Forget about the siesta and get down to the fiesta!

Celebrate a decade of Cumbia style party in Melbourne. Melbourne’s longest standing Cumbia roots band, La Descarga, is throwing a bone-shaking matinée fiesta at Northcote Social Club on Sunday 23 May from 1:30-4:30pm, celebrating ten+ years of deep-rooted tropical Colombian music.

This family friendly explosive afternoon will take you into a tropical land of traditional music, dance and performance from the Caribbean and the Pacific coasts of Colombia, in the drumming and jamming hands of La Descarga with special guests and supported by The Electropical Orchestra and Sabrosa Sound System DJs (Brisbane).

Cumbia music, inspired by the heartbeat, mixes the colour and spirit of Latin America, with the soul and feeling of Africa, and the passion and lyricism of Spain. It was born in Colombia, and continues to spread around the world, being recognised by many, as having the most infectious rhythm. Since 2010, La Descarga has been the forerunner and preserver of the cultural heritage and folk of Cumbia in Australia. La Descarga has played in many of Australia’s most recognised festivals including MOOMBA, Port Fairy Folk Festival, Darwin Festival, Brunswick Music Festival, Australian Multicultural Festival, White Night Melbourne, Reservoir Stomp and Darebin Music Feast.

"La Descarga celebrates the universal history of travelling cultures, fusions and Melbourne's own mix of converging sounds and traditions." Jess Fairfax, Easey

La Descarga is led by interdisciplinary artist Jorge Leiva and features award-winner producer Oscar Vargas, Melbourne’s leading gaita players Felipe Paz and Andres Carreño and recognised dancer and choreographer Kathleen Gonzalez, with Maria Paula Espinoza and Camila Gonzalez. The Electropical Orchestra, the extended family of La Descarga including Dandelion Jackson (Mr. Manifold and the Resolution, The Pirateska Rebellion), Lauren Mullarvey (The Cactus Channel) and Stefano Ioele (The Pirateska Rebellion) will also join the party bringing psychedelia, electronica and dub to the Caribbean and Afro-Colombian grooves.

The party will feature guest artists who have been part of La Descarga history, including Bonnie Smith (Reflejos), Oscar Jimenez and Katherine Gailer (Amaru Tribe), Javier Rodriguez (Dela Caye), Mauro Gomez (Madre Monte), Jay Scarlett (The Seven Ups), Coya Lee (The New Monos), Claudia Escobar-Vega (Miss Colombia), Luis Escudero and Claudia Vidal. Sabrosa Sound System DJ’s will be spinning dusty afro tropical & Colombian roots sounds! Cumbia, Guaguanco, Palenque, Puya, Porro, and more. Recently appearing for El Gran Mono picoteiro sound system, they’ll be warming things up for us throughout the show!

Expect a one-of-a-kind performance in Melbourne, with everlasting drumming, coastal visual projections, and first-hand experience with ancestral rhythms and sounds.

And remember, forget about the siesta and get down to the fiesta!

PARTY DETAILS: DATE: Sunday 23 May TIME: 1:30-4:30pm VENUE: Northcote Social Club, 301 High St, Northcote TICKETS: $25