Sunday 25 September 2011
SON PALENQUE
(COLOMBIA)
Justo Valdez ’Gele Gele’ lead vocals, Enrique Tejedor vocals/beltrom, Lucio Torres vocals/claves, Tomas Valdez ’Familia’ tambora, Gustavo Alvarez maracas, Afredo Olmos tambora, Cecilio Torres vocals/reeds
Son Palenque is a legendary Afro-Colombian band from San Basilio de Palenque, a village on the Colombian coast founded by runaway slaves. In the 1970s Nigerian sailors brought new African dance music to the region, which was picked up by DJs. This influence spawned champeta, an exciting cross between Afrobeat, psychedelic rock and Colombian rhythms such as cumbia, chalupa and lumbalu. ‘A sweatily eccentric blend of spaced out chanting and pummeling polyrhythm’ (Telegraph).