ChocQuibTown
Releases New Studio Album
"EL MISMO"
The Fifth Album By The Colombian Group Available Now In The U.S. & Puerto Rico
MIAMI, FL (May 18, 2015) - The new studio album by ChocQuibTown El Mismo (That One) releases today in the United States and Puerto Rico. 13 tracks make up El Mismo, an album that captures the essence of these three Chocoanos (natives from el Chocó, an area of Colombia known for its large Afro-Colombian population), who are citizens of Colombia, citizens of the world.
Andrés Castro, famed musician who is revered by the recording industry and winner of Latin GRAMMY and Billboard Latin Music Awards, produced the album. Castro has produced hits for artists such as: Carlos Vives, Kany Garcia, Carlos Baute and Prince Royce, among many others. Along with Castro, the mind behind the beats is Slow Mike and the co-production was done by Goyo and Tostao. The album was mixed by Curt Schneider and the mastering was done by Tom Coyne in Groove Studio in Miami and in Slow Records.
El Mismo, their fifth studio album, commemorates the band's 15th year together and contains unreleased material. It embodies their musical growth and is evident of their deep-rooted career.
"Sometimes it's hard to find an artist that has a combination of flavor, charisma, intelligence, and attitude on stage. I feel very privileged to not have one, but three...not one better than the other. This album is for me, an urban album, with an urban feeling...it has romantic songs, which is new within that same urban sound...and we discover it along the way. This urban romantic side mirrored by a profound feeling, tells the whole story they may have as people, as a town and as a country, it is a fundamental part of the album. In addition, it contains a bit of Salsa, because it is part of their musical history. It is accompanied by rhythms of the Pacific, which is their essence, and I think it's one of those great opportunities, to maintain their essence and stay relevant with what's hot today. We like what we hear, because it's a simple album but also complex in terms of time, they don't try to please anyone, they are who they are and that's what makes them even bigger," affirms Castro about CQT and the album's musical evolution.
El Mismo is available now in physical and digital stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
This is the story behind EL MISMO - Track by track by Goyo, Tostao and Slow Mike:
1-El Mismo (That One)
A song that musically captures many things, its horn arrangements take us back to the rock & roll and swing from that era. The lyrics describe anecdotes about those who have suffered rejection or accusations because of the color of their skin or their race and are always referred to as the "dark one", "the black one" and that's why they always blame "that one". The song's lyrics are heavy but when heard, have a very interesting sound, this is one of the songs you will like very much, it's pure flow, its ChocQuibTown.
2-Cuando Te Veo (When I See You)
Is poetry made into a song, a very descriptive song which narrates what an individual feels when they see the person that arouses beautiful feelings within them. It's the first single. It's a very special way to begin the history of the album "EL MISMO". It showcases a ChocQuibTown that people are not used to seeing. It will surprise people given the group got carried away by what they felt at the time. They made a song that speaks of love and reflects what ChocQuibTown is all about regarding music and as people.
3-Nadie Dijo (Nobody Said)
Is a song that began as somewhat of an experiment, it's the first time they use a "chirimía" (a type of oboe) and completely immerse themselves in electronic music and dance while using the rhythm of the "bombo" (a type of drum) on a black key. It was a total challenge to fuse all these traditional [sounds] and give it a modern twist with all of the synthesizers and rhythms of electronic music...they were proud of what came of it. Check it out! It has a lot of sound, its ChocQuibTown.
4-Desde El Día Que Te Fuiste (Since the Day You Left)
In essence, it's a power-rock-type ballad. They added instruments such as the "marimba" (a percussion instrument), a snare drum and dubbed typical ChocQuibTown sounds. It's the first song in over 15 years by ChocQuibTown that speaks of heartbreak. It will resonate very well with people because it's something totally different from anything they've ever heard from ChocQuibTown before.
5-El Arriendo (Rent)
"El Arriendo" is a fun song that closely resembles the "champeta" (a genre of folk music and dance originating in the Atlantic coastal regions of Colombia native to Africans). The group raps, sings, and speak of "biche" (a typical drink native to Chocó). It's also a pretty funny story because it describes a person who rather party than pay rent and ends up on the street! This song when performed live is going to be insane!
6-Salsa y Choke feat. Ñejo
"Salsa y Choke" is a phenomenon that begun getting traction from the moment that Selección Colombia (the country's soccer team) made it to the World Cup as they scored goals and danced. During that time, the group was traveling while recording the album and got to speak to many foreigners about this phenomenon. Then the thought occurred to them to create a song using their style incorporating the "marimba" and many other elements native to the Pacific but focusing on a rather more urban style of Salsa. This is the very reason this track came to be. The chorus mentions the genre "Salsa y Choke" and says, "tell me what you want, salsa and choke". ChocQuibTown invited Puerto Rican artist Ñejo, who is also a Salsa singer, to be on the track given he loves this sound. The end goal was to praise this movement that originated in Colombia's Pacific coast throughout the regions of Tumaco and is making its way not only in Colombia but all over the world...with a fusion of Pacific music, urban music and salsa, "SALSA y CHOKE".
7-No Te Espero Más (I Won't Wait for You Any Longer)
Is inspired by a phrase from Cuco Valoy, "You left to New York with your tourist visa", from the song "Juliana". For this song, the group fabricated a situation where a man is still waiting for a woman to return from New York, and created a song about that person rebelling and saying, " I won't wait for you any longer ". It's a party/club song with accordions, very typical of ChocQuibTown. At first it was believed it wouldn't make the album, but Sabba, Goyo and Tostao's daughter, loved it and when they would pause it she would cry, so they decided to interpret this as a divine message and put it on the record...and here it is on "EL MISMO".
8-Una Raza Llamada Sabor (A Race Called Flavor)
This is a very special song because it's the first time the group uses the clarinet on an album. They created this song after the album was already done, at first it only had 10 tracks and then 3 more were included. It's a song that describes humanity as a race full of flavor, that has nothing to do with skin color, socioeconomic status, class or anything of the sorts, but one in which human beings are a great combination of flavor, like their fanbase which is called Chocquibnation.
9-Tú (You)
This song showcases Slow Mike's talent and what he's accomplished. In general, the fans are not used to listening to Slow singing, the fans will be surprised when they see Slow's potential.
10-Ritmo Violento (Violent Rhythm)
A rather rude song. The name has nothing to do with the violence that occurs in Colombia's Pacific region. It describes how Chocoanos refer to something that they deem good or cool, they describe it as being "violent". " Ritmo Violento " is a great contribution, giving fans and music lovers a glimpse into ChocQuibTown's soul, which fundamentally consists of many traditional rhythms of the Pacific's coast. The group further clarifies, "we are not violent, we don't apologize for violence, we are calm, we are peaceful".
11- Nuquí (Te Quiero Para Mí) [Nuquí - I Want You for Me]
Is a song that tells the story of two people born in Nuquí. The "marimba" adorns every inch of the song; it's absolutely musical, as seen in the Chocó, the so-called triad of "chirimía". There are many anecdotes in this song.
12-Fiesta Animal feat. Notch (Party Animal)
It's a dance track originating from the "raggaemove" movement, Jamaican music meshed with elements of traditional Colombian music, and talks about partying in a very provocative way. Inviting NOTCH to be part of the song was a new element within itself as he is one of the few artists who can sing in Spanish, English and Jamaican Patois. The song that was written in minus 2 degrees Celsius in the New York and part of it was recorded in Jersey and the other part in Miami. It's a party song and for sure ChocQuibTown's fans will like it.
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