Cafe Musicast: a review of a podcast

Listen this article

While the podcaster culture in Colombia is still a not popular, in LatinAmerican Post we reviewed a new series created by two old music-lovers friends

Although in the coffee country there is not yet a consolidated podcast culture as it is already in other countries, there are several series of regular podcasts made with originality, interest and in general good vibes to reach the interested public. The most popular in the country are Alejandro Marín's Bilingual Podcast, director of La X radio station and one of the most popular musical radio DJs in Colombia, and Diana Uribe, a famous Colombian historian who captivates those who pay attention to her with her majestic way of telling the story.

Leer en español: Cafe Musicast: una reseña de un podcast

Instead of talking about these two radio titans, we are going to concentrate on two other characters not as popular as the ones mentioned above that less than a month ago embarked on this pleasant adventure that means the production of podcasts: Eduardo Arias and Manolo Bellón. Both, more than journalists, more than music lovers, are very good friends, and that is the great attraction of the series that until today is in the fifth episode.

Café Musicast is not a monologue of a flat voice reading a script, describing all the information concerning a musical group and repeating the formula until the episode ends. We are listening to two friends meeting to drink coffee, to talk about the music that fascinates them and that they think needs more exposure, about Colombian popular culture, about their experiences. In conclusion, it is a common and normal conversation between two intimate friends, with the difference that these talks are recorded and posted online.

Read also: 5 podcasts for soccer fans

Eduardo and Manolo are both references in terms of music. Arias researched and wrote about world and local music and even formed several local musical projects (Local Time, Symphonic Orchestra of Chapinero) that are now of cult. Bellón is one of the most authoritative music journalists in the country; with humor, sometimes they refer to him as the fifth Beatle, fruit of his obsession with the Liverpool quartet.

From the outset you know you are witnessing a talk not only informed and argued, but warm and relaxed. Here there are no scripts or a director desperate to publish a product that collects multi-million dollar figures. In an interview for Semana magazine, Arias says: "in conversations, the traditional" one thing leads to the other, "because a lot happens too. In the conversation something always happens during the recording and we can, even have done it in other opportunities, start with topics that are not related. That the traffic in Bogota such a thing or if he knew that Santa Fe won against Millionarios … things that happen in life. But there is a thread, we do not know how it will end. There is always a program that we never imagined."

The positive thing about this series is that anyone who understands Spanish understands the podcast. It does not focus much on Colombia or its unique culture, nor do they use many exclusive cultural references of the country, but they discuss global music, more than any Anglo rock. The negative is that one wants to join the coffee and discuss with these characters. The talks are really enveloping and feel so organic that one can easily imagine them lying on a deck in front of a pool with beers in their hands.

It may be that the image of two men over 60 years of age in bathing shorts is not the most attractive, but their talks are. Personally we lack a bit of fights and hectic discussions based on opinions and personal tastes, but as the Stones say, you can not always get what you want.

Read also: Music Festivals' weirdest locations

This series, commissioned by Semana magazine, began on March 15 and every Friday they add a new talk to several streaming platforms such as iTunes, Spreaker and Mixcloud. To this day they have five episodes. We invite you to lie down on the sofa after a hellish day in the office, tune in to this couple of friends and listen to them talk about Bogotá, music and other elements of pop culture.

LatinAmerican Post | Pedro Vergara

Translated from "Cafe Musicast: una reseña de un podcast"