Experience Live Music Like Never Before

At Cumbia Cachaca, we celebrate the vibrant rhythms of traditional colombian  music from the colombian caribbean. Our mission is to unite people through unforgettable performances and an energetic atmosphere that embraces the richness of cultural diversity.

CumbiaCachaca is a musical project formed by Johan Galindo and Pamela Mesa that pays tribute to the oral tradition music of the Colombian Caribbean. As a duo, they explore a process of hybridation between the traditional music of gaitas and drums and the creative possibilities of contemporary music production and editing, incorporating electronic textures and urban sounds.

The story of CumbiaCachaca began as an idea during a backpacking journey through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Brazil in 2015. Throughout the trip, Johan and Pamela performed for tips in streets, public squares, and any space that welcomed them. During that journey, the idea emerged to create an artistic project that could bring together the traditional music of the Colombian Caribbean and contemporary musical experiences.

The project began to take shape in 2018, during Johan Galindo’s studies in the Master’s Program in Colombian Music at Universidad El Bosque. Through an immersive internship program, he had the opportunity to work directly with the gaitas and drums of the Colombian Caribbean and learn from respected masters of oral tradition, including Emilsen Pacheco Blanco, Sixto Silgado “Paíto,” and Fredys Arrieta. These experiences complemented his previous training with Alex Martínez at the Bogotá Percussion School, as well as his undergraduate studies in Music at the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional.

As part of his master’s thesis, Johan developed a research and fieldwork process that involved visiting the territories and homes of these masters, while also working with Justo Valdés and Martina Camargo. The process included workshops, interviews, and personalized lessons. These experiences became a fundamental source for the artistic, musical, and conceptual development of what would eventually become CumbiaCachaca.

Since then, CumbiaCachaca has developed concerts and projects that pay tribute to these masters and the knowledge they represent, working closely with some of them and contributing, through its own artistic approach, to the preservation, visibility, and circulation of the oral tradition music of the Colombian Caribbean.

Through a live performance that combines traditional instruments, live interpretation, and contemporary music production tools, CumbiaCachaca creates a bridge between memory, tradition, and new ways of listening to and experiencing these musical expressions.

The project has performed at different events and venues in Colombia, France, Germany, and the United States, presenting an artistic proposal that celebrates the richness of Colombian Caribbean music while exploring new possibilities for its circulation and dialogue with contemporary audiences.