“During the pandemic, I was hearing drums all the time,” says Carolina Oliveros, who leads the NY-based group Bulla en el Barrio. “Not only bullerengues, but also tamboritos panamanians, solomas – like panamanian styles – also I’ve been listening to salve, which is a rhythm from Dominican Republic. I’ve been studying all that stuff, so that’s why my songs sound kind of different. I don’t sound traditional. I always want to try to create a bullerengue that sounds more traditional but also sounds like me with my own influences ... If you know about drums, you will understand what’s happening in the melodies and rhythms.”

On November 24, 2023, Figure & Ground x Sonorama release Vámonos que nos vamos, Bulla en el Barrio’s debut album comprising eight new original bullerengue songs written by Oliveros and Rodriguez, with spirituals on Side A and traditionals on Side B. Engineered, mixed and produced by Lily Wen, the group recorded the album live to 24-track tape upstairs at Shahzad Ismaily’s studio Figure 8 Recording in Brooklyn. Limited to 500 vinyl copies, the 12-inch LP release features a full-color lyric insert and an opaque white vinyl disc.

Since 2015, Bulla en el Barrio has been envisioned as a collective and a study group of the traditional rueda de bullerengue – dance music originating from the Caribbean coast of Colombia that transmits ancient African rhythms and knowledge. The group’s main focus and mission is to recreate the participative energy and vibes of la rueda, the circle. It’s a concept that allows people with no prior musical experience to clap, sing, dance, socialize, and celebrate life in an open space.

Oliveros and co-founder Camilo Rodriguez – both in NY tropical futurism band Combo Chimbita – first experimented with writing their own bullerengue during their monthly residencies at Barbès in Brooklyn, culminating intwo singles released by Names You Can Trust in 2017. Thanks to these recordings, these two Bulla en el Barrio compositions are now sung in music festivals and ruedas all over Bullerengue territory.

Bulla now presents eight original songs recorded live, preserving and documenting the participative and rough vibes of the ruedas and live performances. “We’ve been playing together since 2015,” describes Rodriguez. “The group is a space to study, connect, to learn, so this record captures a moment where we were – taking a picture of a process. This was just what was happening at that time. It was a way to document what we were doing and our process learning, documenting bullerengue.”

“It was important for me to think about what I feel doing bullerengue here in the city, far from where I’m from,” describes Oliveros, who grew up on the Caribbean coast in Barranquilla. “I’ve been sharing spaces with Cuban musicians, drums from Cuba, and other cities – and my way to compose bullerengue now is different because my mind and vision about drums is different from ten years ago. I feel that we have a connection with those places. We are the same family. In bullerengue, we don’t talk about spirituality or the relationship we have with our ancestors. Not in a specific or direct way – though maybe you can feel that energy. When you hear the drums, you hear a lot of things around you, and that feeling, that energy makes you happy. You can feel so many things when you are in a drum circle. So I’m just starting to compose – I say ‘spiritual songs,’ but in bullerengue.”

Grupo: Carolina Oliveros, Camilo Rodriguez, Andres Fonseca, Christian Rodriguez, Juan Ospina, Julissa Maldonado, Melody Feo, Lua Arroyo,  Rocio Jaimes , Julian Gomez, Sebastian Angel 

All songs written by Carolina Oliveros

*except tracks 6 & 8, written by Camilo Rodriguez

Performed by Bulla en el Barrio

Recorded live to tape on October 18, 2020 upstairs at Figure 8

Engineered, mixed & co-produced by Lily Wen

Mastered by Carl Saff

Cover photo by Dior Rodriguez

Artwork by Richard Marin & Camilo Rodriguez

Thanks Shahzad Ismaily

© Sonorama x Figure & Ground 2023