Colombian Music Artists

Good music makes me feel happy.

Amazing music makes me feel incredibly happy, and alive.

Two Latin fusion music collectives I experienced on Friday night at Bogota’s Teatro Metropol made me feel that way. The live Bajo Fondo and Systema Solar experiences were an audio & visual delight that have put a smile on my face for days.

BAJO FONDO  (formerly Bajofondo Tango Club)

Basic low down:

• Collective of 8 musicians/composers/singers from Uruguay and Argentina
• Fusion of tango/ electronica/ murga/ candombe / milonga/ hip & trip hop/ drum & bass/ rock/ house/ chill
• Guitars/drums/percussion/bass/vocals/live visuals/sequences/piano/scratching/bandoneon/dj sets/violin.

Sounds interesting yes? It is.

For years I’ve been listening to and loving Bajo Fondo’s first two albums Bajofondo Tango Club and Mar Dulce. But the live experience of Bajo Fondo exceeded all hopes and expectations, and was more sublime than words can convey.

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Talented musicians and composers – High quality compositions – Ridiculously interesting and unique sounding music – Beautiful visuals – and a super positive and high energy stage presence.

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This was undoubtedly the very best live electronic music gig I have experienced in my life so far.

Need I say more? No – because you can check out the Bajo Fondo website to learn more about them, buy their music, and find the live experience wherever in the world you can.

Short videos from the Bajo Fondo gig here:

SYSTEMA SOLAR

Basic low down:-

• 7 Colombians from the Carribean coast forming a musical/visual collective with “a strong emphasis on worship, dance and joy”
• Fusion of  porro / cumbia / fandango / champeta / hip hop/ house/ techno/ breakbeat/ scratching
• Turntables/singing/emceeing/percussion/ video jockey/dance
• Super cool costumes

Spectacular live performance by Systema Solar at Teatro Metropol that had me smiling from ear to ear.

I doubt there is any group on this earth right now that sounds like Systema Solar do – and that makes them pretty special.

Awesome visuals too. It was cool that during some songs the stage lighting was dimmed so as to obscure or totally silhouette the music artists, allowing the focus to stay on the movements and bright colours of the visual arts.

The use of traditional Afro-Carribean styles in Systema Solar’s music meant that there were moments in songs, especially some vocal sounds, which reminded me of the sounds of Australian Indigenous group Yothu Yindi, infused with Latin sounds.

Systema Solar’s proclaimed mission (a paraphrased Beaver translation from espanol) is:

To radiate the best of our energies to the world, and in each new stage of orbit to continue to assume our biggest challenge in this life – to be happy. Come dance with us…

Systema Solar achieved that mission in abundance on Friday night. Blessed was I to have shared it, and dance I did!

Dance did everyone – illustrated by my favourite people moment of the night:

Seeing (in true & beautiful Colombian style) four uniformed venue staff succumb to the music, dance, smiles and positive high energy around them in the space.

I noticed them longingly watching everyone around them dancing. The moment came when they asked themselves “Can we?”.  Then answered “Yes, we can.  Why not?” So dance  they did – with the rest of us.  All smiling we were.

I highly recommend checking in to Colombia or somewhere else in the world to experience the Systema Solar collective live.

Check out these videos of Systema Solar at Teatro Metropol:

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Muchisimas Gracias to Bajo Fondo & Systema Solar for a warm and happy welcome back to Bogota!

 

I’ve already said it, I’m saying it again today, I suspect I’ll say it many more times before I leave Colombia again: I am ridiculously-happy to be back in this country to enjoy all the amazing and diverse musical feasts on offer.