{"id":4138,"date":"2012-06-22T13:38:16","date_gmt":"2012-06-22T18:38:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/?p=4138"},"modified":"2021-03-16T17:40:04","modified_gmt":"2021-03-16T22:40:04","slug":"a-brief-introduction-to-colombian-music-from-champeta-to-cumbia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/06\/a-brief-introduction-to-colombian-music-from-champeta-to-cumbia\/","title":{"rendered":"A Brief Introduction to Colombian Music: From Champeta to Cumbia"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"El<\/a>
El Joe with Fanny Flowers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of the things you can’t fail to notice on a Colombia vacation<\/a>\u00a0is the country’s love of music. It’s not just the fact that music is ubiquitous, but that everyone seems to know every word and sing or dance at every opportunity, including taxi drivers, bus drivers, people in pubs and even just people on the street.<\/p>\n

Another thing you’re bound to notice is that this music isn’t stuff you’ve heard before. That’s because in Colombia people are fiercely proud of their musical heritage, and it plays an important part in the national identity. It’s one of the few countries I’ve been to where the most popular music is almost exclusively home grown.<\/p>\n

So, in order to prepare anyone coming here for the musical onslaught that is Colombia, here’s an introduction to the most popular and traditional genres, and the ones you’re most likely to hear.<\/p>\n

Salsa<\/h1>\n

Salsa doesn’t originate from Colombia, but it’s found a loving home here. Originating primarily in New York, Puerto Rico and Cuba (it is derived from a Cuban genre called son<\/em>), it’s a genre that is inherently tied to dance and, as such, is difficult to avoid in Colombian clubs. Musically the music relies heavily on percussion, with piano and horns also playing a major part. There is clear African influence in the music, most evident in the frequent employment of the call and response vocals.<\/p>\n

The salsa capitals for salsa in Colombia are Cali and Barranquilla.<\/p>\n

Suggested Artists<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joe Arroyo (Colombia)
\nLa 33 (Colombia)
\nWillie Col\u00f3n (United States)
\nHector Lavoe (United States)
\nRuben Blades (Panama)
\nFruko y Sus Tesos (Colombia)<\/p>\n

Vallenato<\/h1>\n

Vallenato is pure Colombia. Popularized in the city of Valledupar, in the Caribbean region of Colombia, it started with farmers blending Spanish and West African traditions by going from town to town delivering news between families via the use of song. In this form Vallenato was played with very basic instruments, but since then the accordian has become a defining characteristic of the genre.<\/p>\n

You mainly hear Vallenato on the Caribbean Coast, but expect a great deal everywhere you go. It might not be immediately endearing, but once you see how much the locals love it you’ll be quick to grab an Aguardiente and sing along.<\/p>\n

Suggested Artists<\/strong><\/p>\n

Diomedes Diaz (Colombia)
\nCarlos Vives (Colombia)
\nLos Diablitos de Vallenato (Colombia)
\nLos Hermanos Zuleta (Colombia)
\nJorge Celedon (Colombia)
\nOtto Serge (Colombia)<\/p>\n

Cumbia<\/h1>\n

Cumbia, like Vallenato, is one of Colombia’s most important genres of music. Again like Vallenato, it originates from the Caribbean region of the country. Its African roots are immediately obvious in the heavy use of percussion and the vocal style. The music began as a courtship dance practiced by the African slave population, but later mixed with European influence to arrive at the sound we hear today.<\/p>\n

Cumbia is popular in the Andean regions of Colombia, as well as coastal areas.<\/p>\n

Suggested Artists<\/strong><\/p>\n

Toto La Momposina (Colombia)
\nPacho Galan (Colombia)
\nLucho Berm\u00fadez\u00a0(Colombia)
\nBomba Estereo (Colombia)<\/p>\n

Reggaeton<\/h1>\n

While some Colombians may tell you they hate Reggaeton, it’s likely you’ll see that same person happily dancing to it in a club. Reggaeton isn’t the most musically ambitious or deep music, but has an infectious beat and, more often than not, catchy choruses.<\/p>\n

While Reggaeton didn’t originate in Colombia, it is by far the most popular genre on the dancefloors of Bogota. The origins of the genre are disputed, but it’s generally considered that, drawing on hip-hop, dancehall and reggae, artists such as Shabba Ranks and El General got the ball rolling, while Daddy Yankee brought it to the world’s attention with his track ‘Gasolina’.<\/p>\n

