“I have to admit it’s the music of the Pacific coast that most appeals to me. It’s strongly African in character, with vocals underpinned by an interplay of hands and sticks on wood and leather and often a balafon-like marimba in the band.” - Simon Broughton, Songlines Magazine.
CANALÓN DE TIMBIQUÍ are the musical jewel of the colombian pacific coast. The sweetly exuberant chanting of 5 female voices, the marimba, the drums and guasa percussion surrounding Nidia Góngora, Canalón embody the rich musical mix of African and Latin-American traditions unique to Colombia’s Pacific coast.
Their music draws on the ancestral of the Afro-Colombian Pacific Coast which recreates all the power and rhythm of the chonta marimba, with ist guasa and bombo. Their melodies and lyrics talk about the jungle, the river, the miners and all things that happen in the town they come from. Hailing from the town of Timbiquí in Cauca state on the Pacific Coast, the female singers are led by Nidia Góngora and are supported by a band using a range of traditional percussive instruments such as the tambora drum and the xylophone-style marimba.
Their interest in traditional music has lead Nidia Góngora to work with Quantic for the past five years in collaborations and tours across Europe. In 2012, Sofrito Records included in its compilation record LA ZORRA Y EL PEROL, one of Canalón’s classic songs. In the same year, the group made a cover of La Jeanne from renowned and beloved French artist George Brassens.
Their last Album ARRULLANDO is out and it gathers the most traditional ryhthms from the pacific coast.