“Exultant rap, anthemic chants and languorous Hispanic melodies sidle around each other over joyously simple programmed rhythms, creating a sound that feels at once timeless and euphorically current’’
THE TELEGRAPH

‘Absurdly catchy songs…one of the most immediately appealing chunks of crossover hip-hop since The Score: Refugee Camp by the Fugees.”
THE INDEPENDENT

‘Somos Pacifico, estamos unidos, nos une la región, la pinta, la raza y el don del sabor.’ The translation of Choc Quib Town’s Somos Pacifico means something like: ‘We are the Pacific Coast, we are one, united by the region, its looks, ethnicity and tastes.’ The song has since attained the status of a kind of national anthem for an entire generation of Afro-Colombians and resulted most recently in a Latin Grammy Award (Oct 2010) and nomination in the forthcoming Grammys.

Rap formation Choc Quib Town – the core of which comprises MCs Goyo, Tostao and Slow – was founded in 2000 in Chocó, a province in northwestern Colombia, on the Pacific coast next to Panama. They all lived in the capital Quibdó at the time. ‘That’s where the name of the band comes from,’ says front woman Goyo. ‘We wanted to honour our region and use both the English and Spanish languages.’
In the sweltering rain-forested region, more than 80% of the population is African by origin. Moreover, the region’s relative isolation means that their African music has been well preserved. It is these Afro-Colombian rhythms that Choc Quib Town mixes organically with hip-hop, funk, dance hall, electronics and Caribbean flavours to create their own unique urban style.

Their hit and first single of the European album ‘El Bombo’, with its infectious refrain, combines currulao, chirimía and ragga. Spreading those ‘black’ rhythms beyond the borders of their region is an important mission for the band. Goyo: ‘Many people didn’t know the music of the Pacific coast. There is such a wealth of rhythms and they blend perfectly with other styles.’ Tostao adds: ‘Even outside Colombia, the music is often lost among the things people tend to associate our country: cocaine, coffee, salsa, cumbia. People don’t know much about this “Africa within Columbia”. We rap about a Columbia that you don’t see on TV.’

In their own country, these local heroes of Choc Quib Town – who have since relocated to Bogotá – have a huge following. They have collaborated with groups such as Aterciopelados, Sidestepper, Banda La Republica, salsaband La 33 and French hip-hop maestro Oxmo Puccino. They also shared the stage with Orishas, Segent Garcia, en Sean Paul. In 2008, the group was nominated for a number of Premios Shock – Columbia’s national music awards – and in 2009 the group years later they were nominated as the best newcomers at the Latin Grammies. In 2010 thet are again nominated with “De Donde Vengo Yo”’ as best Alternative Song.

Choc Quib Town toured in 2010 from May to August covering over 40 festivals dates and club shows, including festivals such as: Roskilde, Gurten Festival, Fusion Festival, Afro Pfingsten, Couleur Café, Love Box in London, The Blaze at the Barbican, Amsterdam Roots, Festival Mundial amongst many others and participated in Damon Albarn’s ‘Africa Express’ project. They will release a new album and return in 2011 with a new club & festival tour.