Combo Chimbita

This quartet of first-gen New Yorkers with Colombian roots grew up loving heavy metal, psychedelic funk, and soul. Described by NPR’s Alt.Latino as an "otherworldly presence,” they use cumbia as a portal to downright freaky sounds with an inventive combination of rhythms from Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America. It’s a music they call "tropical futurism" that evolved during nightly jams at Barbès (the corner bar in Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood we named our Barbes in The Woods Festival after). The band focuses on themes of spirituality, catharsis, and political upheaval with all songs sung completely in Spanish by Carolina Oliveros, a dynamic stage presence whose intensity lends their performances an almost religious fervor.