The Latin American immigrant experience is not restricted to the United States. Thousands migrate to the other side of the pond and most of them end up in Spain, where they’re treated as “sudakas.” This group of Argentine and Colombian immigrants that relocated to cosmopolitan Barcelona decided to take it back and use the often pejorative adjective as their band’s name when they met as street musicians almost a decade ago.
Five albums later, Che Sudaka has become one of the most relevant groups of the mestizo rock scene and they traveled all over Europe and the Americas with their music, following the templates set up by the genre’s Messiah, Manu Chao, and his ’90s band, Mano Negra. The combination of The Clash’s brand of reggae/ska/punk with Latin rhythms and multilingual lyrics (that make references to the immigrant experience) will sound familiar to the fans of Radio Bemba. In fact, Gambeat, Manu Chao’s bass player, produced their latest official album, Tudo é Possible.
Now, Che Sudaka is self releasing a free-to-download collection of b-sides and outtakes from their previous work, including rare demo versions of their better known songs. It’s called Cavernicola Recording Vol. 1 and they did it as a benefit (they are asking for voluntary donations) for a local radio station in Barcelona. Maybe not as good as the original versions, and probably more aimed to the loyal fans than the casual audience, but still, it’s free and it’s a great way to get to know this really interesting band.
Download Che Sudaka’s Cavernicola Recording Vol. 1 HERE.