The word mixtape has plenty of different interpretations. It used to be that mixtapes were actually DJ sets recorded on cassette tapes, but with the coming of the digital music age, the name remained the same, but the definition expanded. Nowadays, people call mixtapes many different things, some of which are not necessarily mixed and most of which were never taped. Here we try to cover them all. In this column, Juan Data gives you a worthy one every week.
DJ: Mr. Moombah!
MIXTAPE: Booty Is Back
Apparently moombahton has been around long enough to have people claiming the title of Mr. Moombah as a stage moniker for themselves (any ladies out there going for the Miss crown? I’m pretty sure it’s still available). We met Mr. Moombah at LAMC a couple of weeks ago, when he was DJing at the booth right next to Remezcla‘s. My initial surprise — after digesting the awkwardness and intrinsic perishability of the name — was finding out that he was actually from Bogotá, Colombia, because by his looks and his music selection, I would’ve assumed he was from the birthplace of moombahton.
Yet another crazy sign of music globalization: a DJ in Colombia can actually create a whole DJing persona around a genre that’s barely a couple of years old. A genre created by US-based producers partly inspired by Latin tropical rhythms and championed by US and UK-based blogs.
Mr. Moombah is also part of Llorona Records, a new Colombian label that’s not exclusively focused on the newest trends of Latin bass-centric music but also released some old school cumbia roots like Los Gaiteros De San Jacinto. However on this short mixtape, he didn’t have time to mix in any of his folkloric Colombian influences, and instead focused on moombahtonized Jamaican dancehall with a couple of short visits at balkan beats and Brazilian baile funk. Still, a great way to get your day started with some irresistible booty-shaking beats.