The best 5 acts of Estéreo Picnic 2019

Listen this article

Rap, salsa, afrobeat, and electronics were some of the sounds that shone in the tenth edition of the Festival Estéreo Picnic

The tenth edition of the Festival Estéreo Picnic left tired bodies, after three intense days of celebration and few hours of sleep, but satisfied and with the ears full of the best international and national music. The complaints about transport logistics (complicated by the new location of the event in Briceño), the rumored lack of payment to some national events, the low mood of the public in some presentations and the price of the ticket are valid, and it is necessary to reflect on them, but it is undeniable that, in the end, the experience of FEP X was very satisfactory.

Leer en español: Los 5 mejores actos de Estéreo Picnic 2019

The promise of creating a new and exhilarating experience was fulfilled, which for a weekend meant that the only thing that mattered was music and friends. The ten years are already proof of the maturity of the festival, but also a call that, in addition to celebrating their achievements, the Estéreo Picnic reaches the level and consistency of internationally recognized festivals such as Lollapalooza or Coachella.

In FEP X some of the best musical proposals from Colombia and the world were presented. To close the experience and remember those three days that flew by, let's talk about five of the best presentations that took place in Briceño 18, the golf course that was disguised as fantasy land between April 5, 6 and 7.

Alcolirykoz

The best Colombian rap group demonstrated the good moment that the genre is living at the national level. They filled and burst the main stage with rap, something that a few years ago would have seemed impossible. They presented their fourteen cannon shots, with more festive instrumentals, but without compromising the honest viscerality of their lyrics. Those from Aranjuez, Medellín, made the audience jump and chant songs that until now they did not know, demonstrating their ability to conquer with pure rap the most unsuspecting. Gambetta, leader of the group, took the time to congratulate all the independent musicians who were in Stereo Picnic, who had given the struggle to make music in their way. Their great concert was a triumph for all of them.

Kendrick Lamar

Never such a great artist, at his best, had stepped on the stage of Stereo Picnic. Kendrick Lamar is widely recognized as the best rapper in the world and combines the credibility of hard and skillful lyrics with a pop sensibility that allows his music to reach millions of ears on Earth. In his Friday concert, he ruminated about the problems of alcoholism, the structural racism that he incorporates from his ancestors and the violence he suffered and lived in Compton, and he managed to make those issues agile and dynamic, so that the audience could jump while he, without flinching, rapped to a superlative level. This, coupled with his stunning visuals and red Nike outfit, made his show one of the best of the weekend.

Read also: Philip Anschutz and where his Coachella money goes

Grupo Niche

Although his presence on the bill had aroused doubts, from the minute that "Una Aventura" began to sound and his presentation began on Saturday night, the joy was watered among all the public of the main stage. While other groups appealed to tastes formed and acquired in the circuit of contemporary music, Niche appealed to the collective unconscious of the public. Who in Colombia has not listened to Niche at family parties? When "Cali Pachanguero" sounded, everyone sang it as a reflex, pure muscular memory. The charisma of the group shone, as did the message of the union for all music. The sauce had not previously taken place in Stereo Picnic, but Niche confirmed that it fits; it is more, with presentations like the one of Totó the Momposina a few years ago, it is clear that the demanding public of the FEP well receives the most traditional Colombian music.

Underworld

On Sunday night, while everyone frantically danced on the Tigo stage, those souls connected with the sounds both synthetic and analogous that the veteran British band presented. The dance was not just the product of emotion; it felt like a political statement, both from the public and from Karl Hyde. His movement while dancing to the rhythm of the music seemed, rather than as an accessory to the presentation, as the incorporation of years of experience, a vent in the form of hip movement. The collective rave reinforced the feeling of community of those present, and time and space were challenged while the music of the past built a futuristic dimension. Music as an escape, as a way of creating other realities, as a mechanism of fiction that transgresses, was synthesized in the Underworld show.

Seun Kuti

It was presented at the same time on Sunday as Arctic Monkeys, so his show was not so full of audience, but the Adidas tent reverberated with the afrobeat of Seun Kuti. Perhaps several knew him as the youngest son of Fela Kuti, perhaps the inventor of Afrobeat. Seu Kuti, who still lives in Nigeria, took to the stage dressed in green and accompanied by the band Egypt 80 and mounted an electric and cathartic show. Despite the fatigue of the attendees at the end of the last day, the aggressive and cheerful dance of Seun Kuti, along with the historical music of the band that used to be his father's, made those synthesizers and original batteries explode to the maximum of their potential. As if a magic spell had entered Briceño, there was nobody that did not dance while Sean Kuti showed up. He left with the same force that he sang, saying goodbye and getting off the stage before the music ended, without looking back.

LatinAmerican Post | Santiago Cembrano

Translated from "Los cinco mejores actos de Estéreo Picnic 2019"