It’s been just over a year since Mateo Kingman released his acclaimed second album ASTRO.

This time around, renowned artists and producers play a part on the new EP ASTRO/REESCRITURAS (remixes).

The EP will be out on November 6, 2020 and includes stars like the highly talented Javier Casalla of Bajofondo, Chancha Vía Circuito, Baiuca, DJ Raff and MIEL.

“Astro/Reescrituras is a translation into sound by some musician friends I admire, like Chancha Vía Circuito, DJ Raff and Javier Casalla of Bajofondo. A lot of them were my influences for a long time and having them now as crew members on this spaceship is wonderful. I also sought out new voices that captivated me with their musical exploration in the present, like Baiuca from Spain and MIEL from Ecuador. I was really intrigued at the idea of what could happen when other musicians explored the depths of this record, as Astro is a very intimate work for me. And I think the result is that the songs ceased to be necessarily stuck to each other and took on a new life, totally individual; they exist by themselves and they have a new soul and a new heart. It’s an EP that cuts through spiral-shaped constellations, musically going from percussions and vernacular voices to violin laments, from trances for dancing to songs that demand that you’re totally present. It’s as if all these producers and crew members had decided to turn up the speed of the spaceship to reach new dynamic, shining worlds.”

-Mateo Kingman

Mateo Kingman belongs to a new generation of Latin American musicians. He mixes deep and essential lyrics with a cutting-edge, eclectic production, exploring with synths, beats and root melodies.

Just three years into this career, with appearances and festivals in Mexico, South America and Europe, this Ecuadorian artist has been singled out as one of the most outstanding figures of the new generation of Latin artists, collaborating with major artists like Gustavo Santaolalla.

Mateo Kingman has played over 60 shows in 15 countries since 2017, including appearances on stage at the likes of Estéreo Picnic, Lollapalooza, Vive Latino,
NRMAL, MallorcaLive, and others.

ASTRO is Kingman’s second album and expresses an intense investigation, weaving a plot with many threads: the contemporary urban song, traditional melodies from Latin America and the accentuated use of synths, resulting in a new, hypnotic fabric of sound. The album was produced in Quito, Ecuador, with renowned producer Ivis Flies and released by AYA Records. On the album, Mateo Kingman shows a glimpse of a strong authorial perspective, and although he moves away from the sound and thematic ideas that made him known to the world, he dares to mix current trends, urban rhythms and vocal experiments, forming a constellation we can voyage into, and showing a clear personal and musical evolution.

Mateo Kingman - Astro Reescrituras

Pre-order Vinyl/Digital/Pre-Save: https://lnk.to/mamarronvol1 

AYA Records presents Los Cotopla Boyz’ Mamarrón Vol.1 (Remastered)

LOS COTOPLA BOYZ: MILLENNIAL CUMBIA FOR THE END OF THE WORLD

It all started in Bogotá, the nexus of tropicanibal. The Colombian capital has helped launch acts like Frente Cumbiero, Los Meridian Brothers, Romperayo, Chúpame el Dedo, Dub de Gaita, Los Pirañas, Ondatrópica and El León Pardo – artists who stand out not only for their virtuosity, but the connection between traditional folklore and lysergic futurism that has hypnotized audiences around the world. 

The new tropicanibal generation includes groups such as La Sonora Mazurén, La Tromba Bacalao, Los Yoryis, El Conjunto Media Luna and, of course, Los Cotopla Boyz – a fiery five-piece that formed in 2018. In the post-pandemic dystopian multiverse of today, their mission is to save the party. 

Their live shows evoke images of frantic Power Rangers singing epic chants about their adventures – but instead of heroic feats, they write humorous lyrics inspired by their everyday lives. The melodramatic “N’sync” is about that chat where you get ghosted; “Me Malviajé con las Galletas” recalls the hallucinogenic experimentation of ingesting cannabis and flipping out. These experiences also produced songs like the clumsy lost love of “Dame tu Wasap,” the cathartic “Tren de Cotopla” and the ode to excess that is “Raspafiestas” – that moment in your life when the night seems eternal and you float from one party to the next until the world ends. 

Along with “Plankton (Abanico Sanyo)” and “El Peruanito,” these songs are part of Mamarrón Vol. 1, a compilation of seven millennial cannon shots inspired by Los Mirlos, Los Hechizeros Band, Anan, Wendy Sulca, La Sonora Cordobesa, Bad Bunny, Yandel and Los Corraleros de Majagual.

They’re all tracks from a debut album which was released in the middle of the pandemic and will be re-issued in 2022 by AYA Records (an imprint of ZZK Records). As well as being pressed on vinyl, the record will include the bonus track “El Peruanito” – remixed by Colombian producer Santiago Navas. It’s a sneak preview of Mamarrón, Vol. 2, an album of remixes by figures such as Frente Cumbiero, Cerrero, Prendida, Sonido Confirmación, DJ Rata Piano and Felipe Orjuela – local musicians with a global scope and vision who push the raspafiesta universe to new sonic frontiers. 

Los Cotopla Boyz have taken their sweaty, schizophrenic cumbia experience to Bogotá venues such as Matik-Matik, Boogaloop, El Chamán, Tejo Turmequé, Videoclub and the Estereo Picnic festival – serving up nights of wild abandon to the beat of an outrageous big cumbia sound which sets fire to the dancefloor.
If there’s a “cotoplera” in your town, don’t wait to hear about it from someone else. 

