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>>Colombian duo Monareta on BMXing
in Bogotá and plugged-in porros

FIRE AND ICE: Monareta

By RUPERT BOTTENBERG

It’s a splendid coincidence that Colombian-bred, Brooklyn-based duo Monareta are rolling into town the week the Mirror inaugurates its Biking supplement. In addition to banging out superior-grade party tunes together, Monareta’s Andres Martinez and Camilo Sanabria have a long history astride BMX bicycles, freestyling and even competing professionally.

“Sounds crazy,” says Martinez, “but the scene in Colombia was as important as for youths in other countries. During the ’80s, we received breakdance music and electric boogaloo, and bike freestylers in Bogotá were really inspired by this. I was part of these street bike improvisers when I was 11 years old. We heard Beastie Boys, Public Enemy and so on, but the brands of our bikes were not Mongoose or GT. We had Monaretas. That’s how we got to name this project—a homage to the ’80s breakdance, hip hop, BMX and fashion scene sounds that came from abroad to influence us in South America.”

That’s not all that can be found in the playful jumble of Monareta’s memorable music, captured on the highly varied but steadfastly humorous albums Electronoche and La Bonanza. “We’ve been developing a kind of medley or clash,” explains Sanabria, “between breakbeats, dub and Colombian porros, or Caribbean brass cumbia. We like to treat that with filters, glitches and upbeats. The approach is to have fun and dance. Sometime we call the genre ‘mercundub’—merengue, cumbia and dub—or just electrocumbia.”

The two are fast friends since childhood, and their fire-and-ice personalities complement each other. Martinez admires Sanabria’s musical talent (he has classical training and a way with techy stuff) and patient manner—“He’s very disciplined and diligent. He likes to make decisions calmly.” Sanabria gets a kick out of Matinez’s spark—“Andres is a little crazy sometimes and likes to go fast. He crafts music forms very fast as well.”

Monareta began in 2000 in Colombia’s capital, playing at art exhibitions and eventually clubs, raves and festivals, but it couldn’t contain them long. “We’ve been playing mainly in New York because of its eclectic scene and cools clubs,” says Martinez. “With our next album, Picotero, to be released this summer by California’s Nacional Records, we’re planning to find venues in England, France and Germany.”

Before that, though, Monareta will be a highlight at the first edition of Cucurama!, Montreal’s new nuevo-Latino jam. Dance club crowds won’t be the only ones soaking in the Monareta sound. With help from their label, the two are taking cracks at soundtrack work. “We just worked with a New York friend of ours,” says Sanabria, “a filmmaker from Alaska named Andrew MacLean. He just won the Jury award for best short film at 2008’s Sundance, for his film Sikumi. We used music a little different than what we do with Monareta, still experimental, but it was a great experience and it’s a great step for our music career. With Monareta, we’ve worked out cues for La Mujer de mi Hermano, and for the upcoming film Pride and Glory, starring Edward Norton and Colin Farrell.”

With Psychotropical Orchestra,
Sonido Nordico and DJ El Nosotros at
Club Lambi on Friday, April 25, 9 p.m., $15