Song Premiere: Novalima – “Santero”

One of the things we take great pride here in the KCRW Music Department is having introduced a lot of our listenership to captivating music from around the globe.

From Tom Schnabel’s role as one of the definers of the World Beat genre, to Raul Campos’ frequent hosting of the Latin Alternative Music Conference(LAMC), to various other of our DJs remixing tracks from artists based around the globe, KCRW’s staff has taken a particular fancy to sounds that come from well beyond just our own backyard, rich as it is.

And one of our favorite finds over the past decade is the Afro-Peruvian electronic-tinged project, Novalima, who return this summer with their fifth original album, appropriately named “Planetario“.

The latest teaser track from the album, “Santero“, is a perfect sample of what they do so well: combine classic tradition sounds from around the world (in this case armed with a particular Colombian vibe) with the production tricks of the modern DJ culture.

Enjoy a premiere stream of the track!

But it is only a taste of things to come, with the full album out next month and a North American tour flinging them about all summer long.

We are happy to salute one of our long-standing favorites with their winning international flair!

ERIC J. LAWRENCE