The hour of the wolf, the vampire, the witches and the dead to walk the Earth draws near! I know it’s more of an American holiday and it’s weird but honestly it’s one of the few holidays I actually understand, or rather the only one that makes sense to me. Also as I get older I see it more as a time for entertaining the kids by getting them excited by fantastical stories and motivating them to explore their own imaginations. A kid’s holiday is pretty much how I see it these days because there’s just nothing special about watching a bunch of adults act like immature idiots, I see that all year long.
Though I must admit my Halloween celebration wasn’t all that common. While everyone was going out to parties I was resting trying to get over the flu because Halloween weekend for me involved a friend’s wedding. My Halloween costume was a two hundred dollar tuxedo rental, my Friday night was about resting and trying to get my voice back for the early Saturday morning wedding rehearsal, my Saturday night (when everyone else went out to parties) I was nervously resting for the next day, which started again early in the morning and would run all day, also I was finishing up my speech I had all year to write for my toast. And then there was Sunday, which according to my expectations was entirely consumed by the wedding and the nagging fear my speech wouldn’t go over that well. In the end I nailed the wedding toast and enjoyed myself as well as celebrated the fact that it was the first day after a week of incredible flu induced pain that I felt alive again.
So needless to say I have been behind with work and that also means delaying this Halloween post. I am happy to admit that the last person to finish their song was in fact me. Everyone else who appears here today is more responsible than I am because they all turned in their music on time for a special post I decided to put together. In my defense I was sick, busy and really wanted to compose something good for you, because I care, I really do.
I hope your Halloween is more Halloween-like for you than it has been for me. I’ve mentioned before that this is my favorite holiday because it is the only one that really makes sense to me and is closest to my personality. I hope this first ever Halloween post by The Global Bass Experience (it’s not all Cumbia, that’s also why I decided not to do an only Cumbia Halloween FFC edition) is enjoyable for you and provides some good tracks for you to download to celebrate this awesome time of year.
We begin the festivities with Cybernetiko’s contribution. It is an excellent way to start, he even put together a music video. Cybernetiko chose the theme of alien abduction for his song, which is quite fitting to his style.
The legendary Mexican hero of Sci Fi/Horror serials, Santo, makes an appropriate appearance here on the Halloween edition. It wouldn’t be right to have a mostly Tropical Bass blog with a Halloween post without Santo. Arturo Herrera brings it with Santo and Blue Demon versus The Martians!
I’m very pleased to have DJ Pase contribute because he has become well known for his eery Cumbia Dubs and this style is very fitting for a Halloween themed Cumbia capturing the soul of Halloween.
I did some searching for 3Ball Halloween tracks. My effort was not wasted because I found a couple tracks by producers I have yet to meet and therefore haven’t shared any of their music in the past.
First we have one by Deejay LazeR with a Satan fueled Tribal.
This next one comes from Andres NC with an instrumental Tribal. This track is sick and is perfect for mixing live so you’d better download it while you can. It can even be used year round for your sets.
Siete Catorce is always taking us to dark places sonically. It is a real honor and pleasure to have him contribute music this Halloween. This piece is very dark and spooky. The beats as usual are interesting and intricate. The whole vibe is uncomfortable. You’ll never know where the song will go but it always goes to a place that feels right.
Oye!Simpson is here too! We will be releasing some exclusive material from him very soon but for now you get a great taste of his brilliance with this very dark Cumbia Dub.
It just wouldn’t be complete this year without an appearance by Don Juan Pachanga. He and I have been working on a track for well over a year now (I really need to get on that). It’s going to be something very special for the Cumbia world. Tonight however he takes on one of my favorite bands in recent years, I’ve seen them live five times when they toured for their last five albums. The Mars Volta always spoke to me because Omar Rodriguez Lopez captured the sound of the Mexican/U.S. border, a place I have spent about 97% of my life. Also the music was free and a fusion of many different styles and approaches to playing music. “Asilos Magdelena” is one of their slower ballads. I used it as a soundtrack for one of my old art videos years ago. Don Juan Pachanga redrums it and throws in some minor but effective effects making an already dark eery song more dark and eery.
This next one isn’t meant for Halloween but I think Pink Floyd fits Halloween quite well. “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” has always been one of my favorite tracks off of the minimal album “Wish You Were Here.” The song was written about Pink Floyd’s creator and original main song writer, Syd Barrett, after he left the band and lost his mind. He was actually in the studio and unrecognizable the day they were mixing the track because he had gained weight and shaved his head. It was long after the fact when the rest of the guys in the band realized it was him.
I had to share a little rock history just now because I rarely get to here and to write anything about Pink Floyd here seems unlikely. But thanks to The Peronists, I am able to. He took on the song and chopped it up and made it into a very bizarre Reggaeton he calls “British Reggaeton.”
Sonidos Profundos livens things up a bit with his Dumbia take on a Salsa for the memory of the dead. This is more of a celebratory song vibe-wise but the message itself serves the spirit of Halloween.
Keeping things a bit upbeat 4:20 Music Flavor brings us a fun little Rockabilly Cumbia edit “El Rock del Esqueleto!”
R.C.A. (Real Cumbia Activa) spends its first Halloween together here on The Global Bass Experience. This collaboration has been making moves this past year. It’s a pleasure to have them join us.
Last week I shared something that brought me and continues to bring me tremendous pleasure, Calavera Calavera’s new album “Aleister Crowley.” Cumbia isn’t present on this remarkably dark album but the spirit of Halloween and fantasy is well represented. I can’t get enough of these guys. They’re always bringing us some brilliant productions with powerful melodies and beats respectively.
Now for the one contributor that has been holding this post up, El Guero Unico, me. I decided upon the realization that most of my music I compose throughout the year is cinematic in feeling and of a more melancholic nature, which fits well with Halloween. For me the whole year is a time to celebrate the darker things, because that’s where true beauty lies, at least from my perspective. My song is a soundtrack to loneliness and being alone in the dark.
Just in time for the night we have been waiting for. Spooky Reggae-Cumbia-Dub from the master of production Piper Street Sound.
I am very pleased this year. This is the year I left my place with Generation Bass to pursue blogging Global Bass the way I saw best to do so. That was a risk. And it is a great sign for the future of TGBE, that this Halloween edition is the best I’ve put together yet.
This means next year we will see much growth and perhaps a Halloween edition that surpasses this year at least with the number of great contributions.
Thank you to everyone who participated this year! Happy Halloween!