Will Holland aka Quantic (accordion & guitar) has joined forces with Mario Galeano (bass) of Bogota’s pioneering Frente Cumbiero to produce Ondatrópica a new big band embracing the past, present and future of Colombia’s tropical cumbia sound. Ondatrópica cradles the talents of some greats from the seventies golden age of Medellin’s Discos Fuentes such as Michi Sarmiento on sax, Wilson Viveros on timbales and Pedro ‘Ramaya’ Beltran on flute, Joe Arroyo’s trumpet player Jorge Gaviria and Alfredito Linares on piano, alongside a breaking wave of young tropicalistas including Nidia Gongora (Combo Barbaro) on vocals and the mighty Chongo (Sidestepper) on percussion.

Ondatrópica was lovingly assembled in Medellin’s Discos Fuentes studios last year, the Colombian Abbey Road, and has the analogue feel of the seventies cumbia and salsa boom but with a very contemporary pan-Caribbean sound. Their debut record was released on Soundway last summer.

“The result, at times, feels something like a Colombian version of the late ’50s Cuban jam sessions of Cachao and Niño Rivera. There’s a looseness and a sense of experimentation here that is lacking in most of today’s over-produced releases. This is amazing stuff, with funky, tipsy blends of cumbia, bomba, descarga, salsa and jazz.” Descarga.com

“A polyrhythmic, rump-rotating blend of brass, keys, percussion, guitar and vocals.”
 Guardian

“When it comes to rump-shaking dance music, Colombia’s Ondatrópica is hard to beat.”
 Metro

“Brilliantly marries alien forms with cumbia’s clattering rhythms and wheezy accordions.”
 Uncut

Ondatropica will be on stage at 8pm and before that DJ Russ Jones (Arriba La Cumbia Hackney Globe Trotter) will play an opening set

FREE AFTERPARTY FOR ONDATROPICA GIG TICKETHOLDERS
Show your ticket stub at the door.
With DJ sets from Quantic and Frente Cumbiero till late.
Venue: Ay Caramba (4 doors up from Koko)
14-16 Camden High Street, London NW1 0JH

This show is for 18 years old and  over.