The Bongo Hop

Picture a crepuscule in the mangrove, for a tropical version of Jarmusch’s Only lovers left alive. Eko Eko from The Bongo Hop’s forthcoming album La Pata coja, is a bit of all that. For those familiar with haitian blues-rock voodoo priestess Moonlight Benjamin, it will be a unique occasion to hear what her deep, raucous voice sounds like, when meeting The Bongo Hop’s savoir faire in sensual rhythms. For those who dig TBH’s joyful grooves, this midnight hour martinican vidé, with its dark baroque carnival atmosphere, opens new musical perspectives !

LA ÑAPA is an introduction to the world of Colombian slang and daily life. La ñapa is the little extra you get from the street vendor when buying juice. It’s also the little extra rice or sugar people get when, short of money, they want the tendero (grocer) to give them a little more than what they can pay for, or a good on credit. It’s a reference to the recent events in Colombian and particularly Cali when the post covid crisis and subsequent uprising had the city plunge into poverty and hustle. Nidia is the narrator who observes how the tendero is going crazy over people asking him for La ñapa, with humor and derision.

The place, dear to The Bongo Hop – a pioneering caleño resident for years, before joining Europe- is magnified by these L.A style hip hop vibes, à la Jurassic 5, Cut Chemist & Nu Mark. The result is a savoury appetizer, introducing the next releases: La ñapa feat. Nidia Gongora in march, and a new 8 track EP in May!

The Bongo Hop is the new afro caribean project presented by french trumpetist Etienne Sevet. On Satingarona pt 1, friends from his Colombian years, like vocalist Nidia Gongora (the voice of Ondatropica and Quantic, whom he’d discovered and filmed in 2003 as she was the unknown singer of folkloric ensemble Socavon), rapper Maikcel (Zalama crew), but also famous producer multinstrumentalist Patchworks (Voilaaa, the Dynamics, Taggy Matcher, Uptown Funk Empire) among others, join in for his first musical travel diary, inspired by 8 years as a Cali resident.