MP3: Michel & Lilibeth - "Suerte y Muerte"

We might scare off every purist rocker among our readers with this one. Colombian blog El Amarill0 introduced us to Michel & Lilibeth, a peculiar and very underground champeta duo making huge buzz in Barranquilla. The infrastructure of the Colombian music industry is somewhat concerning for interesting acts like Michel & Lilibeth, who rely on word of mouth and local radio stations to spread their music. They’re so underground we couldn’t find any profile at any of the social networks. “Suerte y Muerte” is a half-baked hit, the kind of modest song that’s on its way to becoming a popular hit. It’s also a catchy and unexpected melodic piece in all its middling practices.

Its excess of everything is ultimately why the song works, that passionate cheesy intro justifies all of the song’s unexpected shifts. The upbeat vocals are so high they sound like jj, the actual sound is closer to Capullo and Bomba Estereo. The champeta goes through a cut-rate disco loop just as a guy in the song argues the sky is crying his pains. “Suerte y Muerte” has as much dramatic ambition as a telenovela, yet it’s got the personality and warmth of a block party. Despite getting hundreds of thousands of plays on YouTube already, no one has yet to find their identity.

♫♫♫ "Suerte y Muerte"

Video + MP3: Plastic Caramelo - "Shake That Chocolate"

It’s been over two years since we featured Plastic Caramelo around these parts; CF was barely starting and cumbia digital was still very confusing to most pop culture blogs from the states. Their off-the-wall hit “Plastic Caramelo” was 2008’s party-starter song every edgy Latin DJ loved to play, but the song never really reached into mainstream despite its massive potential. It was also the first time we were introduced to Glampeta (Glam + Champeta). Our music taste has changed tremendously, but this is one hot band we can’t get enough of.

By now we had added them to the list of one-hit-wonders, but they are back with “Shake That Chocolate”, an essential download from the guys at Generation Bass, who describe the song as “Major Lazor meets Picoteros.” The call-and-response structure of the song should be enough for a second shot at commercial success, this is catchy as hell. There's nothing sexier than a cosmopolitan song that captures a nation's idiosyncratic, and turns it into a real global-pop hit.

♫♫♫ "Shake That Chocolate"

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