Los Miticos Del Ritmo

Biography

Los Míticos del Ritmo is a seven-piece studio band assembled in Cali, Colombia, by British musician, producer, and Colombia resident Will 'Quantic' Holland. Formed around 2012-2013, the group draws on local vallenato and cumbia musicians to create instrumental tracks that evoke the analogue sound of 1960s tropical recordings from Colombia and the Caribbean. Their debut album, released on Soundway Records in 2013, blends original cumbias with covers of tracks like Queen's 'Another One Bites the Dust,' Michael Jackson's 'Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough,' The Abyssinians' 'Satta Massagana,' and Gildardo Montoya's 'Fabiola,' all recorded on four-track tape using overdubs and transfers for an authentic vintage feel.[1][2][3][5][7]

Holland, who relocated to Colombia in 2007, immersed himself in the country's musical heritage through extensive field research, culminating in his 2011 compilation 'The Original Sound of Cumbia' on Soundway Records. This project marked the beginning of his hands-on involvement with traditional genres, including learning accordion from masters like Aníbal Velásquez and Papi Brandão. Los Míticos del Ritmo represents his first full album as an accordionist, with the band debuting earlier on his vinyl-only EP 'Hip Hop En Cumbia' via Tru Thoughts. The recordings, done in Holland's Cali home studio, aimed to sound like 'lost cumbia classics' unearthed from decades past, gaining popularity in his global DJ sets.[1][7]

The band's style fuses traditional cumbia and vallenato with modern reinterpretations, preserving analogue production techniques amid a landscape of digital mashups. While primarily a studio project without a fixed touring lineup, it reflects Holland's evolution from UK funk, soul, and electronic music to championing Colombian tropical sounds, contributing to the revival of these genres internationally.[1][6][9]

Fun Facts

• The album was intentionally recorded to mimic a 'lost cumbia classic' dug from a humid Barranquilla basement, using only analogue four-track tape despite being made in 2013.
• Tracks like 'Cumbia de Mochilla' and the 'Another One Bites the Dust' cover became dancefloor hits in Quantic's international DJ sets before the full album release.
• Ancer Rada, the band's percussionist, is the grandson of Francisco Pacho Rada, one of Colombia's pioneering troubadours who toured solo with just voice and accordion.
• The project marked Quantic's first full-length album featuring his accordion playing, after nearly five years of lessons from regional masters.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Aníbal Velásquez - Accordion teacher and Colombian cumbia master (Accordion lessons influencing Quantic's playing on the album) [2007-2012]
• Papi Brandão - Panamanian accordion master providing lessons (Accordion training for cumbia production) [2007-2012]

Key Collaborators

• Ancer Rada - Percussionist, grandson of accordionist Francisco Pacho Rada (Los Míticos del Ritmo debut album (2013)) [2012-2013]
• Fernando Silva - Bassist from Combo Bárbaro (Los Míticos del Ritmo album) [2012-2013]
• Freddy Colorado - Percussionist from Combo Bárbaro (Los Míticos del Ritmo album) [2012-2013]
• Will 'Quantic' Holland - Leader, producer, accordionist (All recordings including 2013 album and 'Hip Hop En Cumbia' EP) [2012-present]

External Links

• Spotify