"Canalón de Timbiquí was the revelation of the entire conference-festival..it's the most uplifting, earthy sound you'll ever hear. I went to their performance and I was in tears, I was blown away by the energy, by the excitement, by the passion. It's infectious music that you have to see to be able to enjoy it."

-Betto Arcos, NPR

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"I have to admit it's the music of the Pacific coast that most appeals to me. It's strongly African in character, with vocals underpinned by an interplay of hands and sticks on wood and leather and often a balafon-like marimba in the band.”

 

-Simon Broughton, Songlines Magazine.

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“I couldn’t think of the last time I had seen four middle-aged women fronting a band – languorous and entirely self-possessed as they swathed the rolling thunder of the men behind them in beautiful, keening harmonies.”

-Tom Horan, The Guardian

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"The sweetly exuberant chanting of 3 female voices, the marimba, the drums & guasa percussion surrounding Nidia Góngora, Canalón embody the rich musical mix of African and Latin- American traditions unique to Colombia's Pacific coast."

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-WOMEX

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ABOUT US

Since 1974

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Canalon’s music echoes the ancestral sounds of the Afro-Colombian Pacific Coast, recreating the power and rhythm with the chonta marimba, the percussion instrument guasa and the bombs drum. The melodies of the marimba and voice reflect the sounds of the pacific coast, and the lyrics are about the jungles, rivers, miners and all of their surroundings in the town they are from - Timbiqui. Timbiqui, located in the Cauca state on the Pacific Coast, is where the group hails from. The group of female singers are led by Nidia Góngora (long-time Quantic collaborator) and are supported by a band using a range of traditional percussive instruments such as the tambora drum and the xylophone-style marimba with its unique, light sound. 

With international interest in this traditional 'pacifico' music, Nidia Góngora has worked with producer, band leader, and DJ Quantic for the past five years in collaborations and tours across Europe. In 2012, Sofrito Records included in its compilation record the song LA ZORRA Y EL PEROL, one of Canalón’s classic songs. In the same year, the group made a cover of La Jeanne from renowed and beloved French artist George Brassens.

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