Tonight at Beat Research: the one-and-only Sonido Martines !

For those who don’t know, Sonido has been a driving force in the recent (re)surgence in cumbia interest outside of its longtime hotspots. He co-authors La Congona New Cumbia with Sñr Rupture, and he’s largely responsible — at least by my ears — for brokering the screwy sounds of “cumbia rebajada” to listeners more familiar with Houston-style slrrrddness. His Rebajadas Come to Brooklyn mixtape has been a mainstay in my car (where better for a CDr?).

Most notably — and what brings him to Boston — Sonido has compiled (and contributes to, in his own remixxy manner) a vivid, vivrant cumbia compilation for Soot Records (pictured above). Based in Buenos Aires but traveling widely across Latin America, Sonido, a traditional and digital digger, is well positioned to present La Nueva Cumbia Argentina. But, y’know, the folks over at Soot Records have a way with words, and I have to get over to South Station to rendezvous with Sonido, so I’mma let them finish (but hope to see some loco locals en el club tonight!) —

Nueva Cumbia Argentina is set to be the most important cumbia compilation of 2009. It includes major figures Damas Gratis and DJ Taz, whose work kickstarted both cumbia villera the new cumbia/cumbia digital scene. The comp then reaches forward to the scene’s latest developments, like El Hijo de la Cumbia, who got his start producing for big-name Mexican cumbia soundsystems before going solo. Buenos Aires implodes! This comp gathers delicious fragments for the dancefloor, with a lot of sweet female voices to boot.

Sonido Martines was the perfect person to organize this compilation, The Argentine has spent the last decade traveling between Bolivia, Buenos Aires, Bogota, and Lima, organizing parties and connecting scenes in the emerging independent cumbia movement. He’s currently collaborating with national radio in Argentina on a series about cumbia and tropical music! Martines is recognized as one of South America’s premiere record diggers, finding obscure vinyl LPs and hot-off-the-harddrive digital bangers. The result is the best snapshot of what’s happening in nueva cumbia to date, from cumbia villera’s populist explosion to sultry cumbia-electronica hybrids.

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