With a long and successful career, FRENTE CUMBIERO has become one of the biggest representatives in the exploration of cumbia’s sonic identity in Latin America. Headed by Colombian songwriter and producer Mario Galeano Toro (also founding member of Ondatrópica and Los Pirañas), Frente Cumbiero is recognized as a spearhead of Colombia’s new cumbia movement.
Some of Frente’s most remarkable live appearances, are the project’s shows at New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in 2011, Festival Estéreo Picnic (2011), Roskilde Festival (2011), Womad (2014), Fuji Rock (2018) and tours across Latin America, Africa, Europe, the U.S., Russia, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, in addition to 33” and 45” vinyl releases made by labels in North America (Names You Can Trust), Spain (Vampisoul, Mexico (La Roma Records), and Japan (Okra and P-Vine).
Frente Cumbiero’s catalogue is also marked by successful contributions with legendary musicians such as Mad Professor (Frente Cumbiero meets Mad Professor, 2011), original compositions for the Kronos Quartet, and an EP with the Japanese band Minyo Crusaders. These projects certainly proved that the band is strongly expanding the frontiers of cumbia and latin music. After a phase as an electronic act consisting of Galeano exclusively (which brought along important shows in festivals such as Sónar Bogotá/Santiago/Buenos Aires, as well as the first installment of Boiler Room Bogotá), Frente Cumbiero has returned to its traditional quartet format, which focuses on the most powerful bangs in tropical dancefloor sounds, combining two brass instruments, live percussion and electronics/dubbed sequences.
Active for more than a decade, and going way beyond the concept of cumbia as fashion, Frente Cumbiero are the true followers of the guacharaca calling.
"Colombian band Frente Cumbiero is not your typical ‘world music’ group. Their sound is very much rooted in traditional music, from the Latin beats to the dual horns. But the band’s modern interpretation of these traditions is fresh and exciting." - Fuji Rock Express (Japan)
“He is one of the most active musicians in his country, which amongst other things has won him the title of the “cumbia commander””. - El País (SP)
Frente Cumbiero ́s case is emblematic: in the cumbia they play, that artifact with atonal and dissonant glimpses, its possible to hear the world”. - El Espectador (CO)
Artistas relacionados/related artists:
Ondatrópica, Quantic, Los Pirañas, Chico Trujillo, Systema Solar, Los Destellos, Los Mirlos, Sons of Kemet, Nubya Garcia, The Comet is Coming, Fela Kuti, Instituto Mexicano de Sonido, La Delio Váldez, Minyo Crusaders