Sindicato del Ritmo: Mexican songbook gets a Cuban flavor
In 2006, the Berman Brothers surprised everyone with Rythms of the WorldThe album, an album in which hits by stars such as Sting, Artic Monkeys, Coldplay and Maroon 5 were turned into songs with a powerful Cuban flavor. What at first glance would seem crazy became a worldwide sensation. Seventeen years later, the German producers take their formula of blending sounds and cultures one step further with Sindicato del Ritmo, a project in which a group of Cuban musicians, led by legendary arranger and trombonist Demetrio Muñiz, reinvent some of the recent classics of the Mexican songbook, along with the voices of their original performers.
In a press release circulated by Universal Music, Frank Berman pointed out how important it was for them to have the participation of the Mexican artists themselves in the creation process (some of them even re-recorded their voices for these new versions). "Unlike what happened with Rhythms of the World"In this work we were able to do many things that were impossible before, because this album is something unrepeatable to organize and compile. For this occasion we had the opportunity to work directly with the producers, authors and performers, which allowed us to imbue each song with the spirit of Mexico and Cuba".
In charge of the executive and creative production of the project is producer and promoter Fabien Pisani, who said in the press release that this work intends to "pay a clear tribute to the historical relationship between the two countries, as they have a very deep connection. This seems like a sudden invention, but it has a very strong cultural meaning, as it has built much of the imaginary of the popular song in Spanish".
They did not choose an easy path; the bands and soloists they chose included names such as Café Tacvba, Caloncho, Carla Morrison and Zoé. It was up to the arrangements of Demetrio Muñiz, the Cuban instrumentalists, and the mixing of multi-award winning British recording engineer Jerry Boys to achieve a result that didn't sound artificial. In Frank Berman's words, "we managed to make both worlds work perfectly, thus achieving something more than simple reinterpretations (...) we are very proud of the result, as it does not feel like a cliché or a parody, but a true mixture of both countries".
The band put together for this project includes some of the most outstanding and talented performers of traditional Cuban music, who have worked alongside such greats as Pablo Milanés, Ibrahim Ferrer, Omara Portuondo, and Chucho Valdés.
The first sample of what the Sindicato del Ritmo brings can be found at Area lilting version of Café Tacvba's classic, available on music platforms, and which already has a video clip.
