Cumbia Cumbia Cumbia!!! Vol 2

While the first volume of Vampisoul’s panoramic survey of Colombian cumbia focused on Discos Fuentes, the follow-up lights up the lesser-known Codiscos label and its subsidiaries, Costeño, Zeida and Famoso. With no overarching house style, it’s arguably even better as a consequence. All 28 tracks were recorded between 1962 and 1983; some classics of the genre, others obscure rarities, but all indispensable in their various ways. And they certainly are varied: there’s rural cumbia with a focus on accordion and voice (as on, say, Rita Fernández’ delightful ‘Llora Su Pena’); hip urban contemporary cumbia with cheap, cheesy organ to the fore (on Jaime Llano González’ ‘Cumbia en Dominante’); horn-driven cumbia like Los Bobby Soxers’ ‘Cumbia Sabrosona’. Orquesta de Marcial Marchena’s marvellous ‘Lina’ is big-band cumbia sounding like Benny Goodman crossed with Pérez Prado. The blaring, infectious ‘Cumbia Cienaguera’ opens things in a way that lets listeners know what’s in store for them – something to revitalise anyone who might have grown weary or just a little blasé about the genre. The music is simply marvellous, but the sheer variety is what makes this truly exceptional. You just don’t know what to expect from one track to the next.