Bomba Estéreo Joins Forces With Yemi Alade On Kinetic ‘Conexión Total’

The members of the Colombian duo Bomba Estéreo have been slowly unveiling glimpses of Deja, their upcoming album that will be divided into four ambitious parts inspired by the earth’s four elements. After releasing three-song EPs for Agua (water) and Aire (air), the band is coming back to earth with three more tracks that make up Tierra, including the kinetic single “Conexión Total” with Nigerian star Yemi Alade.

Previous songs from the project, such as “Lento” and “Agua,” have been built from more tempered melodies that incorporate layered chants and gentle samples plucked from natural settings. “Conexión Total,” however, is all upbeat energy: The maximalist production kick-starts with singer Li Saumet’s spiky, spitfire vocals as she launches into a verse in Spanish about wanting to disconnect from the daily grind and lose herself on the dance floor. Alade, who memorably sang on “Don’t Jealous Me” off Beyoncé’s Black Is King project, dives in immediately afterward, her rich voice adding warmth as it springs over bassist and beatmaker Simón Mejía’s maze of electronic jolts and airy flutes. Bomba Estéreo have always been interested in weaving traditional rhythms into high-voltage electro-pop, and the intricate arrangement on “Conexión Total” is both folksy and forward-looking at the same time.

The instrumentation is also a powerful nod to the African roots found in music all over Latin America. “Colombia’s folk music owes a lot to the mother continent… That powerful mix of African drums and marimbas, with indigenous flutes and chants, is the base of the incredible soundscape of this country,” Mejía’said in a statement. “Yemi is a great artist and has an amazing voice. We’re really happy to keep on extending the cultural and ancestral ties that bond Africa with South America.” That bond echoes across the track, particularly as Saumet and Alade’s voices wind in and out of each other. The video, created by Saumet and Elvira Lavey Dracúl and edited by Valeria Estrada, is meant to evoke the image of a powerful goddess shining light on the world.

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