Due to the popularity of Latin genres like salsa, son or merengue and despite its huge popularity in Latin America, Colombian cumbia hasn't gained the international attention it deserves. The French ensemble Cumbia Ya! would like to change this and on their debut album, 'No Me Busques', in addition to their own compositions, they deliver their version of classics by well-known cumbia composer Lucho Bermudez (one of the first to write cumbia-arrangements for a full orchestra). Expect rigorously traditional orchestral Cumbia, with a leading role for the clarinet. Yours truly was especially fond of the tracks in which clarinet player Soledad Romero takes care of the vocals; the songs featuring Abo Augustus on vocals lean a bit too much towards cabaret (a style reminiscent of the circus antics of La Caravane Passe).
For those not yet familiar with the genre, the Crammed label released the compilation 'Arriba La Cumbia!'. London based DJ Russ Jones seamlessly mixed 14 tracks, ranging from old classics (Alberto Pacheco, Lito Barrientos Y Su Orquesta) to modern hip-hop and dance remixes by, among others, Tego Calderon and Basement Jaxx.