Okay, fess who was it who slipped the band the red cordial? Welcome to the most zany and energetic Cumbia party you’re ever going to experience, with strange mid song tempo changes and a really infectious mischievous energy. Oh, and a horn section. So imagine if Fanfare Ciorcarlia were abducted as children and grew up on a diet of Bandeja paisa and cumbia.
It’s the fourth album of the Bogota natives, Eblis Alvarez (Meridian Brothers, Chupame El Dedo), Pedro Ojeda (Romperayo, Chupame El Dedo) and Mario Galeano (Frente Cumbiero, Ondatropica), who have been making their unique, energetic and mischievous music for over two decades.
For Infame Golpazo en Keroxen they used a disused gasoline tank situated in the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands to rework and re record their music. They also roped in local brass players Pablo Arocha on Trumpet, Pablo González on Trombone and Eduardo Martín on Tuba who really contribute to the frenzied feverish genre mash that we hear here.
Their label refers to the music, which incorporates elements of cumbia, champeta and surf rock as ‘tropical music,’ which feels quite accurate. The tunes here are reversions of tracks from their previous three albums, which might explain why they’re so ridiculously tight, off kilter and addictive. This is a band who know exactly what they’re doing. The one criticism would be it’s too short, like any sugar rush its over too quickly at just under 30 minutes. This is part of Discrepant’s partnership with the Keroxen label to draw a spotlight on “the less obvious island-made music.” Wow.
