‘Good Times, Fun Vibes, And Everything In Between’ – The Tropical Explosion Of La Descarga

If you’re someone with your finger on the musical pulse, then whether you’re in Naarm/Melbourne or not, the chances are good that you might have come across La Descarga.

Described as a “fearless outburst of tropicality that tickles your brain on the dance spot,” the band were first formed in 2010 by Jorge Leiva, a Colombian-born percussionist who has supported names such as Ground Components, Abbie Cardwell, and more. 

While Leiva has also performed as part of acts such as Madre Monte and Miss Colombia, it didn't take long before La Descarga took hold as one of the most prominent purveyors of Colombian tropical roots music in Australia.

“I was born in Colombia and I played music with bands there for a while,” Leiva remembers. “My background is in arts and music, so I used to play a fair bit back in Colombia, and then when I moved to Australia around 2007 to do a Masters in music, I was starting to play with a lot of different musicians from different backgrounds and discovered that there was a bit of a gap in the Latin community and in the Latin music representation here in Melbourne and in Australia general. 

“There were not a lot of Latin bands and specifically Colombian, traditional music styles. So with some friends we decided to start interpreting covers and playing some traditional tropical Colombian music.”

Working with a number of musicians from different backgrounds – including an Argentinian drummer, a Somalian singer, an Australian guitarist, and of course, a couple more Colombians – the group began to perform around Melbourne, while still playing in other bands around Australia.

Soon, La Descarga's name was being found on the lineup for numerous festivals in and around Melbourne, including multicultural events, Moomba, and others. Likewise, so too did collaborations with artists from other cultures follow, including musicians from the Pacific Islands, Africa, Japan and more.

All the while, more and more musicians from Colombia began to arrive in Australia, bringing with them other traditional instruments.

“There’s the gaita flute, which is a traditional indigenous instrument from the Caribbean coast of Colombia, and also the marimba which is a very popular instrument in the Pacific coast of Colombia,” Leiva notes. “We started to incorporate that with all the other sounds that we have been working on with our other collaborations with musicians from the African and Australian communities.

“We started to add more electric sounds like with the electric guitar and effects, so we started to get influences of funk, reggae, rock and dub, but always with the constant of the Afro-Colombian diaspora base in the music.”

In terms of the response to the music, Melbourne is arguably a stellar location for a band such as La Descarga to have emerged from. With such a vast amount of venues and locations for the band to perform, along with a number of festivals and events, it didn’t take long for their music and influence to be felt.

However, despite their sound – which Leiva notes was relatively unique within Melbourne at the time – their audiences weren’t solely Latin Americans looking for familiar vibes, or Australians seeking new sounds. Rather, it was a healthy mix.

“The Latin American crew came down a lot to our gigs, but there was also an influx of people from different cultures, including Australians also, because the sounds were new,” Leiva notes. “In most of the cases there was nobody, to be honest, doing this style of music. It was very innovative for the environment and for the musical landscape in Melbourne. 

“So we got the opportunity to share it with a lot of Australian audiences too, and because it’s so colourful – not only the music, but we also have  colourful outfits and we do a lot of interactive stuff in our performances –it's quite attractive for the different audiences. 

“It was really nice to see the mixed audience with a lot of people from different places, and also the reception of the Australian audiences towards this new sound that was growing in Melbourne back then,” he adds. “We had a really good reception from the Australian audience and that also helped us continue, because the Latin American community is a minority, and it’s hard to survive as a band if you don't get support from other audiences.

As Leiva notes, one of the contributing factors to La Descarga’s success also revolves around the entirely immersive nature in which they operate. With many members of the band being teachers or educators, the result is a band which frequently works with children and is eager to also spread the word of Colombian music with the wider community.

In fact, La Descarga are one of the few bands out there in Australia who are also providing workshops to their fans. 

While La Descarga is devoted to education and team building initiatives, they too are interested in the promotion and teaching of Cumbia and tropical Colombian music and dance. “Being able to educate people about diversity, in a pluricultural society such as Victoria, while sharing aspects of Colombian culture, is one of the main aims of the band,” their website notes.