Mamarrón Vol. 1 (Remastered) will be released on vinyl and all digital platforms on August 26th

Los Cotopla Boyz - Mamarron Vol.1 (Remastered)

Stream/Download Son Rompe Pera's 'Chimborazo': https://lnk.to/chimborazo

Naucalpan, Estado De México- Son Rompe Pera, the marimba-smashing band of brothers from Naucalpan who have single-handedly defined the genre ‘Cumbia Punk’ and captivated audiences around the world have released their second album, 'Chimborazo', today via AYA Records. The album, named after a street in Naucalpan where a couple of the brothers live/have lived, follows their 2020 debut 'Batuco', and is also a complete departure from it. While 'Batuco' showcases a more folkloric, traditional sound by way of 9 covers, 'Chimborazo' delivers 12 original tracks that fiercely shake tradition at its roots. Much closer to what the world has come to know of the band’s wild live shows, 'Chimborazo' is a mix of modern cumbia, tropical dance beats, hard-hitting punk, psychedelic guitars, traditional Mexican and Colombian rhythms, horns, and a pinch of dub and hip hop. It’s an album that is as rebellious as it is reverent–  gracefully embracing tradition while ripping it at the seams, one marimba mosh pit at a time.

Son Rompe Pera headed to Colombia, the birthplace of cumbia, to record the album. A cumbia pilgrimage of sorts, the band found it essential to take a mirror to their knowledge of the genre to ensure that they were doing it justice. The experience, however, ended up being much more expansive than anyone had anticipated. 'Chimborazo' was recorded at Mambo Negro studio over 7 days in 2022, and produced by Colombian Producer Mario Galeano (Frente Cumbiero, Ondatrópica, Los Pirañas). Mambo Negro is as much of a home as it is a studio, fostering a community of musicians that wander freely through the space- many of whom ended up contributing to the record.

'Chimborazo' also features a range of collaborations that help take the album into unexpected territory. Mario Galeano’s band Frente Cumbiero added horns to the album’s last track “Batuco Son”, taking one of the more traditional songs on the album to new, stranger heights. “El Tamal”, a joyful ode to the classic comfort food common in both Mexico and Colombia, is laced with gaita, marimba and merengue rhythms and features a collaboration with the band La Perla, who were constant companions in the studio. “Chico Migraña” is a dub and hip-hop leaning track that was the result of a spontaneous meeting with rapper N. Hardem. The album’s only cover song is of a lost Colombian gem “Toño y el Demonio” (Gustavo Rada), featuring accordion from Felipe Orjuela. Also featured on the album is long-time collaborator, Chilean superstar Macha (Chico Trujillo, El Bloque Depresivo) on “Chata”, as well as Chile’s Anarkia Tropikal on the guitar-driven track “Cumbia Pa Tu Madre”. Long-time friend and world-renowned guitarist Gil Gutierrez (Oaxaca, MX) adds a psychedelic twist to “Proteus”. 

Featured on the album is a track whose name has almost become synonymous with the band itself, their manifesto, “Cumbia is the New Punk”. The song declares their devotion to and reverence for the two genres often thought to be on opposite ends of the musical spectrum, which they’ve proven can (and should) coexist countless times via their live show- and now their album. 'Chimborazo' is a celebration of the sounds and their legacies that connect unassuming corners of the world, of tradition and the necessity to mix it up in order to propel it forward, of Mexico, of Colombia, of family, of home, of marimbas, of punk, and the party that is being alive.

'Chimborazo' is out now on AYA Records: https://lnk.to/chimborazo

Son Rompe Pera - Chimborazo

Vinyl/Download/Stream: https://mateokingman.lnk.to/astro

MATEO KINGMAN PRESENTS HIS SECOND ALBUM, ASTRO 

Mateo Kingman conceives of his second album Astro as a cure for the healthy. It’s a journey across the constellation of the snake, a journey at once earthly and cosmic. The poetic text expressed with a multiplicity of vocal timbres drives the musical journey, starting with the decision to face up to our demons, passing through a deep sense of vertigo and sacred healings, to return us to ourselves, reconciled and grateful. 

Musically, Astro expresses an intense investigation, tying together different threads: contemporary urban song (trap, hip hop, and elements of electronic music), traditional Latin American melodies influenced by shamanic icaro chants, and the emphasis on synthesizers, resulting in a new, hypnotic kind of sound.  

The journey begins with “Umbral”, its introduction reminiscent of a prayer, a representation of the moment when we understand we need help. With each song we go further into the meaning of this introspective journey. “Puerta de Sal” is an invitation to let ourselves go, embrace the absence of control and take a leap of faith into the unknown. “Último Aliento”, made in collaboration with Gustavo Santaolalla, speaks of the acceptance of death as an indispensablepart of life. “Religar”, the first single from the record, is about reconciliation, the possibility of returning to oneself after the disintegration of the self. The journey ends with “Astro”, which gives its name to the album, and represents the learning we carry with us after a spiritual journey. 

In a world in which we increasingly need more stimuli and approval from the outside, Astro invites us to take a look inside and explore all the aspects of the self, from the darkest to the lightest. On this record, Mateo Kingman shows a strong point of view as the author, although he moves away from the sounds and themes with which he made his name, daring to mix current trends, urban rhythms and vocal experiments, forming a constellation through which we can all travel, showing a clear personal and musical evolution. 

