The Garabato Sessions

Liner notes

Totó La Momposina has become a legend worldwide for her work with traditional music from the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Now in her 70s, she has preserved and investigated the music of her homeland, starting out at a time when it was an unfashionable thing to do. Since then she has inspired several generations with her musical creations and explored constantly, both developing her musical traditions and collaborating with many artists from Celina Gonzalez and Remmy Ongala to Calle 13 and Lila Downs.

Totó’s music has been sampled and remixed by countless DJs and producers from Timbaland to Michel Cleis —indeed the trance-like grooves of her tambores and the majesty of her voice continues to be an irresistible formula.

The Garabato Sessions brings influences from Bristol to Bogotá, with new remixes of Totó’s classic ‘Adios Fulana’. DJ, musician and remixer, Rob Smith (RSD), best known for making and playing breakbeat, drum & bass and dubstep, and as half of the duo Smith & Mighty (with Ray Mighty) provides the Bristol connection with his remixes.

Bogotá-based Richard Blair —from the band Sidestepper— retains the earthy Colombian sound of the traditional African-influenced drums and adds his own dub twist.

‘Adios Fulana’ is a garabato —a rhythm which captures the flavour of Colombian carnival where, during a street procession, many different rhythms at one time crowd the atmosphere. The song tells of the thoughts of a man transfixed by the beauty of a woman he has seen passing. Fulana in Colombian Spanish roughly means ‘sweetheart’.

“I love the energy and ‘upfulness’ of the original track and wanted to retain the percussive dynamics in the first remix while adding a ‘dub’ feel even though it’s not a reggae track,” explains Rob Smith (RSD). “The ‘Amen Style’ mix came about as an offshoot really, I wanted to hear Totó on a different kind of rhythm and built the mix around her. It’s like she’s challenging the beats and even though the Amen break is pushing back, she keeps it in check!”

Adios Fulana is taken from Tambolero. Released in June 2015, the album is a recreation of La Candela Viva, a classic record from 1993, and Totó’s most successful album worldwide that introduced many, including Colombians, to this music for the first time. The re-working involved selecting additional material from the original sessions, adding some parts (including Totó’s grandchildren) and remixing the whole thing to create a gloriously strong, magical record.