This is where the likes of their Cumbia Boom workshops come into play, inviting audiences to be introduced to the culture of Cumbia while being immersed in a dynamic interactive environment where sound, movement, colour and expression blend into a unique and exciting learning experience.

“I've been an educator for many years and one of my jobs here in Australia that I basically gave to myself is that I like to share what I know and also share a bit of our culture,” Leiva explains. “I try to mix it with other cultures and create new sounds, but it's also important to teach people about the differences and how it all works, including how it all sounds, where it comes from, and how it's also a hybrid of sounds and hybrid of cultures.

“Like most of the cultures that live in this community, it’s a mixture, so as an educator, I was inclined to not only come and play music, but also share a little bit about the history and a little bit about where it comes from and get people to learn how to perform it, how to play it, and how to dance it.”

These workshops see the teaching of the Cumbia rhythm, instructions on how to dance it all, and how to have fun. Along the way, it’s fun, colourful, and often these workshops are accompanied by live shows – especially at festivals.

“We try to not only go out, entertain people, but also teach a little bit about our culture and how it's not only Colombian music, but it's also a fusion of sounds that we have gathered by living in, and now being Australians,” he adds.

Last year also saw La Descarga release their debut album, with Fiesta de Corazón seeing the group share a batch of original work after years spent delivering their unique blend of covers. Immensely authentic to their musical and performance style, it’s an entirely collaborative record, featuring contributions from more than 30 artists, including musicians from Colombia, Australia, Europe and Africa, with Leiva describing it as a fusion of artists from four continents working together.

“The title means the party from the heart, and it is quite connected to the journey of the music and how we are celebrating in this new place, which is still a relatively new place for us, but also celebrating where when we come from,” he explains. “But here we are celebrating also with people that are originally from here, and we also celebrate where we come from and how these two locations on earth are connected through sound and through celebrations, through music.

“It's about the connection between the different parts of the world that converge here in Melbourne and Australia and created these sounds, which has a very long tradition. It's a bit of a mix of joy and nostalgia, as well.

“The connection between the past and the present, one side of the world with the other side of the world, two different styles of cultures and the different styles of music and also the global connection with the rest of the world.”

The album was also supported by a grant from Regional Arts Victoria, while the band’s current tour is also made possible by a grant from Creative Australia’s Contemporary Music Touring Program. The result of these grants has led not only to validation that La Descarga are doing something right to receive financial support to continue their passion, but their album was also supported by a crowdfunding campaign and 200 eager fans.

“We are so proud to be able to not only represent Colombian and Latin American music here, but also represent Australian music as well,” he adds. “Because this music has been created here and has been made thanks to these connections that we've made here. So it's something very beautiful and bright that has happened.”

The current tour, however, has kept the band busy for almost the entirety of the year so far. Launching with dates in Tasmania in January, they've performed throughout Victoria, South Australia, and the ACT across the previous months, with further dates scheduled for regional Victoria, New South Wales, and Western Australia in the coming weeks. 

As is typical for La Descarga, more dates will be announced soon, meaning that there's no excuse not to be swept up in the Colombian rhythms when they come your way.

But for those still unaware of what to expect when La Descarga take to the stage, or start sharing their musical gifts with the world, how can their kaleidoscopic mix of culture, music, rhythm, dance, and fun be described to the average audience member?

“We always describe it as a tropical explosion that tickles your brain on the dance spot,” Leiva explains. “It is a fusion, a mix of tropical sounds with contemporary music, with horns, percussion, lots of colour, dance movement, and interactivity.

“But more importantly, it’s about good times, fun vibes, and everything in between.”

Tickets to La Descarga’s upcoming tour dates are on sale now.

La Descarga – Current Tour Dates

Saturday, April 12 – Converge on the Goulburn, Shepparton, VIC

Friday, May 2 – Lazybones, Sydney, NSW

Saturday, May 3 – The Servo, Port Kembla, NSW

Sunday, May 11 – Healesville Fest, Healesville, VIC

Friday, May 16 – World Music Café, Wanneroo, WA

Saturday, May 17 – Mojo’s, Fremantle, WA

Saturday, May 31 – Brunswick Ballroom, Melbourne, VIC

Saturday, July 5 – Newport Folk Festival, Newport, VIC

With more to be announced…