Biography
El Hijo de La Cumbia fuses Latin American rhythms with African traditions, dancehall reggae, hip-hop, steamy dub, and sonidero as a musician, producer, and musical anthropologist who helped launch the Nu-Cumbia movement in the 21st century. He has stated that his goal is to craft sounds capable of uniting “all the ghettos of the world.” Although he now lives in Malmo, Sweden, he balances studio production, festival appearances, work with other artists, and ongoing research in equal measure. His debut album, Freestyle de Ritmos, arrived in 2008 as a dense statement that wove Middle Eastern music, beat-driven American hip-hop, both classic and contemporary cumbia, vallenato, and serpentine dancehall into a single, quaking whole. Drawing samples from fiercely rhythmic 1950s and 1960s source material, he layers live accordion, claves, bells, charangos, deep basslines, and multiple drums to realize a polyrhythmic vision. He has also supplied video-single productions for Akila, Princess, the Sparkles, Gotan Project, Pablo Fierro, and Watcha Clan, among others, bringing added weight, depth, and a wide spectrum of atmospheric hues.
Born Emiliano Gonzalez in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he first encountered cumbia at age twelve inside his father’s record collection, where an album sat between Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd; the music’s “irresistible groove and that unstoppable energy” immediately captivated him. He began combining analog and digital keyboards with organic percussion and self-generated loops, then moved into remixing 12-inch DJ pressings he had collected, shaping a personal style while absorbing techniques from Mad Scientist, Lee Perry, and Adrian Sherwood and sharing the results online. As a skilled accordionist and multi-instrumentalist, he performed with several cumbia groups. Over the following decade he circulated mixes through social networks, which led to remixing assignments for cumbia sonidero acts in Mexico and the United States. In 2008 he placed the track “La Mara Tomasa” on the landmark compilation ZZK Sound, Vol. 1: Cumbia Digital; the exposure opened doors to production and DJ bookings. When Basta! released Freestyle de Ritmos that same year, his profile rose rapidly, attracting notice from Mexican Institute of Sound’s Camilo Lara, Toy Selectah, Sekreto (whose “Gota” he remixed for the 2010 compilation Cumbia! Bestial), and additional peers. He spent nearly ten years traveling through South America, Mexico, and the United States, unearthing rare cumbia recordings and live performances to build an extensive sample and beat archive. In 2011 he joined Gotan Project on “Una Música Brutal,” which appeared on their New Cumbia remixes and La Revancha del Tango Remixes collections. Two years later he partnered with the Binary Cumbia Orchestra for “Baika” (credited as the Binary Cumbia Orchestra vs. El Hijo de la Diabla), and in 2014 he contributed to the Zona Norte and Punto Rojo album Conurbano. The following year he issued the club track “Queen of the Ghetto Version Dub” under the Redub moniker. In 2016 he compiled Riddim & Friends, Vol. 1, spotlighting vocalists and emcees from many countries. Two years after that he previewed his second album, Genero Genero, with the single “Che Revolution” (featuring Cuban flutist and dancehall emcee Dame Blanche) and a remix of Äl Jawala’s “Cumbia Corazon.” The full-length received widespread praise and appeared on electronic and dance streaming charts worldwide.
Born Emiliano Gonzalez in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he first encountered cumbia at age twelve inside his father’s record collection, where an album sat between Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd; the music’s “irresistible groove and that unstoppable energy” immediately captivated him. He began combining analog and digital keyboards with organic percussion and self-generated loops, then moved into remixing 12-inch DJ pressings he had collected, shaping a personal style while absorbing techniques from Mad Scientist, Lee Perry, and Adrian Sherwood and sharing the results online. As a skilled accordionist and multi-instrumentalist, he performed with several cumbia groups. Over the following decade he circulated mixes through social networks, which led to remixing assignments for cumbia sonidero acts in Mexico and the United States. In 2008 he placed the track “La Mara Tomasa” on the landmark compilation ZZK Sound, Vol. 1: Cumbia Digital; the exposure opened doors to production and DJ bookings. When Basta! released Freestyle de Ritmos that same year, his profile rose rapidly, attracting notice from Mexican Institute of Sound’s Camilo Lara, Toy Selectah, Sekreto (whose “Gota” he remixed for the 2010 compilation Cumbia! Bestial), and additional peers. He spent nearly ten years traveling through South America, Mexico, and the United States, unearthing rare cumbia recordings and live performances to build an extensive sample and beat archive. In 2011 he joined Gotan Project on “Una Música Brutal,” which appeared on their New Cumbia remixes and La Revancha del Tango Remixes collections. Two years later he partnered with the Binary Cumbia Orchestra for “Baika” (credited as the Binary Cumbia Orchestra vs. El Hijo de la Diabla), and in 2014 he contributed to the Zona Norte and Punto Rojo album Conurbano. The following year he issued the club track “Queen of the Ghetto Version Dub” under the Redub moniker. In 2016 he compiled Riddim & Friends, Vol. 1, spotlighting vocalists and emcees from many countries. Two years after that he previewed his second album, Genero Genero, with the single “Che Revolution” (featuring Cuban flutist and dancehall emcee Dame Blanche) and a remix of Äl Jawala’s “Cumbia Corazon.” The full-length received widespread praise and appeared on electronic and dance streaming charts worldwide.
Albums
Singles
