Love and Revenge is the joint project of Lebanese hip-hop pioneer Rayess Bek and visual artist Randa Mirza. It is a musical reflection on their cultural identity, aiming to give a second life to old Arab popular songs and movies by adapting them to the principles of modern music production and modern visual aesthetics. They find the material for their visual and audio samples in the artistic works of the so-called “golden era” of Arab culture, in Arab music and films from the 40s and 50s of the 20th century. They perform live, in front of a screen onto which romantic scenes from classical Arab films are projected during the show, and there are four members in the band: besides Bek and his electronic beats, and Mirza with her visual effects, there are also Julien Perraudeau on keyboards and Mehdi Haddab, a virtuoso on an electrical version of Arab string instrument oud. Their work is a seductive music-visual invitation to the world on the other side of the Mediterranean, behind the curtain which leads directly to Arabian Nights and other similar fairytales about love and revenge.
Romperayo sounds like a fast moving musical journey through Colombian tropical folklore, a mischievous and modern interpretation of the psychedelic sounds of 70s cumbia and other tropical rhythms. Expect fascinating electronic-psychedelic cumbia musical fireworks that don’t only move your hips and feet, but also direct your brain into a blissful mood. The group is part of the new Colombian music scene, like Meridian Brothers, Frente Cumbiero, Los Pirañas, among others, that re-interprets their roots in a fascinating way, combining both traditional rhythms and modern electronics. Contemporary tropical music with electronic rituals, “descargas” (jams) of both coasts of Colombia poisoned with psychedelia, samplers, synths and a lot of percussion. Led by the “capitán” of the new generation of Colombian percussionists: drummer Pedro Ojeda (who also plays in Los Pirañas, Palanca, CieloMama, Frente Cumbiero, Ondatrópica and Mucho Indio), Romperayo are active from 2011, having released three albums, including the new, much praised “Que Jue?” (2019). During the last few years, the band has been touring extensively in Europe, performing at important music festivals like Sines and Roskilde.