Keyfax Unleashes Colombian Beats – MIDI Rhythm Collection
Keyfax has released Colombian Beats, a MIDI collection consisting of Atlantic and Pacific coastal rhythms including Puya and the Mapale. Keyfax states that the rhythms are incorporated in traditional Colombian carnival, and used by the likes of Grupo Niche, Fruko y sus Tesos, and Orquesta Guayacan.
Recorded live in Bogota by producer Rubio and percussionist Andres Rodriguez, the beats cover a wide range of styles, from Cumbia, Salsa, Mapale, and Colombia’s national dance, Bambuca, to more unusual beats such as Contradanza, and the Pasillo.
This not only provides the aficionado with flexible, controllable Colombian beats with which to create authentic Colombian or Colombian-flavor music, it also lets producers simply looking for some spice to add to rock, dance, or a generalized ‘Latin’ production to tap into this vibrant rhythmscape.
Instrumentation for the Atlantic Coastal rhythms is centered around the tambora, the tambor alegre, and the llamado. “Unlike Cuban and Jamaican folkloric rhythms where the highest drum does the most “cutting”, in these rhythms the tambor alegre plays a steady but complex “compas”, the llamador plays something hypnotically simple, and the low-pitched tambora does the cutting,” says producer Rubio.
Offered as a series of Standard MIDI Files, Colombian Beats can be loaded into any digital audio workstation. As MIDI data, the beats are completely flexible in terms of sound and tempo, and can be edited instrument-by-instrument, note-by-note, if users are looking for unique customization.
Also included in the package are native Pattern format versions for leading workstation series, Motif (Motif ‘Classic,’ Motif ES, and Motif XS), and a PDF manual detailing all the beats and providing some fascinating insights into the Colombian music scene.
Keyfax’s Colombian Beats is the 25th Twiddly.Bits MIDI Sample library produced by the concern, and costs $39.95. More information on Keyfax Colombian Beats.
