La Chiva Gantiva: cumbia “made in Brussels”

Brussels' inherent multiculturalism makes all kinds of artistic proposals possible. For over 15 years, Brussels-based group La Chiva Gantiva have been thrilling us with their electronic cumbia before it was cool. This week, they launch their new album EGO and will be on stage at Le Botanique on April 26 and 27 for two exceptional dates.

“Mi ego tiene hambre y lo libero”. My ego is hungry and I set it free. The new album from Belgian-Colombian band La Chiva Gantiva opens with this disquieting electronic track. With his deep voice, lead singer Rafael Espinel invites us on an exploratory journey into the depths of our own ego.

The album continues its journey between different styles, with strong electronic and dark accents blending with the band's more traditional Colombian sounds. The wordless track “Somos Indios” is a perfect example of this explosive fusion. Ego features several interesting collaborations, including the new single ‘Bombon’ with Argentine singer Natalia Doco, and “Vibration is life” with Panamanian singer Cienfue. 

La Chiva Gantiva is the fruit of the fertile soil of Brussels, a city at the crossroads of cultures that makes everything possible. Its members hail from the four corners of the globe, and the group performs on stages all over the world. Thanks to the melting pot of Brussels, La Chiva Gantiva can offer authentic, personal and uncompromising music. We can't help thinking of other bands in the same genre, such as Acido Pantera or Bomba Estereo. The cover picture, in which the band members appear masked, is directly reminiscent of the visuals of the Bogotá-based group that exploded electronic cumbia onto the international scene. 

The electronic music thread running through the whole of Ego makes it a record made for the stage. Listening to the record, one can totally imagine festival crowds partying to La Chiva's new musical offering. The band is also known for its polished visual identity (as evidenced by their latest videos for “Tiene hambre” and “Vibration is life”), which it will no doubt transpose to the stage. More than a band, La Chiva Gantiva is an artistic collective that experiments, innovates and brings carefully crafted visual and sonic proposals to the stage.

The band will be at Le Botanique for two exceptional dates. A return to the Brussels stage before embarking on an international tour that will take them back to Colombia. Hogar Brussels is offering you the chance to win two tickets for their concert on April 26, so stay tuned to our social networks!