La Chooma - Local Spirits [Batov]

Format: LP in printed sleeve.
CAT: BTR125LP

For fans of: Jimi Tenor, Meridian Brothers, The Comet Is Coming, The Mauskovic Dance Band, Sun Ra Arkestra, Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids.

Psychedelic dub, Afro-Latin rhythms, and cosmic grooves intertwine on La Chooma's self-titled debut for Batov Records. Drawing inspiration from Moroccan Gnawa music, Colombian Cumbia, Afrobeat, Jamaican dub and roots, and cosmic jazz, this sextet creates deep, hypnotic music rooted in global traditions and tailored for contemporary dancefloors.

Having captivated local audiences with their hypnotic and organic live performances, La Chooma – now a sextet – has been building an international following. Their early singles, "Magic Plant" and "Huachuma," received support from key figures like Deb Grant and Tom Ravenscroft of BBC Radio 6 Music.

"Magic Plant" distills the band's signature blend: hypnotic grooves, lush percussion, and fuzzy synths, as if Jimi Tenor got lost in the Colombian Amazon rainforest. A dreamlike, dub-infused journey driven by organic rhythms and cosmic textures. "Huachuma" continues the thread, merging Afrobeat percussion, enveloping basslines, and psychedelic flashes into a mind-bending session made for a tropical dancefloor.

"High Grow" evokes images of The X-Files set in Addis Ababa, with Ethiopian-style synths dancing over a Mulatu Astatke-inspired bassline and Afrobeat drums, all drenched in an ominous dub delay. Perfect for dark, smoky rooms in the deepest hours of the night.

Like the lost child of Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids and The Comet Is Coming, "Lonely" hits like a cosmic funk hammer with searing synths and intense Afro-rock drumming, riding on an acoustic bassline that erupts into a frenetic solo after the first minute. The drums threaten to overflow but make way for the spiraling synths to reach their peak halfway through the track.

"Cozumel" continues seamlessly, shifting into a slightly slower groove, sustained by a deep electric bass and irresistible four-on-the-floor Afro-Latin rhythms. Synths soar in harmony with the ghostly call of the Egyptian kawala flute as the energy builds to release tension in the third minute. There's something in the spiritual core and soulful presence of this music that evokes the pioneering work of Jamaican legends Count Ossie and Cedric Brooks, who fused jazz with Rastafarian drumming.

La Chooma draws dotted lines across time and space, finding hidden connections and shared frequencies, weaving threads into a sound that mesmerizes the mind and moves the body.