Afrosideral

Afrosideral is Cuban producer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Kumar Sublevao-Beat, who boasts a career of over 20 years. The project is the result of what he calls the Afrocuban Electronic Ensemble, which blends afrocuban sounds and rhythms with melodies inspired by the Yoruban people, all woven together with electronic threads and dub sensibilities.

El Olimpo De Los Orishas, his first major release with the project, is a chant to the universe from the ancestor's voice. The rhythms of the drum, trance & meditation converge into a record that samples & modulates the musical DNA of Kumar's heritage.

Kumar, MC and musical producer, began his career in the hip hop movement in Havana, Cuba, at the end of the 90s and rose to popularity after being a part of the group featured in the classic film Habana Blues. Now based in Europe, he’s since been involved in a number of projects that have taken him to stages across the globe including Berlin’s Fusion Festivan and the Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. He’s become renowned for his absolutely magnetic stage presence, exuding light like that of a mystic while simultaneously making it impossible not to dance.

Afrosideral’s hearty combination of influences and musical stylings comes together gorgeously on El Olimpo De Los Orishas, an album as danceable as it is hypnotic. Produced by Kumar himself and co-produced by Nickodemus + Zeb of Spy From Cairo, the album features an array of insanely talented musicians- Ariel Brínguez, Martín Meléndez, Jurandir Santana, Dreiser Durruthy, Sexto Sentido, Doctor Matanza y Arema Arega. The album’s recently-released second single, “Filho Do Mar”, is a journey across the oceans that joined Africa and the new world- its children, who were made slaves, carrying with them the wisdom, songs, and beliefs of their ancestors, blending into the narratives of countries like Brazil and Cuba. The song is a tribute to Yemayá, the Yoruban goddess of the sea, and blends elements of Capoeira and afro-brazilian instruments. “Filho Do Mar” is a sweet look into the rest of the album, which explores embodies the massive influence that the Yoruban tradition has on the world and the way we see it through the wildly diverse sounds that have been influenced by it.

Olimpo De Los Orishas is out now on Wonderwheel Recordings.