La Bomba is very pleased to announce the return of Bristol Cumbia dons Baila La Cumbia, plus very special guest DJ, Mercy Flores!

Balia La Cumbia
Balia La Cumbia is not just a band name… it’s a command! If you like your riffs horn-heavy and your rhythms contagious, this is a band you need to see. With searing horn lines and percussion you can feel right up your trouser legs, Baila la Cumbia will turn any average night out into a riotous party that you’ll never forget!
Formed in Bristol in 2007, surfing the early wave of the resurgence of interest in Colombian music styles. Baila La Cumbia have performed at many of our country’s great festivals & have filled the dancefloors at many special occasions. In fact, any cumbia band would be expected to bring the party to anywhere it’s needed. Porro (Colombian big band cumbia) and salsa tunes are woven into the repertoire and with Colombian vocalist Juan Carlos Arenas and his guitar some Chicha Vibes are suggested as well as Cuban flavours courtesy of Cuban trumpet maestro, Michel Patron (Asere). Local Latin legends, Jim Blomfield (keys), Lisa Cherian (congas) and Myke Vince (timbales), make rhythmic waves with the bass of Benji Muscat. The brass section also includes Bristol sax maestro Craig Crofton and on trombone the marvellous Joe Bradford.

Mercy Flores
Mercy’s love for cumbias started at a young age from attending back yard bailes in L.A.’s Latin vecindarios with family and friends. Early banda, corridos and cumbias were always part of her Mexican diaspora community who crossed borders for better opportunities in the US and proudly took their culture with them as a badge of honor to never forget where they came from.
After having lived in Guadalajara for some years and moving back to LA in 2009 she found a growing cumbia scene among the alternative Latin youth filled with the pride of being “inmigrantes” or children of and frequented cumbia parties in downtown L.A. 

Later moving to Las Vegas in 2010 she decided to take up DJing to represent the lack of women DJs and to bring the cumbia scene that was emerging in L.A. to L.V.. Mercy joined with local alternative Latin party crew “Sonidero” to bring a mix of cumbia and tropical rhythms popular at the time and helped spearhead the cumbia scene to create a space for underground Latin artists and DJs to make Las Vegas a stop on their tours. The parties were a hit among the Latin diaspora youth where many alternative subcultures found an escape that resonated with their cultural roots. You’d often find rockabillies, punks, goths, cholos and reggaetoneros all mixed up among the crowds reminiscent of the music they grew up with at their own family parties and quinceañeras.

After moving to the UK Mercy decided to focus her next nights on 60s reggae and 70s glam rock as it was always another passion of hers. She has quickly become part of the regular local vinyl DJs in the Bristol scene.

This will be the first time in 8 yrs that she will be bringing out the cumbias from the vault and you can expect to hear a mix of tropical sounds, cumbia sonidera, vallenato, rebajadas, banda, boogaloo, vintage and new sounds and maybe even be some corridos tumbados if it feels right.

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