Suggested Artists<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don Omar (Puerto Rico)
\nJ. Alvarez (Puerto Rico)
\nJ. Balvin (Colombia)
\nDaddy Yankee (Puerto Rico)
\nEl General (Panama)<\/p>\n

Merengue<\/h1>\n

Merengue is a musical genre created in the Dominican Republic by the artist\u00a0\u00d1ico Lora. It is popular all over Colombia, and a frequent feature on dancefloors. Merengue is a fast, energetic style of music, and probably the easiest to dance to for foreigners. Musically and lyrically it is often very light-hearted, and therefore the perfect opportunity to flex your moves.<\/p>\n

Suggested Artists<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wilfrido Vargas (Dominican Republic)
\nSergio Vargas (Dominican Republic)
\nJuan Luis Guerra (Dominican Republic)
\nElvis Crespo (Puerto Rico)
\nRikarena (Colombia, Venezuela, Dominican Republic)<\/p>\n

Porro<\/h1>\n

Porro allegedly began in pre-Colombian times on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, with indigenous groups dancing and singing to African rhythms. What is certain is that it is a joyful, party-ready style of music closely aligned with Cumbia.<\/p>\n

Porro is very popular on Colombia’s Atlantic Coast, as well as the Cordoba region. While it’s not as popular as some other genres in places such as Bogota and Medellin, it can still be heard in traditional bars.<\/p>\n

Suggested Artists<\/strong><\/p>\n

Juan Pi\u00f1a (Colombia)
\nBillos Caracas Boys\u00a0(Venezuela)
\nLa Sonora Cordobesa\u00a0(Colombia)
\nPedro Laza y sus Pelayeros\u00a0(Colombia)<\/p>\n

Champeta<\/h1>\n

Originating (again) on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, Champeta is a style of music almost unchanged from its African roots. Though elements of rap and reggaeton can be heard in modern Champeta, it’s more common for those genres to borrow from Champeta.<\/p>\n

The vocal stylings of the genre and the percussive elements are heavily influenced by African music. The sound relies on a strong snare drum and intricate guitar-work. Champeta is heard on both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of Colombia.<\/p>\n

Suggested Artists<\/strong><\/p>\n

Charles King (Colombia)
\nElio Boom (Colombia)
\nMister Black (Colombia)
\nEl Sayayin (Colombia)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you’re interested in hearing more about Colombia’s modern musicians, check out the following posts:<\/p>\n

