DJ Topo Chica Spinning for FED from the Borderlands
Lluvia Silva-Dunn ushers in summer for us by wrapping FED's inaugural season with cumbia de las chidas
In an industry that’s más macho qué macho, Lluvia Silva-Dunn takes over the decks as DJ Topo Chica and brings us cumbia de las chidas. Boys, you’re most welcome to come along, but it’s gotta be “girls to the font” for a nice change.
This special mix for FED features cumbia on vinyl and comes to you straight from the borderlands, where a trio of cities—Las Cruces, El Paso, and Juarez—and a confluence of nations and histories has been made possible by the mighty waters of the Rio Grande.
I love this music and regularly played it on my show for WERU in Maine back in the day, but in case you’re unfamiliar… cumbia originated in the early 19th century in Colombia, blending African, Amerindian, and European influences, instruments, and styles. From these roots, cumbia has traversed Latin America as both a traditional and contemporary musical art form. From las salas de los abuelos to rural dance halls and qinceañeras to global club scenes, cumbia invites us to move.
So, Beautiful, as we wrap this inaugural season, let’s push our chairs back from the table—full and well nourished from our FED spring feast—and dance in summer. ¡Muévete!
Big love, Ashley
DJ Topo Chica’s FED Mix to Welcome Summer
It’s the Mexican rite of passage, to fall asleep at the party with two folding chairs for a make-shift bed and your tio’s jacket for a blanket, cumbia, norteñas, blasting at 11. People drinking and dancing, blue and purple dance floor lights going at an ungodly speed. This is a unified memory for so many lives growing up Mexican. We learn to dance before we can even walk, we hear the music at the tianguis, we hear the accordions, guitars on the streets, we celebrate with mariachi. Music in Mexico is everywhere!
Now living in the United States, I long and live for these memories and cherish them so deeply, I want the music to resonate the emotions I felt during those times. Only they bring me back to a place I can whole-heartedly call home. It’s so important to me that Mexico is represented as I know it, and to be able to share it and honor it on any platform is such a beautiful experience. Cumbia is the songs of many birthdays, the soundtrack to bomb-ass tacos, and the best times of my life, I hope it takes you to a place of happiness, and thanks for tuning in! —Luvia Silva-Dunn
Tracks
Asi Se Baila la Cumbia - Policarpo Calle
Cumbia de los Estados- Super Sonido Colombia
Soy la Cumbia- Aurita Castillo
Cumbia Del Monte- La Trope Colombiana
La Cholita de la Cumbia- Los Yes Yes
San Lazaro- Celina y Reutillo
Santa Lucia- Andres Landero
La Danza de los Mirlos
La Cumbia de los Monjes- Los Acaboy’s
Por Las Buenas- Billo’s Caracas Boys
Remolino de Oro- Abel Antonio Villa y Su Conjunto
Rosita Bonita- Los Diablos Rojos
Elsa- Los Destellos
Cumbia Sabrosa- Climaco Sarmiento
Todo Lo Tengo De Ti Menos Tu Amor- Grupo Celeste
Baila Rosita- Los Guacharacos
Maria del Carmen- Andres Landero y Su Conjunto
Ana Caona- Cheo Feliciano
Pideme La Luna- Los Mirlos
Dig in for more goodness…
To learn more about Lluvia and FED’s entire Spring 2024 all-star line-up of musicians, artists, writers, growers, gleaners, cooks, and craftspeople, check out Special Guests. And, be sure to check back later this week for Lluvia’s Grandma’s Buñuelos—the recipe drops Thursday, June 6.
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