Rooted in Colombia and based in New York, Combo Chimbita in a world upon itself. After playing together for years, these first-generation New Yorkers are releasing the official music video for “No Regreso.” The video created by Hugo Rubiano (Oro Pictures) features a man on his boat in deep zen with his surroundings followed by the duality that engulfs his youth.

The band is SO New York, that certain I can’t sleep till I purge these feelings, meets the cumbia amphetamine of Colombia’s deep rich musical legacy demand the currency of nowness without selling a single cent to the fleeting moment’s abstracting glint, instead it creeps up on you like old times embracing your body & soul from ancestors past. “No Regreso” is hence futurism as a result in part due to this nucleus and the result is condense and expansive simultaneously just as Colombia’s musical culture is created by triple identities forging into one, there is no easy remediable remedy, the task is in the journey of all that legacy entails and informs the current culture, for a task as such, Combo Chimbita offers air and life, for that alone it’s vital.

The band comprised of New Yorkers Carolina Oliveros centers her bright and buoyant vocals as its vessel, on synth and bass the “Prince of Queens” guitarist Niño Lento, and impeccable polyrhythmic drummer Dilemastronauta keeps the groove. Their early roots began experimenting with different traditional musical styles during their late night residencies at Barbès in Brooklyn. Exploring the connections between visual identity and improvisational long-form trips, Combo Chimbita came together as a four-piece band after they started encouraging more vocals by Carolina Oliveros, who tightens the rhythm with her guacharaca. “Her voice is so powerful that it leads us in that direction,” says Prince of Queens. 

Inspired by Sun Ra’s Afrofuturism, Combo Chimbita champions Tropical Futurism, “the idea that the future doesn’t necessarily have to be this super white Western high-tech Star Wars stuff; that the indigenous ideas and culture of people of color, people of Latin America, can also represent a magical and substantial future. It’s a vision that maybe a lot of people don’t necessarily think about often. The old and deep knowledge that indigenous people have of the land has been neglected for many years as part of capitalism and colonization.”

As a diaspora music blog created by a native New Yorker, this is THE perfect way to end our year of coverage, and you can support Combo Chimbita this giving season here by purchasing their latest album “Abya Yala.”

• You can see the band live at DROM January 13th, 2018 for Secret Planet, an annual music show bringing together bands from around the globe on one stage. Purchase tickets here!