5 New Colombian Artists You Have to Hear\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Bomba Estereo<\/a><\/p>\n

Top 10 Songs by Colombian Artists in 2011<\/a><\/p>\n

Paul<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the things you can’t fail to notice on a Colombia vacation\u00a0is the country’s love of music. It’s not just the fact that music is ubiquitous, but that everyone seems to know every word and sing or dance at every opportunity, including taxi drivers, bus drivers, people in pubs and even just people on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[111,35,102,19,115,626,4,112,66,97,392],"tags":[2735,58,200,1276,345],"yoast_head":"\nA Brief Introduction to Colombian Music: From Champeta to Cumbia - Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/06\/a-brief-introduction-to-colombian-music-from-champeta-to-cumbia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Brief Introduction to Colombian Music: From Champeta to Cumbia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"One of the things you can’t fail to notice on a Colombia vacation\u00a0is the country’s love of music. It’s not just the fact that music is ubiquitous, but that everyone seems to know every word and sing or dance at every opportunity, including taxi drivers, bus drivers, people in pubs and even just people on […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/06\/a-brief-introduction-to-colombian-music-from-champeta-to-cumbia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-06-22T18:38:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-03-16T22:40:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Inmortal-Joe-Arroyo-by-Fanny-Flowers-no-2.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Paul Fowler\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel\",\"description\":\"Colombia Travel Blog: An international perspective on travelling in Colombia by world travellers.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/06\/a-brief-introduction-to-colombian-music-from-champeta-to-cumbia\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Inmortal-Joe-Arroyo-by-Fanny-Flowers-no-2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Inmortal-Joe-Arroyo-by-Fanny-Flowers-no-2.jpg\",\"width\":407,\"height\":305,\"caption\":\"El Joe with Fanny Flowers\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/06\/a-brief-introduction-to-colombian-music-from-champeta-to-cumbia\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/06\/a-brief-introduction-to-colombian-music-from-champeta-to-cumbia\/\",\"name\":\"A Brief Introduction to Colombian Music: From Champeta to Cumbia - Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/06\/a-brief-introduction-to-colombian-music-from-champeta-to-cumbia\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-06-22T18:38:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-03-16T22:40:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/417e4177e5bc2022442cf51a5355ed17\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/06\/a-brief-introduction-to-colombian-music-from-champeta-to-cumbia\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/06\/a-brief-introduction-to-colombian-music-from-champeta-to-cumbia\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/06\/a-brief-introduction-to-colombian-music-from-champeta-to-cumbia\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A Brief Introduction to Colombian Music: From Champeta to Cumbia\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/417e4177e5bc2022442cf51a5355ed17\",\"name\":\"Paul Fowler\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f10b8d3d1bb226ec998ece9c986b594e?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f10b8d3d1bb226ec998ece9c986b594e?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Paul Fowler\"},\"description\":\"Paul is an Englishman with a longstanding love of travel, tea and quality beer. His first trip was to Bosnia & Herzegovina and it was there, wading in some waterfalls near Mostar with just a litre of cheap beer and some bread in his belly, that he was bitten by the travel bug. After many more trips and a spell working in London, Paul relocated to Buenos Aires for some months before moving to Colombia. He's been here, knocking back 'guaro', for about 2 years now.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.seecolombia.travel\/blog\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/author\/paul\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A Brief Introduction to Colombian Music: From Champeta to Cumbia - Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/06\/a-brief-introduction-to-colombian-music-from-champeta-to-cumbia\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A Brief Introduction to Colombian Music: From Champeta to Cumbia","og_description":"One of the things you can’t fail to notice on a Colombia vacation\u00a0is the country’s love of music. It’s not just the fact that music is ubiquitous, but that everyone seems to know every word and sing or dance at every opportunity, including taxi drivers, bus drivers, people in pubs and even just people on […]","og_url":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/06\/a-brief-introduction-to-colombian-music-from-champeta-to-cumbia\/","og_site_name":"Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel","article_published_time":"2012-06-22T18:38:16+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-03-16T22:40:04+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Inmortal-Joe-Arroyo-by-Fanny-Flowers-no-2.jpg"}],"twitter_card":"summary","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Paul Fowler","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/","name":"Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel","description":"Colombia Travel Blog: An international perspective on travelling in Colombia by world travellers.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/06\/a-brief-introduction-to-colombian-music-from-champeta-to-cumbia\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Inmortal-Joe-Arroyo-by-Fanny-Flowers-no-2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Inmortal-Joe-Arroyo-by-Fanny-Flowers-no-2.jpg","width":407,"height":305,"caption":"El Joe with Fanny Flowers"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/06\/a-brief-introduction-to-colombian-music-from-champeta-to-cumbia\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/06\/a-brief-introduction-to-colombian-music-from-champeta-to-cumbia\/","name":"A Brief Introduction to Colombian Music: From Champeta to Cumbia - Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/06\/a-brief-introduction-to-colombian-music-from-champeta-to-cumbia\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2012-06-22T18:38:16+00:00","dateModified":"2021-03-16T22:40:04+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/417e4177e5bc2022442cf51a5355ed17"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/06\/a-brief-introduction-to-colombian-music-from-champeta-to-cumbia\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/06\/a-brief-introduction-to-colombian-music-from-champeta-to-cumbia\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/06\/a-brief-introduction-to-colombian-music-from-champeta-to-cumbia\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A Brief Introduction to Colombian Music: From Champeta to Cumbia"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/417e4177e5bc2022442cf51a5355ed17","name":"Paul Fowler","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f10b8d3d1bb226ec998ece9c986b594e?s=96&d=retro&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f10b8d3d1bb226ec998ece9c986b594e?s=96&d=retro&r=g","caption":"Paul Fowler"},"description":"Paul is an Englishman with a longstanding love of travel, tea and quality beer. His first trip was to Bosnia & Herzegovina and it was there, wading in some waterfalls near Mostar with just a litre of cheap beer and some bread in his belly, that he was bitten by the travel bug. After many more trips and a spell working in London, Paul relocated to Buenos Aires for some months before moving to Colombia. He's been here, knocking back 'guaro', for about 2 years now.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.seecolombia.travel\/blog"],"url":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/author\/paul\/"}]}},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4138"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4138"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4138\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26502,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4138\/revisions\/26502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}