Space Cumbia: Mexico City Electronic Excursions is a music compilation from
La Super Cumbia Futuristica—an artist collective of Mexico City producers
and DJ’s. Producers Gustavo Naranjo (G-Flux) and Immanuel Miralda
(Afrodita, Los Wendy’s, Teknolele) have carefully selected ten tracks from
some of the best artists in the collective, including some of their own, to
create this imaginative and boldly creative compilation of modern sounds.
Although the term Space Cumbia is a direct reference to the internationally
known, Colombian-bred rhythm of Cumbia; the genre’s roots primarily lie in
Mexican Pop culture and the “Sonido Tropical” (a Mexican variation of the
classic Colombian sound) blended with the synthetic sonic palette of Electronica; the urbanized, rhythmic thump of club and dance culture, and the expansive cinematic orchestrations and production of Downtempo music.
The lyrics are purposely “sparse and light “ as if to keep the same feel of the
original “Tropical” sound—the only way Cumbia has ever been political is in its
appeal to the masses and the artists seem to interpret that as a statement unto itself
Space Cumbia is a place where deeply saturated layers of vintage, analogue
sounds are mixed in with new digital effects and production to create
something that is modern, timeless, and distinctively Mexican. For example,
one may hear on a song a classic guiro sound and shaker along with over
processed vocals and Casio synths.
The rhythms and cadences of Cumbia music have evolved in some shape or
form throughout Latin America; Space Cumbia represents the modern sounds
of the Cumbia in Mexico City.