INTERVIEW Salsangroove turns around traditional salsa for new Colombian sound

Colombian band Salsangroove blends modern music genres with traditional salsa music. Courtesy of Salsangroove

Tradition meets modernity in the Colombian band Salsangroove's music. The quintet reinterprets traditional salsa music by infusing various genres from electronic to jazz, offering a new, creative Colombian sound.

The band — comprised of vocalist Pablo Watusi Martinez, saxophonist Juan Felipe Cardenas Rojas, percussionist Juan Carlos Arrechea Mina, guitarist Juan Andres Cortes and conga player Larry Ararat — is currently touring around Asia. It is scheduled to have two performances in Korea, at the VIBE VOYAGE festival at Nodeul Island Live House on the Han River in the middle of Seoul on Wednesday, and Seoul Latin Fiesta at Rolling Hall near western Seoul's Hongik University on Saturday.

The group shared its hopes to usher Asian audiences into the world of Colombian sounds through its performances.

"The message we want to convey here in Asia is our great joy and energy from Colombia, not just from the content of the lyrics but also the sounds and tastes of Colombia. We want to deliver the experiences each of our members has and stories of us as families," Martinez said in an interview with The Korea Times at the Embassy of Colombia in Jongno District, Seoul, Tuesday.

The band started its musical journey with two friends, Martinez and Rojas, bringing together musicians from different backgrounds to form the genre-bending group.

"Rojas and I have been friends since we were young. And we've been playing together in an orchestra band named La-33, studying salsa and conducting various musical experiments by fusing several music genres together," Martinez said.

"We also tried merging the traditional genre of electronic music using technology, and along the way, musicians who were interested in this field gathered together as this group to conduct various musical experiments."

The band's experimental adventure kicked off with success, notching a nomination for the Latin Grammy Awards in 2017 with its first album.

"At that time, we were in a period of mixing various sounds and exploring our identity. So it was such unexpected, good news since we had put a lot of effort into creating that album," Rojas said. "Thanks to that, we were able to continue our band with more confidence in the music we make and in our identity."

From left, Juan Andres Cortes, Juan Carlos Arrechea Mina, Larry Ararat, Pablo Watusi Martinez and Juan Felipe Cardenas Rojas of Salsangroove are pictured during an interview with The Korea Times at the Embassy of Colombia in Jongno District, Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Embassy of Colombia

The members put each of their own musical backgrounds and specialty in instruments to give a variation to classic salsa music. In doing so, the band utilizes instruments that were not used in salsa music to give a modern touch.

"To maintain this balance (between genres), our band uses traditional salsa instruments, like congas, timbales and cowbells, which serve as references to the traditional genre. We also use new instruments not typically used in traditional salsa, such as piano, bass and wind instruments, and combine them in a digital way," Martinez said.

Ararat added that keeping the balance is crucial in maintaining the identity of the traditional genre in the band's music. "From using instruments like drums and bass to combining jazz or traditional Afro-Colombian music with salsa, we strive to fuse them in a way that no single element overpowers the others," he said.

As the first two stops of its tour around Asia, the band performed in Malaysia and Vietnam before reaching Seoul.

"Thanks to Colombian embassies in each country, we've completed the performances successfully. And they told us that it's quite unusual to receive this much positive response when we performed," Cortes said. "This made me realize that, even though the music is in a different language and from a different region, it can still resonate with audiences from other places."

After its latest release in June, Salsangroove is currently working on four songs, one of which it was inspired by its trip to Vietnam.

Under the motto "Latin Global Music," the members shared their aspiration to share their innovative music with the world.

"I think of (our music) as uniting various worlds and as an opening to unknown worlds. So, I believe it's about opening the hearts of not only Latin Americans but also people all around the world," Rojas said.

Mina added, "Our ultimate goal is to spread the love for our music to every corner of the world."