Independent record label Skumbag Records, under the direction of producer Alejandro (Alex) Villanueva has brought together the talent of bands from Los Angeles, Miami and Colombia and the sounds of reggae, ska, dub, punk rock, cumbia and urban rhythms for a collection of Christmas classics from Latin America and beyond which culminated in the album, Skandalo Navideño.
Skandalo Navideño includes the collaboration of one of Colombia’s newest and brightest stars, Alto Grado, who played some amazing shows in Los Angeles earlier this year; Camilo Tumbao from Miami’s Xperimento and Los Angeles based bands like Roncovacoco, Blanco y Negro, Pachamama Estela and South Central Skankers.
As one listens to this album, one finds a variety of styles and rhythms, but the arrangements were done in such a way that the songs have a different feel, but maintain the essence of the classics we all grew up listening to and I think that is owed to the creativity of the bands and the production work done by Alejandro Villanueva.
“I really love Christmas and every year I would always say, ‘why isn’t there a cool ska or reggae version of this song?’, so I told my girlfriend, ‘one day I am going to make my own Christmas album’ and every year I would day the same thing, but I was always too busy with other projects and finally this year I said ‘screw everything else, I am going to make it happen.’” Stated Alex during a phone conversation about how this project came together.
When I asked about the reaction of the bands when he asked them to be part of the project, he said: “At first they were all excited since it was a new and different idea, but I don’t think they knew what they were getting themselves into because once we began planning it and picking the songs, some of them weren’t too sure anymore. Some thought some of the songs sounded childish and didn’t fit into the their style, others just couldn’t find the right feel for the songs, but I encouraged them to keep working on them and we tried different things, some ideas worked and some didn’t, but in the end, I think we were able to come up with some very cool versions of these classics and I think the fans of the bands will enjoy listening to these songs.”
Being the producer of the album, I asked Alex how the songs and the arrangements were selected, to which he stated” “My girlfriend; and partner on this project, Janeth Romero and I put together a list of songs that we would like to be on the album, then I suggested certain songs to certain bands based on their style, but some of the bands were afraid the songs would come out cheesy, so it was my job to convince them that what they were doing was going in the right direction and it was also my job that they would not come out cheesy and that the bands kept their styles intact while at the same time adding their special touch to each song.”
Skandalo Navideño contains the following tracks:
El Niño del Tambor (Little Drummer Boy) – Alto Grado
White Christmas (Blanca Navidad) – Blanco y Negro
Burrito Sabanero – Pachamama Estela
Navidad Sin Ti – Roncovacoco
Peces en el Rio – Roncovacoco
Amarga Navidad – South Central Skankers
Noche de Paz (Silent Night) – South Central Skankers
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen – Camilo Tumbao (Xperimento)
Feliz Navidad – Various Artists: (Roncovacoco, South Central Skankers, Camilo Tumbao, Anibal “Rudo” Jacquez, Esteban Flores)
For anyone who remembers going to “las posadas” in our respective countries or here in our neighborhoods, or even if you are not a fan of Christmas music, Skandalo Navideño, is sure to get you moving, bopping and skanking and you can get your copy by clicking here.
