Cumba Mela
New York City, New York, United States | SELF
Music
Press
We got another banger track for the summer from Cumba Mela, this time they take Columbia’s Andres Landero and refresh his pueblo sound for the masses. Taking the concept of the people/campesino and staying firmly rooted in his culture Andres Landero was one of those musicians that prided on his worker beginnings, he was an important artist during that time and now if you look back to what he was about. Cumba Mela has taken the pure soul of the campesino and has applied the modern day formula of Cumbia Bass to it that will have everyone dancing. - WGM
I first heard about these guys the same way I hear about most quality new music- through the grapevine at underground Brooklyn loft parties and warehouse bass bangers. What began as a dim buzz quickly exploded into an outright trend; suddenly, all my friends in the industry were working with Cumba Mela in one way or another. I finally took the time to sit down and listen to their entire Soundcloud inventory, plugging my computer into a more formidable sound system and berating Ranchsauce until he agreed to pay attention and listen with me. We spent the next hour wobbling around, laughing at the dubby U.S Military cadence and wompy Hare Krishna chant. I have been searching for electro- kirtan, and these guys deliver even better than I imagined. Their music encompasses an amazingly wide range of genres while maintaining stylistic continuity, embodying the spirit of community.
If you’re in the New York area, make sure to check out their weekly residency at Bembe in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and go to CumbaMela.com to find out about upcoming gigs. For now, give these tracks a listen and be prepared for some serious head bopping and spontaneous wiggles: - Lost In Sound
A glistening coat of sweat dripped from everyone on the tightly packed dancefloor as they focused intently on Cumba Mela’s set during the heat stroke-inducing Danger party this Saturday at 3rd Ward. Like the trio does at other Brooklyn underground parties, they played a selection of quick-paced “global bass” tracks, a blending of international folk sounds with Western club music. At these performances, the collective plays full songs, but also add new layers of drums, melodies, or vocals. The interaction between the three of them continues like that in a sort of live remix process. “These sets are a conversation between us as deejays and the audience and how they respond to us,” says 2melo. - BuskwickBk.com
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Cumba Mela is an international DJ music collective that encompasses the gathering and soul celebration of a musical journey that unites all four directions of this earth. This sonic global experience is as cultur- ally rich and diverse as the demographic landscape of New York City, the home of Cumba Mela. Cumba Mela blends a colorful array of international genres such as: nueva cumbia, kuduro, samba, afro-latin bass, dubstep, electro, baile funk, balkan-brass, and many more. Their original tracks and remixes range from a selection of intercontinental folk influences mixed with urban bass.
Among the vibrant and edgy underground music/art community of NYC, Cumba Mela has conquered the unmarked venues scattered throughout the industrial areas of Brooklyn. They have performed at such underground events as: the Danger Party, the Bushwick Boat Party, Thunder Gumbo, Swimming Cities, Collective Hardware, Brooklyn Sanctuary, the House of Yes, the Wonderland Collective, and the 3rd Ward. Proud of their concrete roots within NYC’s underground music/art community, Cumba Mela continues to spread their sound through their weekly event at Bembe. Cumba Mela has shared the stage with Beats Antique, Filastine, Spoek Mathambo, Zizek (El G), Uproot Andy, Cosmo Baker, Michna, & DJ Sabo.
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