Combo Chimbita’s ‘Babalawo’ Video Is An Insight Into Puerto Rican Ballroom

New York based latinx group Combo Chimbita have shared their new single ‘Babalawo’.

The band seemingly debuted the song during a show alongside Sun Ra Arkestra, and it’s a bewildering mixture of post-punk, indie rock, and a sense of freewheeling improvisation.

Out now, ‘Babalawo’ deals with the subconscious, while diving into shared mythologies; the circular guitar riff is hypnotic, while the percussive appeal lifts Combo Chimbita’s music to another realm.

“This song narrates a dream I had in which an Eggun (deceased person) assuaged my fears and encouraged me to continue down my path,” says lead singer Carolina Oliveras. “They said ‘Ponte pa lo tuyo,’ a directive to follow that which is already mine – a message I felt important to share forward … While it may seem that this song is dedicated to a particular Babalawo (similar to a priest in a Yoruban context), it’s also an homage to the many teachers who form the Yoruban culture and religion around me and continue to inspire a deeper exploration from me.”

The powerful video features Edrimael Delgado Reyes, a bold queer artist renowned as one of the fathers of the vogue and ballroom scene in Puerto Rico.

Reyes comments: “Interpreting this song was a challenge, it has so much power and energy for me to embody through my movement. My hope is that people experience the joy and intensity I felt while dancing.”

Tune in now.

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