By José Gandue @spinning zone

Folklore, if it wishes to survive beyond the archaeological or the anthropological, must evolve., It must show signs of constant questioning, regardless of whether it only uses traditional instruments or adds a catalog of sounds from other origins and traditions. The idea is that each generation appropriates, in its own way, the rhythms and sound textures that are characteristic of its geographical area. and express the changing times through the contemporary interpretation of their teachers. It's applying that old saying attributed to the English physicist Isaac Newton, which says «"If I have been able to see further, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.". The same has happened with folklore: its origin is respected and it is the basis of everything., But we are looking at broader horizons to reach more people inside and outside our borders. 

The label «"Electrotropical"» (here comes the next point) understand how the original customs of the resonance of our Caribbean spaces and the sonic motivations of the lands of the equatorial Pacific Ocean, They have joined forces with modern technology in search of dance and euphoria.. This is a sound laboratory that has been around for several decades, and which, in its process, has learned to combine in a more complex way the different roots of which it is composed. Previously, those who attempted it thought it was simply a matter of adding ingredients processed by the latest software, and in many cases, it resulted in bland and clumsy concoctions that resembled more the insulting colonization by those who came to plunder what these lands offered in order to incorporate "exoticism" into their creations than anything else. Fortunately, now, in the 21st century, The blend is more sensitive, more intelligent, more organic. He is no longer the fairground medicine vendor who added local herbs to Coca-Cola and believed that his product contained all ancestral wisdom.

The Colombian group Maigual It is part of that evolution and confirms it in his new album Tide. This duo, made up of Marisol Arévalo and Álvaro Vargas, It shows evident growth in his work, when presenting this compilation of eleven songs. The first thing to happily point out is Tide It is a sensual production, in the most generous sense of the word. This is carnal music, felt in the pores of the skin, making body movement honest, seductive, passionate. But elegance is not lost; it is not the sum of vulgar pot-banging protests that rely on obvious shouting and boorish vulgarity. Tide It is the suggestive voice in the ear that suggests a kiss on the fly, a jump, a dance, a caress. Furthermore, it is a proper and exquisite coupling of cumbia, Andean folklore, house, rock, funk, hip hop and pop, which can be enjoyed in the fervor of a nightclub or in the intimacy of headphones. At a thousand, the first track from the album, It's a song meant to explode through the massive speakers of a stadium. y Dark Beloved, a kind of somber ballad, featuring the collaboration of rapper Loko Kuerdo, It's a tune that can breathe on our necks and calm the beasts that invade us from time to time. The best moment, in my opinion, is when it plays Five Secrets, a perfect song to enjoy on any nighttime trip, any prelude to the pleasure to come, any goosebumps we might have at the final moment. Vargas's guitar work is splendid.

Maiguai has published a plaque that can be heard without warning anywhere on the planet, without falling out of step with the expectations of those who await the next step in the blend of tradition and modernity. Being current means looking a few steps ahead and moving those who want to grasp the meaning of the moment, and in that, this duo has fulfilled that mission. Friend, Tide It's a good album, don't hesitate: Take the opportunity to listen to it and make it your own for the next season.