Music composed, arranged and recorded by Mateo Kingman and Ivis Flies in Quito, Ecuador, except for "Lucero” which contains an adaptation of "Tonada de Ordeño", from Antonio Estévez. In honor of Simón Díaz.

Collaborations by Gustavo Santaolalla, voice, ronrocos and bass in "Último Aliento"; Toño Cepeda, arrangements in "Último Aliento"; Andrés Benavides, bombo tradicional, vocal sampling in "Religar" and hi hat in "Puerta de sal"; Daniel Pasquel, synths design in "Astro"; Ernesto Karolys, synths design in "Umbral"; Isaac Zeas, guitar in "Último aliento" and "Lucero"; Jesús Bonilla, harp in "Tejidos"; Diego Alberto Martinez, arrangements in "Umbral"; Martin Flies, hi hat programming in "Religar"; Nicolás Dávila, kick replacement and sub low bass in "Religar". 

Recorded by Ivis Flies; additional recordings by Daniel Pasquel, Renato Arias, Omar Miranda; Daniel Amores, production assistant; Remy Laurençon, Mix; Antoine "Chab" Chabert Mastering 

Executive Production: Alvaro Almeida.

Art: Panic Study; Concept: Maria Emilia Jaramillo & Mateo Kingman.

Copyright AYA Records 2019

Mateo Kingman https://www.mateokingman.com/
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Mateo Kingman - Astro

AYA Records presents Los Cotopla Boyz’ Mamarrón Vol.1 (Remastered)

LOS COTOPLA BOYZ: MILLENNIAL CUMBIA FOR THE END OF THE WORLD

It all started in Bogotá, the nexus of tropicanibal. The Colombian capital has helped launch acts like Frente Cumbiero, Los Meridian Brothers, Romperayo, Chúpame el Dedo, Dub de Gaita, Los Pirañas, Ondatrópica and El León Pardo – artists who stand out not only for their virtuosity, but the connection between traditional folklore and lysergic futurism that has hypnotized audiences around the world. 
The new tropicanibal generation includes groups such as La Sonora Mazurén, La Tromba Bacalao, Los Yoryis, El Conjunto Media Luna and, of course, Los Cotopla Boyz – a fiery five-piece that formed in 2018. In the post-pandemic dystopian multiverse of today, their mission is to save the party. 

Their live shows evoke images of frantic Power Rangers singing epic chants about their adventures – but instead of heroic feats, they write humorous lyrics inspired by their everyday lives. The melodramatic “N’sync” is about that chat where you get ghosted; “Me Malviajé con las Galletas” recalls the hallucinogenic experimentation of ingesting cannabis and flipping out. These experiences also produced songs like the clumsy lost love of “Dame tu Wasap,” the cathartic “Tren de Cotopla” and the ode to excess that is “Raspafiestas” – that moment in your life when the night seems eternal and you float from one party to the next until the world ends. 

Along with “Plankton (Abanico Sanyo)” and “El Peruanito,” these songs are part of Mamarrón Vol. 1, a compilation of seven millennial cannon shots inspired by Los Mirlos, Los Hechizeros Band, Anan, Wendy Sulca, La Sonora Cordobesa, Bad Bunny, Yandel and Los Corraleros de Majagual.

They’re all tracks from a debut album which was released in the middle of the pandemic and will be re-issued in 2022 by AYA Records (an imprint of ZZK Records). As well as being pressed on vinyl, the record will include the bonus track “El Peruanito” – remixed by Colombian producer Santiago Navas. It’s a sneak preview of Mamarrón, Vol. 2, an album of remixes by figures such as Frente Cumbiero, Cerrero, Prendida, Sonido Confirmación, DJ Rata Piano and Felipe Orjuela – local musicians with a global scope and vision who push the raspafiesta universe to new sonic frontiers. 

Los Cotopla Boyz have taken their sweaty, schizophrenic cumbia experience to Bogotá venues such as Matik-Matik, Boogaloop, El Chamán, Tejo Turmequé, Videoclub and the Estereo Picnic festival – serving up nights of wild abandon to the beat of an outrageous big cumbia sound which sets fire to the dancefloor.
If there’s a “cotoplera” in your town, don’t wait to hear about it from someone else. 

Mamarrón Vol. 1 (Remastered) will be released on vinyl and all digital platforms on August 26th

Mamarron Vol. 1

Mamarron Vol.1

Tren De Cotopla

Pre-order Vinyl/Digital/Pre-Save: https://lnk.to/mamarronvol1

AYA Records presents Los Cotopla Boyz’  'N’sync'.

'N’sync' is the second single by Los Cotopla Boyz. The millennial cumbieros continue their social media narrative with a catchy five-tone melody that anyone who has ever used WhatsApp will recognize – complemented by stunning solos with hints of reggaeton influence and riffs that make you want to set fire to your guitar.

'N’sync' continues building up a string of singles leading to the first vinyl release of 'Mamarron Vol. 1 (Remastered)'.

It also features a video by Sergio Moreno, a visual genius who has produced campaigns for the Estéreo Picnic Festival and Pepsi, as well as designing his own clothing brand. The video is an animation of the Cotopla Boyz in their Cumbia Rangers outfits, telling the story of a person who has been ghosted on WhatsApp.


