Fiesta, Que Viva La

The first ever release of mythic Colombian groups Ensamble Polifónico Vallenato and Sexteto La Constelación De Colombia A full-length album of exclusive archive recordings featuring members of the Meridian Brothers Frente Cumbiero Ondatrópica Romperayo and Los Pirañas Bland rock and pop music took over Colombia in the 1980s For a country with so much musical heritage this was blasphemy Ensamble Polifonico Vallenato and Sexteto La Constelación de Colombia were two groups who in the late 90s fought to redress the balance Ensamble Polifonico Vallenato started as a joke a parody of the bad vallenato music a bunch of university students would hear on the bus into campus Their idea was simple “to play whatever and see what happens” The resultant music was as heavy as rock as acidic as punk and as far-out as the most left-field free jazz At the heart of it all was fiery accordion and acerbic vocals often playing in call-and-response just like the classic vallenatos of yore The lyrics formed a big part of the group's identity they were deep sarcastic and surrealistic and reveled in toying with Colombian clichés The music soon stopped being a parody The students began to learn more and more about Colombian folklore and their sound evolved Soon they ditched the accordion replacing it with flutes from Colombia's Caribbean coast and renamed the group Sexteto La Constelación de Colombia The musicians were now more mature though no less experimental Both groups were rebellious counter-cultural and added to their reputations with anarchic live shows At the time the reaction was mixed To quote the group they were “approved by a few but disapproved by a lot ” For many musicians who saw them play during their short lifespan they offered an alternative a new form of Colombian music that was rooted in their country's heritage but could be as innovative and experimental as any jazz or rock A seed was sown that started a new branch of Colombian tropical music The band members now play in groups like Meridian Brothers Frente Cumbiero Ondatrópica Romperayo and Los Pirañas bands that have released albums and toured internationally as well as finally won critical and public approval while maintaining the revolutionary spirit that will ensure that the evolution of Colombian music is not ready to stop yet