Long-Delayed Sidestepper Album To Finally Come Out

Originally set to be released in February 2008, Sidestepper’s new album is now slated to come out on August 5—a long-anticipated wait will finally be satiated. Widely hailed for their Afro-Colombian electronic-meets-roots dance music, The Buena Vibra Sound System (on Palm Pictures) is the first album to capture the vibe of their dance club lineup in all its variety.

Depending on the need, Sidestepper can perform as a live band or simply with DJ, vocals, and percussion. While their last album 3am (In Beats We Trust) is an album you might play to wind down after a wild night out, Buena Vibra consists of tracks you could hear only at one of Sidestepper’s sound system shows…until now.

Tracks like “Sidestepper” bring back the band’s early sound, paying homage to a night out in a salsa club. On both “Que Sera” and “La Paloma,” Sidestepper founder Richard Blair explores the triangle between Colombia, Jamaica, and Nigeria. Two tracks are by remixers. “Hoy Tenemos” was done by Boyz from Brazil, who later became the Gotan Project. The U.K.’s Lightning Head started from the ground up, preserving only the original vocals on “Mas Papaya.”

“When we play in America, we get these very diverse multicultural crowds,” says Blair. “People always tell us they never see anything like it normally.”