'N’sync' will be released with accompanying video on July 6th, 2022

'Mamarron Vol. 1 (Remastered)' will be released on vinyl and all digital platforms on August 26th, 2022

Mamarron Vol.1 (Remastered)

N'sync

Pre-order Vinyl/Digital/Pre-Save: https://lnk.to/mamarronvol1 

AYA Records presents Los Cotopla Boys’ ‘Dame tu Wasap’

Los Cotopla Boyz are re-releasing their debut LP, 'Mamarron Vol. 1', with the ZZK imprint AYA Records – this time on vinyl, a worthy format for cumbia parties. 

After a couple of years of gathering media attention from the likes of Gladys Palmera, El Enemigo, Remezcla and Sounds & Colours – while playing at major festivals including Hermoso Ruido 2020 and Estéreo Picnic 2022 – the band will also drop a new music video for their memorable single 'Dame tu Wasap'.

Reimagining cumbia with their unique millennial style and an authentic sense of humor, this Cotopla release brings us a collage of generational reminiscences. Filmmakers Juan Esteban Quintero and Alejandra Medina (a.k.a. the Las Alegrías collective) have created a tongue-in-cheek video to make us laugh and sing, with neat editing that gets you in the mood to scream “Give me your WhatsApp!” to the heavens.

‘Dame tu Wasap’ will be released with the video on June 15th, 2022

Mamarrón Vol. 1 (Remastered) will be released on vinyl and all digital platforms on August 26th, 2022

Dame tu Wasap

Mamarron Vol. 1 (Remastered)

El Peruanito

Plankton (Abanico Sanyo)

Son Rompe Pera - Chata

Son Rompe Pera - Toño y el Demonio

Son Rompe Pera - Cumbia pa tu Madre

Son Rompe Pera - Chucha

Son Rompe Pera - La Muerte del Amor

Son Rompe Pera - Selva Negra

Pre-Order Vinyl / Download / Pre-Save: https://lnk.to/humazapassaramama

AYA Records presents Humazapas’ 'Sara Tipi.'

‘Sara Tipi’ is the second single from Humazapas' album 'Sara Mama.' 

The ‘Sara Tipi’ (corn harvest) feast is here. This song is in the San Juanito musical genre.

The song ‘Sara Tipi’ is for the Sara Mama (mother corn) harvest ritual. The signs of the chakra (sown field) are embodied in this song, in the story about a person who turns into a corn worm.

The musical video for ‘Sara Tipi’ was directed by Luis Bonilla Simba, an audiovisual producer for ANTA Records and a member of Humazapas. This video tries to transmit an idea of everyday life in the community and humans’ relationship with nature and the world of the deities. The musical video shows the harvest of the sacred corn grain, “Sara Mama,” in a field located in the foothills of the snow-capped mountain “Mama Cotacachi.” 

‘Sara Tipi’ is out on April 12th, 2023 on AYA Records, the sister label of ZZK Records. 
 
Humazapas’ album 'Sara Mama' is out on June 9th, 2023

Artwork: Sebastián Alvear from Cotacachi, Ecuador

Sara Tipi

Humazapas - Sara Tipi

AYA Records Presents El León Pardo – “La Perica”
“La Perica” is the first single from Viaje Sideral, the new album from El León Pardo.
“La Perica” refers to a possible weapon designed by Caribbean peasants. This song shows the spiritual role of the indigenous kuisi, inspired by legends of liberation and the brave ‘lions’—the name given to those who took on the fight against the conquest of the Caribbean—who defended the territory in the times of the first colonization of Cartagena de Indias, formerly Calamarí. 
One night in Bogotá, the maestro Freddys Arrieta (born in San Juan Nepomuceno, Colombia), a great inspiration for the kuisi players and for León Pardo, told us how this “perica” weapon worked. It was a kind of machete that had an iron sphere as a handle, crafted by the natives to defend the city from constant pirate raids and from the Spanish crown itself, which for a long time had sought to reconquer the Calamari territory and the rest of what was once Nueva Granada, today the Republic of Colombia. 
For El León Pardo and the peoples of Montes de María, resistance has other meanings and comes in different forms. It has a close relationship with the crafting of weapons, and with the crafting of every one of their musical instruments and the tools used for farming and hunting. Therefore, this song with its festive and fast sound is a conduit to the past of Cartagena de Indias, whose melody revitalizes the free spirit of the Caribbean peasant music: wild and always in resonance with the origin of life beyond death.  
“La Perica” is an intentional mix of a puya and a merengue de gaita. The puya is the fastest rhythm in the indigenous kuisi style, while the merengue is the fastest rhythm in the black kuisi. In the instrumentation, El León Pardo used traditional kuisi percussion (llamador, tambura and tambor alegre, two kuisi and maracas). Various digital synths were used for the song’s effects, as well as the Korg MS20 analog synth.
Like the rest of the album, the song was coproduced by Samuel Vélez, a Cartagena producer and musician with Magdalena blood, who accompanied El León Pardo in the process of exploring the production format that can be appreciated on “La Perica.” The percussion was recorded entirely by Humberto Barrios, the two kuisis and the maracas were recorded by El León, as well as some digital synths in the company of Samuel. The analog synth was recorded by El León; the bass was recorded by Cristian Salazar from Cartagena, and  the guitar was recorded by Omar Rodríguez Salgado, also from Cartagena.    

“La Perica” single and video are out now on all digital platforms.

