Not everyone agrees with the notion of cumbia being a social equalizer (read my review on Los Angeles Azules’ Como te voy a olvidar). A dear friend of mine (who’s an authority of the genre) said it was impulsive and overly romantic to apply such political weight on a music that’s pedestrian and nonchalant. I still hold up my discourse. Nothing wrong with being overly romantic when doing what you love. Where we did reach consensus was in envisioning cumbia as the one popular musical genre that we could call a continental romance for an intercontinental audience. G-Flux (Gustavo Naranjo) understands the affair and services from a tone of cumbia that is nostalgic but also looks forward.
Pointing to mass consumption but refusing to take the easiest route, G-Flux constructs a notable prospective hit with “El Meneito.” The Mexican producer recruited regular compatriot collaborators Afrodita and Peruvian chicha legend Jose Luis Carballo in the making of a song that’s unafraid of anthemic thought and happens to be quite hilarious as well. Humor and anthem contemplation are typically red sirens when applied to traditional music—this is where cumbia, as an abrasive, all-welcoming genre, proves to be an ideal canvas for a track that aims to entertain. Afrodita provides the comedic sparkle, Carballo’s strings dictate the movement, and G-Flux’s bold production holds momentum and gives everything a form. Grab the track below, on free download for the next two weeks.
♫♫♫ "El Meneito" / Soundcloud