Terror/Cactus eschew lyrics and perform in masks. MELISSA KAGERER
Seattle is almost 7,000 miles from Buenos Aires, but our city is finding a niche for the hypnotically irresistible sound of cumbia. For the uninitiated, cumbia is a pan–Latin American folkloric genre that originated in Colombia. It has a trademark guitar style and an unmistakable steady beat from the güiro, a shaker-like percussion instrument. Like a slower cousin of salsa, it’s also a popular partner dance.
Argentine producers have been experimenting with cumbia electronically for a decade. Many of those “cumbia digital” pioneers passed through the groundbreaking ZZK Records. The Argentine label’s most recent Seattle stop was in June at Barboza, where they found the perfect local opener: Terror/Cactus.