Música en Mi Barrio
The time my friend and fellow Fulbrighter Andrea and I ran into champeta artist Mr. Black El Presidente in el mercado while he was filming an interview!
As the sun set on my very first evening in Cartagena, a Sunday back in July 2022, I was met with my very first culture shock, music blasting throughout the barrio. That first night, my Airbnb host’s son, Ivan, showed me and J’Aun, the other Fulbright ETA there with me, around a little bit, and took us to a restaurant to try what he said were the best hamburguesas in the neighborhood for dinner. (Sidenote: depending on where you order a hamburger there, you may be served hamburger buns with an actual slice of ham in between them rather than a patty of ground beef. This was the case that night and that served as my second shock of the day haha. More stories on food to come!)
Before setting off, I had been hearing music coming from outside for a little while, and when we finally left the house, the sounds of salsa rang loud and clear all around us. On our walk to the restaurant, I was surprised to see almost every family on our street sitting together out on their front terraces, stoops, and porches, sitting, talking, and enjoying the music that filled the neighborhood. I was even more surprised to discover the source of the music; one neighbor who was calmly sweeping his kitchen floor with his front door open as the music played so loudly from his house that it could be heard along the entire street and the next one over.
During my ten months in Cartagena, I’ve stayed in four different barrios and can confirm that these neighborhood-wide concerts are a very commonplace occurrence. Families here are always gathering, music is always involved, and it seems as though almost everyone has a concert-grade sound system in their homes. We didn't have one at the first place where I stayed long-term, but from there I could often hear two or three songs quite clearly that were not even coming from my street once it came time for music, and generally it's almost always time for music!
From Thursday to Sunday there is no end to the tunes that people play at maximum volume for the entire neighborhood to enjoy in the evenings. Music is played the loudest and for the longest during the day on Saturdays, often through the afternoon, evening, and night into Sunday morning. Also, if there's a holiday on a Monday, you’ll hear music then too. You’ll hear champeta, the style of music and dance that originated in Cartagena that borrows elements from African music, you hear vallenato, a style of music that highlights the sounds of the accordion and comes from another city of the Caribbean coast called Valledupar, and you’ll absolutely hear salsa. You’ll also hear some reggae music and shatta, a type of music that comes from San Andrés, an island territory of Colombia. From corner stores and other businesses with sound systems you’ll also hear genres like reggaeton, dembow and cumbia, more-so there than in neighborhoods. In discotecas you’ll hear all of the above, and also afrobeats; specifically tracks from artists like Rema and Oxlade. At stores and at bars along the main avenues you’ll hear music any day, at any time, and it will be LOUD lol.
Music fills the air in Cartagena in a way that makes everyone, and everything seem closer. It lifts your spirits, and it adds to the never-ending summer feeling. It's a sweet thing to think that I was in my house dancing and singing along with a ton of other people all over the neighborhood listening to the same song. It's one of the things that makes Cartagena special. About a month into my time there I was so accustomed to the music that by Tuesday or Wednesday things felt weird without it in the background. And yes, there were times when music was playing in moments when I preferred that it wasn't, but I learned to just tune it out, and truly I had more moments when I wish it were playing than I wish it weren’t. Some of my favorite moments in the last house I lived in were where I would spend afternoons and evenings on our balcony terrace watching the sunset and listening to the music my neighbors played.
I’ve always loved music, and I love that it surrounds you at almost every moment in Cartagena. It's something I already miss a lot. If you’re interested in hearing some of the sounds of the city yourself, you can check out my playlist of the songs I heard non-stop in Cartagena here! It's a mix of champeta, with a little bit of salsa and vallenato. I also have a salsa only playlist that I love, and you can listen to here! Que las disfrutes mucho!
Some favorite/memorable/notable songs for me are…
“Rebelión” by Joe Arroyo, La Verdad
“La Brujita” by Koffee el Kafetero and DJ Jader
“Lobo Domesticado” by Tommy Olivencia
“Caracoles de Colores” Diomedes Diaz, Ivan Zuleta
“La Invitación” by CHARANGA JOVEN
“Yamba Ngai” by Mbilia Bel
“Hagamos Lo Que Diga El Corazón” by Grupo Niche
“Charrupi” by Orquesta Calibre
“Mírame” Criss & Ronny, La Colectiva Élite
“Timbalero” by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico
“Te Lo Dije” by Churo Diaz, Elías Mendoza
“Idilio” by Willie Colón
“Catalina” by Mr Black El Presidente
“Procura” ChiChi Peralta, Jandy Feliz
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