Combo Chimbita
UW Memorial Union-Terrace 800 Langdon St., Madison, Wisconsin 53706
Stephanie Orentas
Combo Chimbita
Combo Chimbita doesn’t just defy or blend genres, they gracefully weave them together to enchanting effect. The track “Brillo Mas Que El Oro,” from their latest album, Ahomale, marries Afro Latin rhythms with a hip-hop flavored bass groove, an indie-esque synth line and singer Carolina Oliveros’ mesmerizing, powerful vocals.
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press release: “Lead vocalist Carolina Oliveros is an otherworldly presence over Afro Colombian rhythms meted out by guitar, bass and genre crossing drumming.” – NPR alt.Latino
Through folkloric mystique, otherworldly psychedelia and a dash of enigmatic punk, the new album Ahomale (May 3, ANTI-) by Combo Chimbita catapults the sacred knowledge of our forebears into the future. “The protagonist of this album whose name is Ahomale possesses the ability to communicate ancestral wisdom through the music,” explained guitarist Niño Lento.
Also out noq and filmed in Puerto Rico, watch the new music video for lead single “Brillo Más Que El Oro (La Bala Apuntándome).” “For us it has always been important to work with artists in different mediums,” explained bassist Prince of Queens regarding the video’s origins. “Working with [video director] Beatriz Santiago Muñoz in Puerto Rico was something really natural despite not knowing each other previously; there was already a connection between our art. It’s also important to us to search for connections and collaborations with Latin American artists. This video opens the door to the next chapter of our saga, Ahomale, and marks a new beginning in our artistic exploration.”
"Ahomale" and "Brillo Más Que El Oro (La Bala Apuntándome)" by Combo Chimbita
Combo Chimbita’s second studio album and Anti- Records debut sees the visionary quartet drawing from ancestral mythologies and musical enlightenment to unearth the awareness of Ahomale, the album’s cosmic muse. Comprised of lead singer Carolina Oliveros’ mesmeric contralto, illuminating storytelling and fierce guacharaca rhythms, Prince of Queens’ hypnotic synth stabs and grooving bass lines, Niño Lento’s imaginative guitar licks, and Dilemastronauta’s powerful drumming, the lure and lore of Combo Chimbita comes into existence.
“Revelation! The truth and light that is always within us and hides behind our fears… that is Ahomale to me,” Oliveros says. “In this album we were able to connect with our being to add a chapter to our saga. We’re excited to be able to work with people who are connected to our vision and to expand Latin American art!”
With the help of producer Daniel Schlett (The War on Drugs, Modest Mouse), the group’s rootsy experimental alchemy and metal strangeness take centerfold. Oliveros howls, yowls and chirps with gut-wrenching emotion. Whether rock - raw and soulful - or bewitching like a shaman in a spiritual ceremony, her voice is always a multifaceted wonder. “Brillo Más Que El Oro (La Bala Apuntándome)” boasts alluring vintage synths that seem to time travel through the lush tropics of yore; then, the mood intensifies when its bridge brilliantly crosses into a spellbinding chant sung in unison: “Y si digo que / Que ahora ya lo se” (“And if I say that I now know”).