Compro Oro; a psychedelic underground road trip to Africa, the Middle East and the Americas via Belgium.
On the band’s new album ‘Suburban Exotica’, released 18th October via Sdban Ultra, the spirit of Cal Tjader, Mulatu Astatke or Marc Ribot is never far away. One of the leading bands in the ever-expanding new wave of Belgian jazz, Compro Oro's wayward and psychedelic approach to a broad range of sounds has gained them a devoted fan base since the band’s formation in 2014.
Produced by Gent-based multi-instrumentalist Dijf Sanders, ‘Suburban Exotica’ digs deep into several ethnic music traditions, leaving the listener enthralled in dark grooves and rabid psychedelica.
From the danceable beats and colourful sounds of ‘Miami New Wave’, the exotic rhythms and textures of ‘10 Dollar Jeans Jacket’, and the curious vibraphone infusions and wild guitar riffs of ‘Rastapopoulos’, to the heady, bass-laden mover and shaker ‘Lalibela’ and traditional latin and cuban rhythms of ‘Dark Crystal’, Compro Oro offer wild, profound and uncanny flavours that explore the best of afro-cuban music and jazz tinged psychedelia.
‘Suburban Exotica’ features drummer, keyboardist and percussionist Joachim Cooder, son of guitar legend Ry Cooder who played on both the landmark Buena Vista Social Club albums and the Manuel Galban spin-off, Mambo Sinuendo. He adds percussion and his effects-laden electric mbira to three tracks on the album; ‘Miami New Wave’, ‘Rastapopoulos’ and ‘Dark Crystal’. “I had a great time playing on this record. Compro Oro blends together so many interesting rhythms and styles that I never knew what was coming next. I like to work that way.”
On ‘Suburban Exotica’, Compro Oro’s Wim Segers adds, “Thanks to Bart (Vervaeck) and saxophonist Nathan Daems (Black Flower), I’ve discovered Arab and Turkish music. I’ve learned to embrace my own neighbourhood. When you live in this part of Ghent, Eastern rhythms are the beat of the street.” Vervaeck chips in, “We aren’t Cuban; we aren’t Morocccan – we know that. We just sail from one coast to another. Finding our own place.”
