Simón Mejía is the ring leader of the Colombian beat slingers that mix the electro cumbia sounds of their homeland. C=T caught up with Mejía to talk about a new album, Shakira, Colombia, Tego Calderon and Reggaeton.
(Photo by David J. Dowling)
What inspiration was used for your latest EP, “Ponte Bomb?”
“We had the forward energy and love from the Technotronic cover of “Pump up the Jam” that we had done for Levi’s as part of campaign where artists were to pay tribute and we ran with the idea of doing a digital only EP with remixes.”
Define “Ponte Bomb”
“Ponte Bomb comes from a time in Colombia where in the 80’s, it was in style to mix English with Spanish to describe things. Colombian hipsters would walk around saying, “ponte jean,” and everybody thought it was cool As a homage, we decided to use “Ponte Bomb” as a satire and tribute to that time.”
What new work is on the horizon and what collaborators are you looking at working with from the US?
“We’ve begun messing around with a new album that’s in the beginning stages. There’s nobody that we’ve approached from the States to collaborate, however, we’ve begun working with a Brazilian artist, MC BNegão.”
Is “Reggaeton” dead?
“I think it’s an interesting genre of music that’s being explored by acts such as Calle 13 and Tego Calderon.”
Speaking of Tego Calderón, did you catch him in “Fast Five?”
“Chuckles. No, not yet.”
Who’s bigger in Colombia, Shakira or Juanes?
“SHAKIRA”
How would it be to work with an artist of that stature?
“We’ve played with Shakira at a Latin music festival a while back. We have an immense respect for her and we play different styles of music.”
You can catch Bomba Estéreo at the Larimer Lounge tonight!
Bomba Estéreo-Fuego (Pacha Massive Fiyah Remix) [mp3]
I think the brazilian artist she refers to is BNegão
Thanks! I had a hell of a time looking for the name.