The Garabato Sessions

Totó la Momposina

Released 02 December 2016

  1. Adios Fulana (Amen Style RSD)
  2. Adios Fulana (Bristol Dub RSD)
  3. Adios Fulana (Bogotá Dub Sidestepper)
  4. Adios Fulana
  5. Adios Fulana (Bristol Version)

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.

Listen

  • Tambolero

    Totó la Momposina

    Released 25 June 2015

    You don't normally get the chance to go back in time and reimagine a classic album like La Candela Viva but creating Tambolero has been a challenge and a delight. It’s become a celebration of Totó's career: six decades dedicated to preserving, researching and developing an ancestral tradition, the identity of a people, passed down through the generations. 
  • Supernatural Love

    Sidestepper

    Released 05 February 2016

    Sidestepper have long been pioneers, taking new directions with each of their albums - and that sense of innovation and evolution continues with Supernatural Love. Very much still a dance band, but here the beats are made with hand drums, seeds and shakers, kalimbas, flutes and guitar, driving the melodic vocals.

Further reading

Mari Kalkun nominated for 3 Estonian Music Awards

The award nominations are in recognition of her album Stories of Stonia, released Summer 2023.

Bab L’ Bluz announce new album

Come, enter the world of Swaken, the much anticipated second album by Bab L' Bluz.

Africa comes to Real World: revisiting albums by six legendary artists

Jane Cornwell explores our new reissue series 'Africa Sessions at Real World'.

Track of the day: ‘AmmA’ by Bab L’ Bluz

French-Moroccan power quartet Bab L' Bluz, have released the second track from their forthcoming alb...