Viaje Sideral will be out on vinyl and all digital platforms on March 21st, 2025.

La Perica

El Tigrillo Mono

Sofi Entre Constelaciones

Cuando El Rio Suena

El Porro Del Olvido Feat Frente Cumbiero

AYA Records Presents El León Pardo – “Cumbia Espacial”

"Cumbia Espacial" is the second single to be lifted from Viaje Sideral, the forthcoming album from El León Pardo. 

It is said that Jupiter can be seen from the Earth pretty accurately, dancing around its nine moons, like the succession of dots that the air draws when it moves, or the grace with which the sun is refracted equally in the sea or a bubble. As a melody, “Cumbia espacial” (“Space cumbia”) is about expansion, about the meeting of opposites already set down in ancient hermeneutic principles to be born and reborn, like the Big Bang Theory: what is apparently imperceptible brings the complete origin code, a world in itself is every particle that makes up the void and its universes. 

In this sense, cumbia—as a rhythm and aesthetic stance—is the form that El León Pardo chose to bring to life this track from the album. The classic kuisi percussion was recorded by León himself, as well as the bass and all the analog and digital synth effects, in coproduction with Samuel Vélez. The lyrics and the rap is a dialogue that came later, based on the resonances created with N. Hardem during their time in the Mestizo collective (UK-Colombia). N. Hardem connects with “Cumbia Espacial” and says it’s like a scene in Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle.

Cumbia Espacial Feat N.Hardem

Urmah Feat Edson Velandia

Viaje Sideral

Invocación

Become a fan of Rio Mira:

www.facebook.com/RioMiraMarimba/

Co-produced by Grammy nominee Ivis Flies and Grammy winner Ivan Benavides, Rio Mira is a marimba supergroup with Afro-Pacific binational heritage consisting of some of the most in-demand and respected musicians from Colombia and Ecuador. Their music is the sonic rejoining of the region known as El Pacífico Sur, one connected by history, ecology and culture and divided by the national borders of Ecuador and Colombia.

The people throughout this area have similar music, food, speech, fashion, and background, and it is no coincidence that the band takes its name from the Mira River that flows across these borders, connecting rather than dividing people and cultures. This area is home to a great many people of African descent and the rhythms of Africa have become entwined with the lilt and grooves of Colombia and Ecuador. Marimba music has become firmly established, a sound so sacred it was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2015.

Marimba Del Pacifico is a beguiling showcase of this protected sound, a celebration of a unique cultural heritage found nowhere else on the planet, by a band of young musicians keeping this strong tradition alive.

Rio Mira - Adios Morena

Buy:

https://mateokingman.bandcamp.com/album/sendero-del-monte

Sendero del Monte is the second single from Mateo Kingman's debut album Respira, out August 12 on AYA Records. The single features Kingman's soulful vocals and signature South American hip hop sound, as well as two remixes from Uji and Dandara.

Uji
https://soundcloud.com/ujitimebeing

Dandara
https://soundcloud.com/dandaramusic

Artwork: Pame Pinto

Mateo Kingman - Sendero del Monte (Dandara Remix)

Mateo Kingman - Sendero del Monte (Uji Remix)

Mateo Kingman - Sendero del Monte

AYA Records, imprint of the pioneering Latin American label, ZZK Records, transports listeners to Andean Amazonia with its first release, Respira, by Mateo Kingman. 

Kingman, 24, is a singer-songwriter of Ecuadorian Amazonian music that fuses traditional Latin American sounds with hip-hop, rock, and pop. Respira, his debut album, is an energy overload that sings of biodiversity, sketching natural landscapes of magic and water colors. It is infused with sounds guiding the listener from the jungle and to high mountains, between the tangle of trees and the meandering sound of the wind on the moors. 

Kingman's childhood was spent in Macas, a small town in the Amazon, where he was exposed to the cultural richness of the Shuar community and Amazonian mythologies. There his feet grew calloused on mountain grass, there he dove in the Amazonian rivers searching for ancient sounds of water devils. He walked narrow, muddy roads, hearing the cries of the wild, of the Amazonian nymphs, of the dense green. In this environment, Kingman began experimenting with the guitar, drums, and traditional instruments. He began exploring the universal nature of music, which ties the finite and small human condition, full of passions hard to understand, with the cosmic, the chaotic, and the infinite. 

After a brief interlude pursuing semi-professional sports (100 meter hurdles), Kingman moved to Quito in 2012 and launched his music career. Just a few short years later, he finds himself at the forefront of the Latin American music scene emerging out of Ecuador, both as a soloist and a member of the band EVHA. 

Respira exemplifies this sound, fusing electronic with organic and acoustic in order to create a musical oxymoron: chaotic harmony. Inspired by artists such as Simón Díaz, Atahualpa Yupanqui, Violeta Parra, Juaneco y Su Combo, Control Machete, Bomba Estereo, Sidestepper and Café Tacvba, the album combines samples and synthesizers, with organic sounds he records himself in rivers, forests, and mountains. Kingman's lyrics connect the concrete jungle with the past of four million years of human life historically tied to the natural world. His soundscapes are full of the spiritual energy of all that is good, of what makes us dance to scare away the demons. His fiery voice constantly stabs at the melodies, spilling out the verses with rap and timbres of traditional songs. 

With the swagger of Calle 13 and the groove of Manu Chao, Mateo Kingman is ready to show you his world. Respira is out on August 12 on AYA Records, and will be available everywhere.

