 2
Silly misconceived Beaver. How wrong I was. Since my first trip to Colombia in 2007 I had thought that Colombia has a huge amount of fusion music – loved passionately by a huge number of Colombians. “Why wouldn’t it be?” I thought, “It’s so awesome”. Plus I had found lots of it, well maybe about… Continue reading Colombian Fusion Music For The Minority – Lesson 2
ChocQuibTown: First Taste of Colombian Fusion Music
I start with ChocQuibTown as opposed to any other Colombian fusion band I love, out of respect. A 2007 gig of theirs in Bogota was my first taste of Colombian fusion music. An awesome taste of much more to come. By the time I found ChocQuibTown I had already spent one month in Cartagena on the… Continue reading ChocQuibTown: First Taste of Colombian Fusion Music
Colombian Fusion Music History – Lesson 1
How did contemporary Colombian fusion music come to be? That’s the question I’ve been asking people in the know in Bogota. My first lesson came from a Colombian Ethnomusicologist, Simon Calle. He has completed a PHD on this subject and works for the Colombian government in a role designed to support and promote Colombian music artists.… Continue reading Colombian Fusion Music History – Lesson 1
Richard Blair – Musical Experience of the Week
My musical experiences in Bogota this week were of different types and qualities. The best one? Well it wasn’t really fusion music. It wasn’t even a live band. It was a DJ set by Richard Blair: Producer and Engineer; Founder of Sidestepper, a very successful Colombian fusion music band; and an artist well recognised and respected… Continue reading Richard Blair – Musical Experience of the Week
Fusion Music – It’s All in the Mixing
Last night a Latin fusion band’s gig in Bogota taught me something about fusion music. They shall remain nameless, but they were not Colombian. The Lesson My lesson was that maybe, the ultimate difference between fusion music I like and don’t like, is the way that the different musical styles are blended, rather than the particular… Continue reading Fusion Music – It’s All in the Mixing
“Fusion Music is…
…a laboratory.” Mauricio Guapacha – Drummer from Colombian fusion band Papaya Republik. Check out Fusion Music Is for ideas from other Papaya Republik band members (+ others). Stay tuned also for more info about this great band.