Palenke Soultribe Drops Some Colombian Blammo at Bardot This Thursday

Take some Afro-Colombian rhythms, mash in a bunch of American and European break beats, plus just a hint of dance-y grooves ... And blammo, here comes Palenke Soultribe.

Six years ago, the band was formed in Los Angeles by two Colombian musicians, Juan D. Borda and Andres Erazo. Soon, the pair added a third, drummer-percussionist A. Zuluaga, and set about assembling three releases: 2005's Folkloric Deconstruktion as well as 2007's Tropic and Heaven and a subsequent remix collection called Tropico y Cielo.

And then there was 2009's ORO. By the band's own admission, it "was the album that ... was the big break for us. It was a carefully produced album with ... Mark Needham, who has worked with the Killers, Cake, [and] Chemical Romance among others."

This newest album continues what's been Palenke's essential mission over the last half-decade: the creation of its very own musical category. The members of Palenke like to say that "only time and critic's ears will define our sounds."

Yet even with all its success and independent spirit, the crew still acknowledges the tough times. "It is hard to be well-known without the support of a big label. [But] while being independent is harder, it has a lot more merit."

This Thursday, Palenke Soultribe will be visiting us at Bardot with special guests Locos Por Juana, Omniscient Om, and Jesus Malverde. Now go score Palenke's free Wepalenke EP and get ready for that live thing.

-- Claudia Camargo

Palenke Soultribe with Locos Por Juana, Omniscient Om, and Jesus Malverde. Thursday, January 13. Bardot, 3456 N. Miami Ave., Miami. Call 305-576-7750 or visit bardotmiami.com.

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