Respira

Dame Tu Consuelo

Sendero del Monte

Puerto Rico meets Ecuador as IFE's 'House of Love' gets the Nicola Cruz treatment.

ÌFÉ - House of Love (Nicola Cruz Remix)

Adiós Morena is the first single off of Afro-Pacific super group, Rio Mira's forthcoming album, Marimba del Pacifico. Composed by Esteban Copete, the single also features remixes by Nicola Cruz, Kaleema & Chancha Via Circuito, Midnight Ravers and M. RUX. 

In 2015, UNESCO added the marimba to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, observing that "Marimba music and traditional chants and dances are musical expressions integral to the family and community fabric of people of African descent in the Colombian South Pacific region and Esmeraldas Province of Ecuador." 

In celebration of this cultural heritage, and with a main goal of creating an intergenerational meeting between the sounds of Afro music from the Pacific, Rio Mira was founded. The project has a fundamental mission of revitalizing and strengthening bonds between the members of the Afro community from each side of the Colombia-Ecuador border. 

Rio Mira is co-produced by Ivis Flies (Co-Director and Creator of the musical and social heritage recovery Project "De Taitas y Mamas", nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2013. "Smile Ambassador" in 2010) and Ivan Benavides (Producer of Carlos Vives, Sidestepper, Chocquibtown, Grammy Winner Gaiteros de San Jacinto) and features a number of well known Cali and Esmeraldeña artists including Esteban Copete and Karla Kanora. Rio Mira's first album, Rio Mira - Marimba del Pacifico, will be released in 2017 on AYA Records.

Adios Morena

Rio Mira - Adios Morena (M.RUX Remix)

Rio Mira - Adios Morena (Kaleema & Chancha Via Circuito Remix)

Rio Mira - Adios Morena (Nicola Cruz Remix)

Become a fan of Rio Mira: 

www.facebook.com/RioMiraMarimba/ 

Co-produced by Grammy nominee Ivis Flies and Grammy winner Ivan Benavides, Rio Mira is a marimba supergroup with Afro-Pacific binational heritage consisting of some of the most in-demand and respected musicians from Colombia and Ecuador. Their music is the sonic rejoining of the region known as El Pacífico Sur, one connected by history, ecology and culture and divided by the national borders of Ecuador and Colombia.   

The people throughout this area have similar music, food, speech, fashion, and background, and it is no coincidence that the band takes its name from the Mira River that flows across these borders, connecting rather than dividing people and cultures. This area is home to a great many people of African descent and the rhythms of Africa have become entwined with the lilt and grooves of Colombia and Ecuador. Marimba music has become firmly established, a sound so sacred it was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2015.  

Marimba Del Pacifico is a beguiling showcase of this protected sound, a celebration of a unique cultural heritage found nowhere else on the planet, by a band of young musicians keeping this strong tradition alive.

Rio Mira - Roman Roman

Rio Mira - Guarapo

Rio Mira - Andarele

Rio Mira - Estaban Llorando

There’s something brewing in the Ecuadorian underground.  In 2015 ZZK Records introduced the world to the sensorial sound of Nicola Cruz, shortly after in 2016, Mateo Kingman.  This year has seen numerous projects emerging from Ecuador’s effervescent and vibrant scene, none more exciting than EVHA.   
 
It isn’t the past, it’s now, and it’s magical. El Viejo Hombre de los Andes, EVHA (The Old Man of the Andes), is a band formed by four creators who put heart and soul into everything they do: combining ritual dance rhythms, faraway plateau choirs and sacred songs with bold contemporary beats.
 
Recovering the ancestral protests of traditional Ecuadorian music (“Uiuí”), urgent calls for nature's protection (“Todo su cuerpo brilla”), the repetitive striking of the hoe in the field and the endless green of the forest. But also combining textures of laughter, deep rivers and majestical lakes, Ecuador’s magic captured in sound.  
 
We find refreshing and delicate electronic glitches transitioning into hip hop-influenced voices from mountain top ceremonies among fast looped marimba arpeggios, contrasting beats and touches of ambient.  This ethno-electronic experiment is full of flavors from various regions; sanjuanito, pasillo and bomba sample flirtations with ethereal beats. 
 
The record El Viejo Hombre de los Andes has a clear connecting thread, absorbing forms and colors from native Ecuadorian music and strengthening them into a tight conceptual construction with captivating and current sounds.

EVHA - Free

Following the first year of Mateo Kingman’s international touring, AYA Records - new imprint from ZZK Records - is releasing a collection of remixes from his debut album "Respira" (breathe).  Few times have we had such an overwhelming response to a new album by an up and coming artist and it's heart-warming to find his work so inspiring for musicians and producers from around the globe. With versions from Japan (Ground), Chile (Matanza) passing through the United States (Jeffrey Paradise from Poolside) amongst others. We can see how songs mutate and adopt new personalities in different hands, exploring new atmospheres and rhythms, down tempos in dynamic songs, inflections and accents, textures and new attributes that appear as the essence of artistic expression and collaboration. This creative transmission attests to an endless quality of the original material and it's our pleasure to share this sampling of remixes to accompany Mateo's upcoming European tour this fall, with debut shows in Amsterdam at ADE and Paris at Hasard Ludique.

