Cumbiafrica on Decca Records, HUGEL, and the Afro Latin House Movement

From Congo to Colombia: The Birth of Afro Latin House

Cumbiafrica met in Colombia, where Leo was already producing for major folkloric artists like Martina Camargo. Lina had just finished her degree in acting and dramatic arts while maintaining a singing career alongside her pianist father. A scholarship took them to a two-month artistic residency in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where they connected with the local Afro house scene and formed the project.

Leo was directing an orchestra in Belgium called De Palenque a Matongé with Congolese guitar legend Dizzy Mandjeku, featuring African and Colombian musicians. When the pandemic forced them to scale down to a DJ set format with electronic sounds and vocals, they preserved elements like marimba and guitar that evoke both Colombia and Africa.

Reimagining "Batonga" for Decca Records

Decca Records approached Leo through his 25-year-old producer project Alé Kumá, which has evolved from ethnic music to contemporary African music and Afro house. The label wanted to reimagine songs from their classic catalog, with Angélique Kidjo's "Batonga" as the starting point.

Leo proposed adding Spanish verses, chops, and hooks to complement Kidjo's original sample, bringing Lina in as the vocalist. He wrote original verses that establish a dialogue between Kidjo's voice in Fon and Lina's in Spanish: "Raíces fueron mis pies, mis manos ramas en flor, erguida caminaré como árbol buscando el sol. Ya nada borrará mi voz" (Roots were my feet, my hands branches in bloom, I will walk upright like a tree searching for the sun. Nothing will erase my voice).

The HUGEL Collaboration and "Morenita"

The relationship with HUGEL began during the pandemic when he reached out about Alé Kumá's work with Martina Camargo. They had recorded a version of "Morenita" in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2018, and Leo suggested HUGEL reimagine it. The track became what they call the "post-pandemic" anthem of Latin house. The collaboration continued with "El Sueño" and "Águila," with Leo also helping HUGEL manage licenses for "La Verdolaga" with Colombian singer Totó la Momposina.

Building Momentum Through 2024

The duo has been working intensively with their label, Producciones Alé Kumá, releasing "Carmelita Adiós" with DJ Dean Mickoski early in the year and an EP titled "Sheel Sheel (Drone Song)" in collaboration with Gaza Birds Singing, a children's singing group from Palestine, as part of a larger album called "Canciones de Resistencia" (Songs of Resistance). They're planning to release a new single every three weeks throughout the summer as part of an upcoming Afro Latin House album.

Their most memorable performance this year was at the Carnaval de Vinaròs in Valencia, Spain, where they played for 10,000 people in a broadcast by Valencian public television. They discovered that recent generations frequently choose Cumbiafrica's songs for their parades and comparsas, with the audience singing along to even their lesser-known tracks.