Palenque! Palenque! is the exciting new compilation from Soundway, which reveals a unique & fascinating story of how Afro Colombian music developed from the ‘70s onwards, shaping the sound of the Colombian champeta.

Co-compiled by Lucas Silva (Bogota resident & owner of Palenque Records) & Soundway Records’ founder Miles Cleret, the album highlights the long relationship that the Caribbean coast of Colombia has with Africa. Specifically, Palenque! Palenque! showcases the rise of the percussion-heavy champeta sound, born out of a wave of popularity for psychedelic Afro, Latin & Caribbean music inspired by the DJs of the time.

The histories of reggae sound systems in Jamaica are similar to the DJ systems on the Colombian coasts! Soundway have unearthed a magical era, exposing a radical movement & finding some of the world’s most eccentric & highly addictive modern dance music.

500yrs ago the first slaves were brought to Cartagena, Colombia, from Africa, who went on to create cumbia music. 100 slaves of Bantu, Yoruba & Mandiga descent found emancipation at the first ‘free town’ (Palenque) where they formed a sort of free society. There are plenty of Palenques thriving in Colombia to this day…