Mateo Kingman - Lluvia (Kurup Remix)

Mateo Kingman - Lluvia (Jhon Montoya Remix)

Mateo Kingman - Mi Pana (Atropolis Remix)

Astro

Mateo Kingman - Puerta de Sal

Mateo Kingman - Emesis

Mateo Kingman - IO

Mateo Kingman - Lúmina

Mateo Kingman - Umbral

Vinyl/CD/Download/Stream: 

https://sonrompepera.lnk.to/batuco

Born and raised in the deep outskirts of Mexico City, the Gama brothers are keeping alive the rich legacy of marimba music running through their family with their latest project, Son Rompe Pera. While firmly rooted in the tradition of this historic instrument, their fresh take on the folk icon challenges its limits as never before, moving it into the garage/punk world of urban misfits and firmly planting it in the 21st century.

Originally performing alongside their father at local events as kids, they now find themselves at the forefront of the contemporary international cumbia scene with their sonic explorations of the classic marimba. Their absolutely unique blend comes from a typical youthful rebellion, when as teenagers they left behind their upbringing and began to play in various punk, rockabilly and ska bands. Now they’ve gone full circle with the return of the marimba on lead, and mixing all of their influences together with an energetic take on the popular instrument, giving it a new twist never before seen in Mexican folk music.

Formed in 2017, Son Rompe Pera broke onto the potent cumbia scene of today as the marimba duo of brothers Jesús Ángel and Allan Gama (Kacho and Mongo), who inherited this tradition from their father, Batuco. A marimba player by trade, he taught them to play and understand the marimba, which they first used to revive old folk songs for their friends, family, and passers-by on the street. They then incorporated it into the performance of popular Mexican cumbia songs, while spicing things up with an animated identity of their own, creating rhythms of an imaginary repertoire that grows, spreads, and connects the Americas with every passing year.

In their own words: “The basics of Son Rompe Pera have been developing since we were kids, and the music and streets are in our blood. We found the markets flooded with old, forgotten folk music, and so as kids we decided to carry the marimba with us and create this musical project from our own roots, mixing in rhythms which we thought would never be musical brothers, like cumbia, punk, and the sounds of our barrios and our everyday lives.”

Batuco

Son Rompe Pera - Mi Vida sin tu Amor

Son Rompe Pera - Pajaro Cenzontle

Son Rompe Pera - El Saleroso

Watch / Play / Download / Vinyl / CD:
https://sonrompepera.lnk.to/pajarocenzontle

Pajaro Cenzontle is a classic “cumbia sonidero” from Mexico, originally written by pioneers of the style in the 1970s and 80s, Super Grupo Colombia. At the time, classic Colombian cumbia was in fashion in Mexico, and Super Grupo Colombia took the trend and added some Mexican flavor, composing their own songs and leading what would turn into a movement in Mexico that would last for generations to come.

Released in 1982, the song was a huge hit for the band composed of the Pedrazo Islas brothers. The song once again rose to fame in the early 2000s when it was recorded by the sons of the original group, Grupo Kual, in a more updated sonidero style. 

Son Rompe Pera’s version is closer to the original, replacing the Colombian accordion with the marimba, yet keeping an authentic feel to the classic tune.  During their extensive stay in Chile, they taught the song to their friends in Chico Trujillo, who instantly fell in love and decided to record their own version (featuring Son Rompe Pera)on their recently released album, Mambo Mundial.

The Son Rompe Pera version was recorded in February of 2018 at Perros con Tiña studio, the mythical studio of “Macha"(lead singer of Chico Trujillo).  The name of the song, demonstrates a detailed observation of Nahuatl-speaking cultures; derived from the words centzontli (“four hundred”) and tototl (“bird”), it means Bird of the 400 voices. This amazing bird was the inspiration of the most significant pre hispanic Nahuatl poet, warrior and artist; Nezahualcoyotl. El Cenzontle has a musical repertoire of between 50 and 200 songs.

Pajaro Cenzontle the debut single from Son Rompe Pera is out October 11 on AYA Records.

Pajaro Cenzontle

Play / Download / Vinyl / CD:
https://sonrompepera.lnk.to/CumbiaAlgarrobera

Made famous in the 1960’s by Venezuelan organ player Tulio Enrique Leon, Cumbia Algarrobera is one of the most well-known instrumental cumbias.  Enrique Leon, known as the King of the Keyboard, gave cumbias a unique sound that to this day is instantly recognizable.  

This classic song was one of the first that the Gama Brothers learned on the marimba, so when the Chilean cumbia band Chico Trujillo invited them to record in Mexico City in July of 2015, it was an obvious choice for a collaboration. This recording session was the first in what would become the beginning of a long and incredibly intertwined relationship with the band and its lead singer, Macha.
 
The two groups met at El Cocodrilo Solitario studios in La Roma, home of the legendary Mexican ska-punk band, Panteón Rococó.  Chico Trujillo had a few days off in the city and were recording some tracks for what would become their now recently-released album, “Mambo Mundial”.  The Gama brothers had briefly met the band of cumbia rockers before, but this was their first real musical get-together. It only took a few jam sessions to figure out how they would turn this traditional cumbia into a new modern version, featuring the marimba as the primary instrument replacing Enrique Leon’s organ and filling out the track with all of the magic of Chico Trujillo’s musicians.
 
