Bomba Estereo's Infectious new track "Fuego" is featured this week as iTunes Latino's "Song of the Week."

Bomba Estereo's infectious new track "Fuego" is featured this week as iTunes Latino's "Song of the Week." The group's physical debut "Blow Up" is now available exclusively at iTunes and will hit stores everywhere on July 7th. Bomba Estereo has an explosive dance sound, combining electronica, dub and hip-hop with Colombian rhythms like cumbia and champeta. They previously released a digital album on Nacional.

Lead vocalist Liliana "Li" Saumet describes the inspiration behind "Fuego": "We wanted to make a colorful song. It is all about the sun and getting sucked into the world. It's about being in another state-of-mind."

Bomba Estereo recently made their U.S. debut at SXSW 2009, an experience that helped generate considerable buzz for the group and their upcoming release. "It was a very memorable trip because it took us completely by surprise," explains the band's founder, producer and guitarist Simon Mejia. "I don't think we knew what to expect before we got there. It was great to see how many people came out. The energy was very positive. Everyone just connected to the music."

In the last several months, the group has toured everywhere from Ecuador and Brazil out to London. This summer, they are even venturing to Denmark's prestigious Roskilde Festival.

"These recent experiences have been amazing," Saumet says. "They've literally changed my life. Performing in front of 15,000 people, many who don't understand what you're singing yet they dance for the love of the music. It's inspiring. It made me realize that our band needs to keep growing and building. Every day we need to get better and better while still keeping our musical essence."

Bomba Estereo came together as a project organized by Mejia in 2005, forming within the rich underground electronic scene that has become Bogota, Colombia. Recruiting fierce singer Saumet to join the group, Bomba Estereo developed its sound and electrifying live show.

"The first album was a much more personal and electronic work," Mejia says. "I recorded it all in my house and invited different people to perform on each track. It was more of an 'instrumental album.' So Li and I ended up making "Blow Up" together, focusing more on actual songwriting and lyrics, all with the cumbia sound at their core."

The influence of Afro Colombian rhythms and the coastal sounds is especially important to Bomba Estereo's music. Saumet grew up on the Caribbean coast in a city called Santa Marta. "It's a small city with a beautiful and mystical force," she explains. "The indigenous people call it the 'heart of the world.' Ever since I was young, I had the opportunity to listen to such a wide variety of music, from local folk music to sounds arriving from Africa and the United States. I think that mix is reflected in our own music."

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