Q&A: Frente Cumbiero’s Mario Galeano

This new album arrives five years since the last. We had to wait 10 years for Cera Perdida and Minyo Cumbiero! Are Frente getting more prolific?

Besides Frente Cumbiero, I am also involved, through all of these 15 to 20 years, in many other projects such as Los Pirañas [and] Ondatrópica, which were also recording and travelling a lot. So it was in between all of these things that Frente Cumbiero was also happening. Hopefully, the next one will come before two and a half [years] to keep the proportions.

What’s the scene for cumbia in Latin America right now?

In Mexico, you will find huge acts like Los Ángeles Azules, collaborating with people from pop, rock, traditional, everything. As well, in Argentina, there is a huge commercial side to cumbia. These acts fill up stadiums throughout the country. There are other places, like Colombia, where although it’s the birthplace of cumbia, it’s been overshadowed by so many other styles.

Who’s Batori Pardo, the lead on ‘Negro Gato’?

Batori is an older cat from Bogotá. He has been involved in many projects [including] films. And he had one band around 15 to 20 years ago called Papaya Republic, which he also led and sang in. But he’s quite a character of the nightlife, extreme in nature as well. So he would often be like loud singing at parties, you know, very out of place, and a strong character. He’s a very nice, sweet guy. ‘Negro Gato’ is a song by a Brazilian composer [and] has been covered many times… And it talks about a cat in the streets. I thought, I want to have this cat in Bogotá. So, of course, I need a very Bogotá voice. Batori was the perfect fit.

How did you find the song, ‘Negro Gato’?

I came across it while record digging in São Paulo, and ever since, I was very into the song. I started finding more versions and so I thought we should do one. We changed it and did this kind of raspacanilla type of style, which is like a fast cumbión, and I think it fitted very well.

How did the collaboration with Theon Cross, who plays on ‘Paratebueno’, come about?

We love his work and listen to it. So when we learned through friends that he was coming [to Colombia], we reached out and he was such a nice guy to come to the studio and record. These pieces, of course, are all written, the scores and stuff. So we only had a couple of hours to get the song right and then record it. So, what you’re hearing is quite a photographic impression of the moment in Bogotá.