| Champeta | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | Chalusonga (Colombianchalupa combined with Afro-Cuban percussive music) African rhythms (soukous,highlife,mbaqanga,juju) Antilles rhythms (rap-raggareggae,compás haitiano) Afro-Colombian and indigenous influences (bullerengue,mapalé,zambapalo) |
| Cultural origins | Early-1980s,Cartagena,Colombia |
| Typical instruments | Voice, percussion, bass, electric guitar, synthesiser, keyboard |
| Subgenres | |
| Champeta criolla, champeta urbana, champeta africana | |
| Regional scenes | |
| Colombia | |
| Local scenes | |
| Cartagena,Palenque of San Basilio, Barranquilla | |
Champeta, also known asterapia, is a musical genre and dance that originated in the Caribbean coast ofColombia in the early 1980s. It developed from an earlier style termedchalusonga, which originated inPalenque de San Basilio in the mid-1970s.[1] Chalusonga was a combination of Colombian chalupa and Afro-Cuban percussive music popularized by Estrellas del Caribe.[1] When their music reachedCartagena de Indias, it evolved into champeta, which became a movement and identity among Afro-Colombians. It shows influences from African colonial settlements and from contemporary African culture, particularly from theDemocratic Republic of the Congo.[2]
In champeta music, the rhythmic base dominates over the melodic and harmonic lines, producing a music easy to dance to and marked by its strength and plasticity. The instruments used include the voice, percussion, electric guitar, bass, conga drums, and the synthesiser, which contributes rhythmic effects. This musical form is characterised by a division into three sequential parts: the introductory music, the chorus, andel Espeluque, marked by powerful repetitive rhythms and usually accompanied byplacas, interruptions counter to the rhythm. Song lyrics often display the rebellious attitude ofCartagena people of African descent, challenging social and economic exclusion or relating their dreams of change and progress.[citation needed]
The wordchampeta originally denoted a short, curved, monkey-killing knife of the same name used in the region at work, in the kitchen, and as an offensive weapon. The word is first known to have been used as a cultural identifier in the 1920s. Socio-cultural researchers and sociologists have established that at some time before the 1920s the termchampetudo started to be applied to residents of the more outlying districts of Cartagena, who tended to be poorer and of African descent. The term was applied by the economic elite with the intention of disparaging this surviving culture, with associations of vulgarity, poverty and blackness. Thuschampeta refers to a culture whose history is marked by slavery and mistreatment.
At the start of the 1970s, champeta culture became better-known in Colombia due to the development of a set of complex dances set to the rhythms ofsalsa andjíbaro and laterreggae, as well as progressively more foreign or novel dance genres as providers competed forexclusivos, records other groups did not have in their library. This music was played at full volume through big loudspeakers known locally aspicós (from the English wordpick-up) by troupes of the same name. These early dances were called "therapy" for their relaxing nature, a distraction from the economic problems of the country.
Around 1981, "creole therapy" emerged as a musical genre to be performed and sung. Among its sources of inspiration was recorded music brought into the port of Cartagena from Africa and from other African settlements. Its first composers were people of African descent fromCartagena and Palenque de San Basilio, later joined by songwriters and entrepreneurs fromBarranquilla and other parts of Colombia. It consisted in a fusion of African rhythms (soukous,highlife,mbaqanga,juju) with those from theAntilles (ragga,compás haitiano, also influenced by music of Indigenous and Afro-Colombian origins (bullerengue,mapalé,zambapalo and chalupa). This style of music came to be known as "Colombian therapy" and finally took on the name of the champeta culture.[3] During the 1990s champeta underwent further changes in its musical and other content, with the introduction of digital techniques andplacas (interruptions counter to the rhythm). Despite its social origins, champeta came to be as much appreciated as rejected by the social elite.
In 2000 Champeta music had a breakthrough in the Colombian Caribbean region's market with John Sayas "El sayayín" leading the movement.[4]
The standard conception of champeta includes four central aspects: musical expression, the distinctive language, the loudspeakers (picós), and theperreos – celebrations. Some give equal importance to other aspects such as dance, political activism, costume, or videos. More recently this cultural phenomenon has spread to other art forms such as cinema, literature and the plastic arts.[2]
In Colombia there are many nightclubs where people can go dancing to the sound of champeta music.
Abril and Soto (2004) identify as "champeta stars" those artists who have transcended their local background and signed contracts with big national and international music companies. These include "El Sayayín" (Jhon Jairo Sayas), "El Yinker" (Jordan García), "Mr. Black El Presidente Del Genero" (Edwin Antequera), "El Afinaito" (Sergio Liñan), "Álvaro El Bárbaro" (Álvaro Zapata), "Elio Boom" (Francisco Corrales), "El Intelectual"Kevin Florez,Twister El Rey, "Yao & Zaa"Viviano Torres,Eddy Jey, among others. Torres joined the first singers of the genre to form the groupAnne Swing, which achieved international fame at the end of the 1980s, appearing in the United StatesTop 40.More recent performers include "El Jhonky el profeta" (Jhon Einster Gutíerrez Cassianis), who died in 2005; "El Michel", who created an anthem-like song about the champeta way of life;Leo Fenix,Karly Way andEl Oveja.
Champeta has also permeated the pop and salsa music scene in Colombia. For example, singerCarlos Vives adopted the genre in the song "Pa' Maite" and shows some of this influence elsewhere.[7] Similarly,salsa singerJoe Arroyo, aiming to highlight what is of African or indigenous origin in the Caribbean andCartagena, combines various African musical influences such as champeta, and is described on many of his discs aschampetuo, for exampleLa rebelión.