Frente Cumbiero – “Frente Cumbiero Meets The Mad Professor” – [Vampi Soul]

Frente Cumbiero, the Colombian group led by Mario Galeano Toro, gets a dub makeover on this Vampisoul release. Seven tracks recorded in Colombia in 2009, mostly instrumental, are presented with mixes done in Buenos Aires, followed by most of those tracks remixed by Mad Professor in London. Cumbia in general has had a resurgence with various reissues digging up the vibes from old Peruvian chicha 45s and newer bands like Chicha Libre doing work in that style, but Colombian cumbia has not had so much exposure, and that’s what Toro is trying to revive with his neo-cumbia approach (the Frente Cumbiero “band” is really put together on a project basis, as their previous release was more sample-intensive, while this CD uses more musicians). The cumbia grooves are pretty relentless and it makes for a nice contrast with the dub atmospherics floating through. ((( crimes )))