Global A Go-Go presents:
I’ve been listening to a lot of cumbia sonidera in the early days of 2023. It’s a style of music from Mexico, where the listeners and dancers want their cumbia played hard and slow: 80 to 90 beats per minute.
The genre got started when DJs accidentally or intentionally slowed down cumbia recordings from Colombia, Peru and other parts of South America. The first Mexico City band to play cumbia sonidera live was called Super Grupo Colombia (SGC), which featured several members of the Pedraza family of San Juan de Aragón, a small town that’s now part of Mexico’s sprawling Distrito Federal.
Ángel Pedraza, the son and nephew of SGC’s founders, has his own band called Grupo Kual? (yes, the question mark is part of their name) who have a new album out now. You’ll hear a track from it this week on Global A Go-Go, plus some more examples of cumbia sonidera.
Also this week (Sunday January 29, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): three new reggae singles; more chicha from the Peruvian jungle; a tribute to Zimbabwean feminist pioneer Stella Chiweshe, who passed away on January 20; Afrobeat with a political bent; and some blazing Malian Wassoulou rock.
Podcast: radio4all.net/program/114600
All the podcasts: radio4all.net/series/Global%20A%20Go-Go
Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros, “Global a Go-Go”
from Global a Go-Go
BMG Rights Management (US) LLC - 2001
England UK
Grupo Kual?, “One More Time (feat Lila Downs & Akil Ammar)”
from Konexiones
Discos Rolas - 2022
México
Los Dinners, “Sampuesana”
from Saturno 2000: La Rebajada De Los Sonideros 1962-1983
Analog Africa - 2022
Costa Rica, 1965
Héctor Guerra, “La Cumbia Callejera (feat. Alberto Pedraza)”
from Desde el Infierno
Kasba Music - 2017
Bolivia-Spain-México
Grupo Kual?, “La Kumbia En La Playa”
from Un Saludo! Mexican Soundsystem Cumbia In LA
Dutty Artz / Songs From Home - 2008
México
Chacalón Y La Nueva Crema, “Soy Provinciano”
from Chicha Popular: Love & Social Political Songs From Discos Horóscopo 1977-1987
Rebel Up - 2022
Perú, 1979
Los Zheros, “Selva Virgen”
from Perú Selvático - Sonic Expedition into the Peruvian Amazon 1972 - 1986 (Analog Africa No.36)
Analog Africa - 2022
Perú, 1975
Migmafrica, “Run Buffalo Run”
Nikamo Musik / Disques Passeport - 2023
Canada-Senegal
Ireke, “Petit à Petit (feat Agnès Hélène)”
from Petit à Petit (feat Agnès Hélène) - Single
Underdog - 2023
France
Eparapo, “Who Invented Black and White? (feat. Dele Sosimi)”
from Black Lives Matter (feat. Dele Sosimi) - Single
Wah Wah 45s - 2020
England UK-Nigeria
Seun Kuti & Black Thought, “African Dreams”
SKE80 LLC - 2022
Nigeria-USA
The Souljazz Orchestra, “Mista President (Remastered)”
from Freedom No Go Die (Remastered)
Do Right! Music - 2007
Canada
Bill Lupoletti Global A Go-Go January 29th, 2023
Posted In: Music Shows