Cumbia has become the lingua franca of Latin American music. A 2/4 beat that started in colonial Colombia, it has spread throughout Latin America, varying funkily throughout the continent.
So it makes sense that the artist who calls himself El Hijo de la Cumbia ("The Son of the Cumbia") lives in... Malmö, Sweden?
Originally from Buenos Aires, El Hijo de la Cumbia is one of the most respected names associated with the so-called Nu Cumbia movement, which has combined the form with dancehall and other urban influences. El Hijo has only released one album, but his creative approach to combining cumbia with other approaches has made him an in-demand producer in the U.S. and Mexico.
El Hijo's new album, Genero, Genero, is a perfect exploration of his musical mind. He calls himself a musical anthropologist and, in a statement released with the new album, says that the new record "is, without a doubt, a new beginning for me... I spent 10 years traveling the world, learning and absorbing new styles and rhythms."