Looking back, this was the first real step that Son Rompe Pera took to launch their career.  They arrived that day at the studio a bit nervous – not only were they going to jam with some of their musical idols, but it would also be the first time that they were going to record in a real studio.  But they were not alone: they arrived accompanied by their father Batuco, a marimba professor.  Now they look back on that day as a double-blessing; with the passing of Batuco a few years later, Cumbia Algarrobera is the only recorded song they have with him performing, and what better than a classic tune featuring their new long-term collaborators, Chico Trujillo.

Cumbia Algarrobera

Son Rompe Pera feat. Chico Trujillo - Cumbia Algarrobera

Vinyl/CD/Download/Stream:

https://sonrompepera.lnk.to/batuco

Born and raised in the deep outskirts of Mexico City, the Gama brothers are keeping alive the rich legacy of marimba music running through their family with their latest project, Son Rompe Pera. While firmly rooted in the tradition of this historic instrument, their fresh take on the folk icon challenges its limits as never before, moving it into the garage/punk world of urban misfits and firmly planting it in the 21st century.

Originally performing alongside their father at local events as kids, they now find themselves at the forefront of the contemporary international cumbia scene with their sonic explorations of the classic marimba. Their absolutely unique blend comes from a typical youthful rebellion, when as teenagers they left behind their upbringing and began to play in various punk, rockabilly and ska bands. Now they’ve gone full circle with the return of the marimba on lead, and mixing all of their influences together with an energetic take on the popular instrument, giving it a new twist never before seen in Mexican folk music.

Formed in 2017, Son Rompe Pera broke onto the potent cumbia scene of today as the marimba duo of brothers Jesús Ángel and Allan Gama (Kacho and Mongo), who inherited this tradition from their father, Batuco. A marimba player by trade, he taught them to play and understand the marimba, which they first used to revive old folk songs for their friends, family, and passers-by on the street. They then incorporated it into the performance of popular Mexican cumbia songs, while spicing things up with an animated identity of their own, creating rhythms of an imaginary repertoire that grows, spreads, and connects the Americas with every passing year.

In their own words: “The basics of Son Rompe Pera have been developing since we were kids, and the music and streets are in our blood. We found the markets flooded with old, forgotten folk music, and so as kids we decided to carry the marimba with us and create this musical project from our own roots, mixing in rhythms which we thought would never be musical brothers, like cumbia, punk, and the sounds of our barrios and our everyday lives.”

Son Rompe Pera - No Hay Novedad

Astro Reescrituras

Religar (Chancha Vía Circuito Remix)

Puerta De Sal (MIEL Remix)

Tejidos (Baiuca Remix)

Religar (DJ Raff Remix)

It’s been just over a year since Mateo Kingman released his acclaimed second album ASTRO.

This time around, renowned artists and producers play a part on the new EP ASTRO/REESCRITURAS (remixes).

The EP will be out on November 6, 2020 and includes stars like the highly talented Javier Casalla of Bajofondo, Chancha Vía Circuito, Baiuca, DJ Raff and MIEL.

“Astro/Reescrituras is a translation into sound by some musician friends I admire, like Chancha Vía Circuito, DJ Raff and Javier Casalla of Bajofondo. A lot of them were my influences for a long time and having them now as crew members on this spaceship is wonderful. I also sought out new voices that captivated me with their musical exploration in the present, like Baiuca from Spain and MIEL from Ecuador. I was really intrigued at the idea of what could happen when other musicians explored the depths of this record, as Astro is a very intimate work for me. And I think the result is that the songs ceased to be necessarily stuck to each other and took on a new life, totally individual; they exist by themselves and they have a new soul and a new heart. It’s an EP that cuts through spiral-shaped constellations, musically going from percussions and vernacular voices to violin laments, from trances for dancing to songs that demand that you’re totally present. It’s as if all these producers and crew members had decided to turn up the speed of the spaceship to reach new dynamic, shining worlds.”

-Mateo Kingman

Mateo Kingman belongs to a new generation of Latin American musicians. He mixes deep and essential lyrics with a cutting-edge, eclectic production, exploring with synths, beats and root melodies.

Just three years into this career, with appearances and festivals in Mexico, South America and Europe, this Ecuadorian artist has been singled out as one of the most outstanding figures of the new generation of Latin artists, collaborating with major artists like Gustavo Santaolalla.

Mateo Kingman has played over 60 shows in 15 countries since 2017, including appearances on stage at the likes of Estéreo Picnic, Lollapalooza, Vive Latino,
NRMAL, MallorcaLive, and others.

ASTRO is Kingman’s second album and expresses an intense investigation, weaving a plot with many threads: the contemporary urban song, traditional melodies from Latin America and the accentuated use of synths, resulting in a new, hypnotic fabric of sound. The album was produced in Quito, Ecuador, with renowned producer Ivis Flies and released by AYA Records. On the album, Mateo Kingman shows a glimpse of a strong authorial perspective, and although he moves away from the sound and thematic ideas that made him known to the world, he dares to mix current trends, urban rhythms and vocal experiments, forming a constellation we can voyage into, and showing a clear personal and musical evolution

Lucero - Javier Casalla de Bajofondo (versión del Río de la Plata)

AYA is a new imprint of ZZK Records focused on contemporary Latin American musical expressions.  Our focus is to provide a solid platform for exciting new sounds to be seen and heard.  We may even throw in a couple surprises in the mix just to keep things interesting.

aya@ayarecords.net


AYA Records

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