La Chiva Gantiva - Vivo (2014) Lossless

With three Colombian musicians at its core, on it's the second album the Brussels-based band La Chiva Gantiva blend Afro-Colombian rhythms, rock, afrobeat and funk into the band's trademark sound. It's familiar to audiences around the world who have witnessed their exciting, explosive shows.

The album's powerful music reflects La Chiva Gantiva's incredible live energy, their "frenetic carnival-punk racket that detonates like a Molotov cocktail of rock, rap, soul and ferociously funky Latin rhythms" (The Times). It also contains songs in which the band further explores several musical directions, such as traditional percussion patterns and new sonic territories, while remaining grounded in their trademark rock/afrobeat fundamentals, punctuated by exuberant horn riffs.

La Chiva Gantiva has made several successful visits to the UK including shows at the River of Music festival during the 2012 Olympics, at the London Jazz Festival and at WOMAD 2013. They have also been welcomed by their country of origin and have become one of Colombia's most popular new acts, touring there twice and being celebrated at the Colombian TV Music Awards.

"The pulsating rhythms are delivered by highly intelligent musicians who rigorously allocate spaces to each instrument...Very highly recommended." - Morning Star

Personnel: Felipe Deckers (guitar, tiple, tambor alegre), Natalie Gantiva (tambora, campana, guache, maracones, llamador, backing vocals), Rafael Espinel (lead vocals, maracones, tambor alegre, guitar, flautacanade millo), Florian Doucet (clarinet, backing vocals, bass), Martin Merau (drums, trumpe, tambola, llamador), Seppe Van Hulle (bass), Tuan HoDuc (alto, tenor and soprano saxophone, gaita)