Meridian Brothers Amalgam of Interests and Talents Culminate on ‘Cumbia Siglo XXI’

Colombian musician, Eblis Álvarez, front man and songwriter for the Latin-electronic group, Meridian Brothers, is a scholar. Álvarez studies music and the cultures that birthed its different styles. He researches musical equipment as well as various existential philosophies. He’s as equipped to talk to you about the history of traditional cumbia music in his home city of Bogotá as he is talking about cognitive manipulation in modern day capitalism. In other words, Álvarez is an amalgam of interests and talents. Like its source, Álvarez’ music is much like a mosaic where disparate sounds connect with age-old cultures to create something new, interesting and challenging. And the artist will release his latest record, Cumbia Siglo XXI, which is full of quirky rhythms and masterful melodies, on August 21^st. 

“Colombia is not at the center of the economic or political powers,” Álvarez says. “We are on the periphery. This is how it works in the world right now; this is how it always worked. But there is a question among the artists, intellectuals and musicians how to face that fact. How to preserve the culture? And if the culture has to be preserved or if it should be blended with the central powers? That’s something that every inhabitant of these territories asks themselves.”

What to use, what to allow in to one’s culture – or one’s music – is a difficult question to answer. But not every query needs an immediate answer – or an answer at all, says the artist.

“There is no answer for that,” Álvarez says, “but it’s always good to ask the question. The question gives you inspiration to make more stuff.”

Álvarez, who first came to music when he was about six-years-old, says his first instrument was the flute. Then, a few years later, he transitioned to more general music lessons where he was able to encounter other instruments. Later, in the 90s while in his late teens, Álvarez began to get serious about music. He played classical guitar, he studied jazz. He began to mimic songs he heard over the radio. He started to compose, tracking songs and giving cassettes of it to his family members.

“I didn’t have any goal,” Álvarez says. “In the 90s in Bogotá, it wasn’t at all possible really to enter the world of pop music or the music industry system. I was not involved in the rock bands in bars. There were several Colombian bands that got record deals and everything but I didn’t know any of those people.”

Álvarez did have some friends who were musicians, however. Amidst his studies of more formal compositions, Álvarez listened, followed and absorbed the music his Colombian compatriots were making. The stuff ranged from electronic music to industrial to what Álvarez calls “tropical” music (an umbrella term under which cumbia music falls), which is often “cheesy,” he says, but the songs incorporate a wide swath of Latin sounds and rhythms. Whether Álvarez realized it or not, the sonic stars were circling his creative spirit. Soon, all he’d have to do is reach out his metaphorical hand and pluck them for use in the different parts in his forthcoming records.

The musician formally assumed the moniker, Meridian Brothers, in 1999. Ever since, he’s made thoughtful, curious songs that bonce as much as they question, propel one to dance as much as they raise an eyebrow in observation. Álvarez’ music is somehow both dense and delightful. His latest effort, Cumbia Siglo XXI, sounds as much like it takes inspirations from traditional music as it does from Nintendo games. His penchant for this creative bent came as searched in the late 90s for a sound all his own. And, well, he certainly found it. Building on the blueprint laid by German electronic group, Kraftwerk, and many others before him, Álvarez now stands singularly.

One reason, though, why the artist is so unique is that he thinks rather deeply on many subjects, taking the extra time and consideration. For example, it’s impossible not to ponder the idea of modernity or technological advancements when considering Álvarez’ work. After all, he does record digitally and make use of a great deal of equipment in his DIY home studio. But Álvarez isn’t one to stand on the front lines of whatever is new-new-new. Instead, he tried to keep a much more mature perspective on the matter.

“I’m critical of the idea of ‘progressism,’” Álvarez says. “That’s the idea that progress is always solving the problems of the past. But I am sort of thinking we are actually getting worse. Anger is on the rise. So, is this right? Are we really progressing?”

Tying these heady ideas together, Álvarez says, are the often complex and essential human emotions. For Álvarez, human emotions are also very intense. Perhaps more than anything, music connects us to both our emotions and those of others. Music is a bridge that finds you. As a result, you form a unique, intimate bond via its connectivity and Álvarez knows this through-and-through.

“Human beings have very sophisticated gradations of emotions,” Álvarez says. “Music connects us directly to all of that. For me, music is the expression of these connections.”

Photo: Franck Alix