Carnaval may be over this year, but wouldn’t it be great if you could bottle the joy, community and energy of the celebration and tap into it whenever you wanted to all year round? That’s exactly what Bomba Estéreo and Systema Solar set out to do when they collaborated on their new joint track “Carnavalera,” and we’re happy to say they succeeded.
The two Colombian titans are well-known for reinterpreting their home country’s traditional sounds and for putting up a hell of a party, so “Carnavalera” feels like natural and powerful collaboration. Their club-like take on the sounds from Colombia’s Caribbean coast builds up and drops marvelously, sending out love and good vibes with every hit of percussion. Li Saumet hypnotizes with her chant, bringing happiness to our hearts, while the raspy voices of the Systema Solar MCs are continuous blasts of energy that resonate with the body.
“Carnaval is the consummation of all of our cultures across Colombia and Latin America,” explains Bomba Estéreo’s Simón Mejía. “It’s a mixture of the powerful roots that intermingle among this shared musical experience, without social, sexual or racial labels. This is how the world should be all the time.” Systema Solar’s Walter Hernándes chips in: “With ‘Carnavalera,’ we enjoy and share the challenge of creativity that unites humanity in a ritual of inherent celebration, one that lasts far longer than four days.”