August 25, 2018
Off the 405
Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Rooted in Colombia and based in New York, Combo Chimbita create a dense tropical futurism. These four first-generation New Yorkers—powerhouse vocalist Carolina Oliveros, synth and bassist Prince of Queens, guitarist Niño Lento, and drummer Dilemastronauta—have backgrounds in heavy rock, metal, and psychedelic funk and soul. They add highly danceable elements from cumbia, salsa, reggae, 1970s funaná from Cape Verde, and Haitian kompa, mixing guacharaca with futuristic-yet-retro synth sounds.
