Nuevos Rios [LP]

The latest creation from Colombia's effervescent scene of rich hybridizations, Nuevos Ríos offers us a breathtaking dive into the Afro-descendant traditions of the Colombian Pacific, enhanced by the input of electronic and amplified music. The result is stunning. Never losing it's course, this odyssey transcends boundaries and carries us along the discovery of a new river with countless meanders. Here we feel the heat of the tropics, the embodied power of musical traditions, and the sweat of European dancefloors in a unique cocktail-quickly addictive, sometimes introspective, and irresistibly danceable. Born from the encounter between Canalón de Timbiquí-the Colombian group founded by maestra Nidia Góngora, whose mesmerizing, instantly recognizable voice has graced projects such as Quantic, Ondatrópica, and The Bongo Hop-and the Toulouse-based trio Reco Reco, passionate explorers of trance-inducing music, especially from South America, the Nuevos Ríos project traces it's origins back to the banks of the Timbiquí River. Far from the beaten path, at the heart of Colombia's Pacific region, the two groups came together naturally in the village of Timbiquí, the very roots of Canalón's music and of Nidia Góngora herself. Through a series of improvised jam sessions in the ground floor of Nidia's home, the hybridization of their music became an obvious path-born from a shared desire to reveal to attentive listeners the strength of this human and musical encounter. This first chapter, released on ZZK Records-a label renowned for uncovering South American gems (Son Rompe Pera, Nicola Cruz, La Yegros...)-is carried by the singular writing and timbre of Nidia Góngora. Across the tracks, each element of the ensemble finds it's rightful place: the power of Colombian Pacific percussion and the poetry of the marimba de chonta catch us around a savory guitar riff never far from West Africa; the strength of the voices is heightened by layers of electronic textures; while drums interlock with bass keys to provide a double engine for the eponymous vessel, Nuevos Ríos. The lyrics tell of a daily life always close to nature, around a river that is both a central artery and a channel of exchange-without shying away from the harsh realities of a region scarred by Colombia's internal conflicts. And perhaps this music is already a first response to some of those wounds, in the form of a ritual of collective celebration.