Subterranean Homesick Cumbia

Shot on location on the Amazon and Mississippi Rivers, this work by LOS JAICHACKERS is inspired by the mythical origins of Cumbia music which is the first form of musical hybridity in Latin America. Cumbia is a South American musical style that has been traditionally associated with the lower/working classes, transforming and adapting to various local styles throughout the continent, in order to reflect local issues of race, class, and politics. The legend of its origin begins with a famous German shipwreck that washed upon the Caribbean shores of Colombia. The vessel was hauling a shipment of accordions when it ran aground inspiring the locals to pick up this strange new instrument and modify it to fit their own style of music, giving birth to this new musical form. This project illustrates an alternate map of the Americas that is guided by a floating accordion, which connects the Amazon to the Mississippi, transforming this Old World instrument into a symbol of cultural resilience and resistance in the New World.

Made in collaboration with Julio César Morales

Commissioned for Prospect.3, New Orleans

2 channel HD, stereo audio TRT: 23min 2014

Remixed Single Channel version: https://vimeo.com/227972743