According to its official bio, the foursome Combo Chimbita has roots in Colombia and is based in New York, but the band “lives in the future.” One listen to their trippy, experimental eight-track release from last year, Abya Yala, and it’s hard to argue with Combo Chimbita’s stated residency.
Though Latin music is at its core, much like Brazilian Psych pioneers Os Mutates, Combo Chimbita takes those elements well beyond tradition and twists them into new forms. The band began in New York City when singer Carolina Oliveros (the only member who doesn’t use a pseudonym), synth player/bassist Prince of Queens, guitarist Niño Lento and drummer Dilemastronauta began improvising and experimenting during a regular residency in Brooklyn. The musicians took the cumbia rhythms and sounds of Columbia and turned them inside out, adding other elements (from Funk to African drumming to modern Haitian music, and numerous points in between and beyond) gathered from their varied interests and crate-digging excursions.
Though together for a couple of years, the acclaimed Abya Yala led to widespread touring, which has helped build up Combo Chimbita’s reputation as a uniquely mesmerizing and engaging live act. Late last year, the FutureWorldBeat band played NPR’s World Café and this year the group has performed with acts like AfroBeat stars Antibalas and Indie rockers Parquet Courts. The quartet also graced a few high profile festival stages this past year and Combo Chimbita’s name is already popping up on some early fest lineup announcements for 2019. That, combined with the Nov. 26 announcement of their signing with the Anti- label, ensures you’ll be hearing a lot more about the band in the coming year as word continues to spread.
Anti- also shared a new single from Combo Chimbita called "Testigo":
But why wait to experience the group’s self-described “tropical futurism” when you can see them in a small-club setting before the end of 2018? Combo Chimbita’s Cincinnati visit on Dec. 4 is a rare ticketed show at Northside Tavern. Advanced tickets are available for $10 at cincyticket.com.
