Cumbia Cumbia 1 & 2/ Various - Cumbia Cumbia 1 & 2 (Various Artists)

Cumbia, the music and the dance synonymous with Colombia, has been around almost since the 17th century. Today, it's a badge of identity for Colombians everywhere, but is now also enjoying a global renaissance; filling dance floors and captivating a new generation of music fans. Originally released by World Circuit as two separate albums - Cumbia Cumbia in 1989 and Cumbia Cumbia 2 in 1993 - this collection brings together some of the greatest recordings made by Colombia's legendary record label, Discos Fuentes, between 1954 and 1988. This collection presents thirty of these three-minute-masterpieces, showcasing the gamut of styles that makeup the distinctive and irresistible cumbia sound; a sound typified by a loping 2/4 gait and a pulsing rocksteady bassline, overlaid with heavy rural percussion, brass, accordion, clarinet, electric guitar and vocals. Disc 1 features a broad range of cumbia styles with recordings from 1960 through to 1988, whilst disc 2 digs further into the classics of the past focusing almost exclusively on the 1950s and 1960s.