Bomba Estéreo + Boogat + Bunga Bunga @ Le Late Night Little Burgundy

Presented by POP Montreal, Greenland, and Cult MTL 

Latino artists Bomba Estéreo, Boogat, and Bunga Bunga came together for POP Montreal this year at Le Late Night Little Burgundy. The set began with Bunga Bunga, with members Mariano Franco, Fernando Pinzon, and Stéphane Cerny. They had so much stage presence, especially the lead singer who was like an energy ball. Their music had a rock-rave vibe, making it very danceable. After Bunga Bunga performed, the band joined the crowd to watch the next performer. They stood right next to us and were so approachable, and their performance was the the best part of the whole show for me. Boogat hit the stage hard with a quintessentially Reggaeton flavour. It was quite endearing when he spoke French with a heavy Spanish accent. His set wasn't as original as Bunga Bunga, but it was a good segue into Bomba Estéreo. 

Bomba Estéreo from Bogotá, Colombia is an electro tropical music with Liliana Saumet on vocals, Simón Mejía playing synth, Kike Egurrola on drums, and Julián Salazar on the guitar. Bomba Estereo translates to "stereo bomb", and they their music lives up to the name. Liliana's voice was high pitched like a school girl, and I thought she was going to blow the speakers! The sound quality was good, but the volume was just too high. She really boosted the crowd, nonetheless. Although, I must pay owed to Mejia, the master of beats, for which were mucho groovable. They played their top song "Fuego" on their Blow Up Album from 2009. Even though its a couple years old, the crowd was loudest and most involved during that song. I highly recommend listening to their 2014 single "Que Bonito", with a beat that has an African/Reggaeton/Electro feel. Bomba Estéreo is such a versatile group, that it's difficult to pigeonhole them into one genre of music. They transform with the times, and their eclectic music speaks to a wide range of audiences. Many of their lyrics are Spanish, but the beats are so universal that even people that don't speak the language can jam to their music. 

The way they transformed Église Little Burgundy into a venue space kind of reminded me of a high school dance. Like any high school dance I've been to, I outcast myself and sat in the back. That's where I met the love of my life by the name of Fatboy. Sofa pads made of hugs, heavenly pillows to embrace my caboose... the only problem was getting out of them. I'm sure Le Late Night Little Burgundy has had some problems getting people to leave once their bodies we're glued to the Fatboys. I enjoyed sitting on them and watching the light show on stage. The lights were like an evil scientist's laboratory with surges of light growing upwards through poles, dots of sparked energy. It is possible that some body part of Frankenstein is indeed Latino.

Such life was brought to the Le Late Night Little Burgundy. POP Montreal brings artists and audiences together, allowing a certain intimacy in the venue. POP Montreal hosts conscious events in regard to the venues, the artists, and even sustainable living! The reusable plastic cups they had for drinks made me feel like a philanthropist just for having a beer out of one. Accounting for the performances, venue, lights, and reactions from the crowd, the night was overall another successful show put on by the gods POP Montreal.

May music save the earth and our children. Bless thy beats...

--DJ Misschief hosts Greedy Graffiti every Thursday at 2 PM on CJLO