Tambutronic

Meaning ‘stories and drums’ in Papiamento, the native language of the Dutch Caribbean, the five- piece Kuenta i Tambú were formed in 2005 when percussionist Roël Calister moved to Amsterdam from Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Venezuela. Their music is a wild mix of old tambú drum rhythms made contemporary with earth-shaking bass and heavy electronic beats. ‘We Caribbean women need to grind hard,’ chants lead singer Diamanta von Lieshdek on the lead single ‘Jackhammer’, set to blow a speaker near you soon. But Kuenta i Tambú are not just here to make you ‘wine an’ grind’: there are some deep musical traditions at work on their debut album. ‘I think it was the hypnotising beats of our drums, the tambús, which are the most important part of our set,’ suggests Roël Calister after witnessing a 70-year-old women drop to her knees during their recent show at a block party in the Bronx, while the group have been touring the US. And it’s this mix of tradition and progression that makes their tropical bass music stand out. So behind the beats and bleeps of ‘La Señora’ and ‘Maria Ta Jora’ are the deep African rooted songs that reach back to the days of slavery. ?is is heard in its purest form on the fabulous ‘Zunta Zunta’, a perfect antidote to the sonic assault that is ‘Wawawawa’.