Away from the usual party sounds from his wildly popular adventure with Li Saument, Bomba Estéreo, Colombian producer Simón Mejía has found a more peaceful, reflective outlet on his new ambient electronic solo album titled Monte.
Under this moniker (which shouldn’t be confused with the homonymous Costa Rican band), Mejía is set to explore Colombia’s nature through its sounds, incorporating them into dance-oriented electronic pieces, like he did on “Mirla,” his first single that also gives name to his upcoming debut album set to drop on September 18.
His new single, “Jungla,” also follows the same conceptual line as “Mirla,” but with a faster techno-inspired beat; it’s more fitted for the dance floor. Nostalgic electric guitar picking, rippling synth arpeggios, and an infallible four-on-the-floor kick coexist with field recordings captured by Mejía himself, deep in his country’s natural scenery.
“‘Jungla’ is a journey through a river in the middle of the Colombian jungle,” shares Mejía on a press release. “The sunset falls and the sound of the insects and birds starts to fill the environment, until it becomes a mass of deafening frequencies. Night falls and everything goes to sleep.”
“Jungla” also comes along with a music video, which is the second installment of a dystopian trilogy about man and nature kicked off by the “Mirla” visuals. It was pieced together by director Simón Hernandez and it’s a collage of old found images, drone shots of urban landscapes, and blooming nature, intertwined to create visual metaphors that reflect nature’s vitality and the devastation that human beings bring with them.