Guess who was voted the best new band in the world in 2009? Drum-roll, please… Our friends Bomba Estéreo! Yabla met them back when they were the opening act of (the also great and friendly) ChocQuibTown. Since then, Bomba Estéreo have been spreading like fire all over America and Europe.

Stop thief! A stranger with a foreign accent and talk of riches has come in and taken all the native gold, leaving poverty in his wake. Colombia’s talented ChocQuibTown manage to sing about serious geopolitical exploitation in a way that’s fun to listen to (and danceable, too).

New York has the Hudson; Paris has the Seine; London has the Thames. Rivers were important in the building of these cities: they were commercial routes and also a source of food. Aterciopelados (in English, literally “The Velvety Ones”) the well-known Colombian band, remind us of the importance of our rivers with the title song of their socially conscious album Río.

Shakira serves up another smoking, upbeat song. This one’s about a love triangle, as seen through the eyes of the other woman.

The pouring rain doesn’t stop Aterciopelados from rocking the park in Bogotá. “Rock al parque” is probably the biggest open-air (free!) rock festival in Latin America, held annually in Colombia’s capital. Listen in as Aterciopelados sings out a tribute to this fun festival and to fellow bands performing there. (How many of them have you heard?)

Rock'n'roll has Cleveland; Country music has Nashville and Salsa has Cali, Colombia. Grammy nominee, Alberto Barros, brings us a mano a mano between three Salsa Divas representing the Salsa Capital of the World.

From the mouth of lead vocalist Liliana "Li" Saumet, salt water sounds like "agua salá" or "agua sala'a". The Caribbean accent is just part of the smooth rounded sound from Colombia known as Bomba Estéreo, a band that blends traditional cumbia with other musical influences.

Colombia's Aterciopelados ("The Velvety Ones") delivers another smooth song with a political message. This time, the band questions immigration policies and asks who has the right to dream of a better life.

Colombian musician Alberto Barros, better known as Salsa's Titan, offers us, along his band, one of the most famous salsa songs: "Cali pachangero".

The Colombian singer Rivera interprets "Tras la tormenta" (after the storm) accompanied by Dragon & Caballero (Dragon and Knight), a reggaeton duo from Cartagena. This song has a great positive vibe, enjoy it.

Enjoy a live performance by Alberto Barros and other famous salsa singers. They display amazing energy and good vibes interpreting the tribute song "Cargamento Colombiano".

In this video, Luis reads Federico Garcia Lorca's poem "Lament for Ignacio Sanchez Mejias."

William Bonilla is a good friend of ours who invited Yabla to his apartment to share his points of view about his musical career. Here, he talks about his beginnings.

Luis reads Federico Garcia Lorca's poem "Night of Insomniac Love." Garcia Lorca is one of the most famous Spanish poets from the 20th Century and his poetry still remains relevant.

Willy learned to play guitar mostly by himself, but he soon discovered the importance of having people to share his passion with. Then he talks about how New York changed his musical tastes.