#4: That Picó Sound!
El Gran Mono photo by Aaron Ponnudurai
Episode Description
A unique tradition exists in towns along the Caribbean coast of Colombia. With their gigantic, technicolour speakers, the music and culture of Picós are distinctly Afro-Colombian and exist only in specific towns and neighbourhoods in the region. Now for the first time, a Picó soundsystem is being built outside of Colombia - in Melbourne. In this episode we look at the distinct music and cultural diaspora that created Picós, the power of music to connect people and bridge class divides, and Colombia’s increasing connection to Australia.
In this episode
Guests: Johnny El P, Tom Noonan and Oscar Jimenez, with thanks to Fabian Altahona Romero
Intro Theme: First Kiss Goodnight - “Story One”
Music Credits: Victoria Jazz Band - “Stevin Ojwango (Dholuo)”, Hernando Hernández - “La Viuda De Pescado”, Adolfo Echeverria y Su Conjunto - “Amaneciendo”, Kanda Bongo Man - “Sai”, Daniel Owino Misani - “Otieno Owing Ramogi”, Son Palenque - “Adios Batata
All Ears is produced and presented by Annaliese Redlich, with mentorship and editorial support from the Broadwave team.
Further reading
If you want to find out more, you can check out Fabian’s blog or Fabian recommends taking a look at: El Gran Mono, El Dragon Turbo Lasser, El Huracan Turbo, Madrigal Stereo, Arriba Caribeño and El Master Turbo.
Get in touch
We want to hear from our listeners. Stay in touch across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @hearallears and @broadwavepods.
Voice navigation [00:00:17] Use the right two lanes to turn right onto lower plenty road. State Route 46.
Annaliese Redlich [00:00:28] You’re with Annaliese on All Ears, and right now we're headed out to a warehouse in Melbourne's outer north-eastern suburbs to check out an Australian first, and it's a fair bit bigger than something you could build in your average backyard. Hence, we're headed to a warehouse.
Tom Noonan[00:00:45] We're currently standing in front of what is the shell of the first Picó sound system to be built outside of Columbia.
Johnny El PRight now in its current concept is two point three metres high and about the same distance wide. We're hoping it can be brought down a bit because it's unable to get through doors (laughs)
Tom [00:01:05] My name is Tom Noonan. I guess for my day job, I'm a project manager with a not-for-profit. I also worked as a migration agent doing visas for touring musicians, I’m a collector of Records, and got an interest in all things Colombian.
Johnny [00:01:23] I’m Johnny LP. I’m a social worker by day and deejay and record collector by the night and weekends. [SFX: Kookaburra sings]
Johnny [00:01:30] I love that sound. The Kookaburra can you hear that in the mic? (laughs)
Annaliese [00:01:54] A few months ago, I found myself at a Colombian cultural festival in inner Melbourne with music cranking, people playing soccer, and something caught my eye. I was looking for the very first time at a Picó Soundsystem speaker, albeit a miniature vision. It was emblazoned with fluro psychedelic artwork depicting an elephant in the jungle with records and in big letters across the top was its name, ‘El Oro Negro’, ‘The Black Gold’. And then I heard that the two guys you just met were building the first ever Picó made outside of Columbia. And what is a Pico sound system exactly? Well, if you make your way to the Caribbean coast of Colombia, to towns like Barranquilla, Cartagena and Santa Marta, you’ll find a unique tradition. Neon towering soundsystems is called Picós, are part of an outdoor sound system culture which has been developing in the region since the 1950s. These towns are teeming with Picós, each with their own flamboyant technicolour artwork and names like: ‘El Grande Lobo’, which means ‘The Big Wolf’; ‘Supersonico’ ‘Supersonic’ and ‘El Coreano’, ‘The Korean’— all designed to draw a crowd and reign supreme over their competition. And this is why we find ourselves at a warehouse in Greensborough. So let's hear more about the history of Picó Soundsystems from Tom Noonan.
Tom [00:03:13] Barranquilla, being one of the largest cities on the Caribbean coast in Colombia, was, I believe, the first city in Colombia to get radio station broadcasting, and people throughout the city would not have the means, the financial means, to buy ahh... to own a radio, to listen to the radio, the music being played. And so, people would take their systems, their radios out. They drag it out onto the street. Colombia is similar to a lot of other Latin American countries in that you have these sort of one level tiled houses with a courtyard at the front that's surrounded by a security fence. People would drag radios out into, the, those family areas and they'd be kids and dogs and whatever else, people playing and socialising, and they'd blast music out onto the street. That culture slowly evolved for, you know, people trying to get a bigger and bigger sound system so that eventually you had this culture where the radio station became less important and it was more about people playing records, vinyl records for families, for people just coming and going in the street, people eating. It's a, it's a kind of full community thing. There are certainly sound systems that have gone through generations of people, gone through families being passed on to other families, and that identity has remained consistent. There are others that are just sort of come and go.
Annaliese [00:04:38] The word Picó—meaning pick up— supposedly refers to the kinds of trucks that used to deliver the heavy soundsystems from the 1960s onwards. It also refers to the needle of a record player, and what can happen at a party—you know.. picking up!
And you won’t hear your standard top 10 style music on the sound systems, in fact, very little Colombian music in general- Picóa are a distinct expression of Afro-Colombian culture and play genres that originat in Africa and styles that have blended with Colombian music. And this - as you’ll hear provides a pretty valuable musical schooling for those who get to hear it!
Oscar Jimenez [00:05:14] I listen to a lot of Picó music. When you talk about Picó music, you have the huge influence of Africa, ah because, it's... it's really in the Caribbean. So there's like rhythms from Africa coming in. From Congo and from Nigeria, and artists that wouldn't play on mainstream radio. They would be played on the Picó. You know, so it was a way of expression for the ghetto and for those social communities to say, hey, you know, this is what we actually want to listen to.
Annaliese [00:05:45] Oscar Jimenez is a Colombian musician and producer who's lived in Australia for the past 18 years. He grew up just outside of Barranquilla. He's active in creating music based cross-cultural exchanges between Colombia and Australia. And the Picó will be part of that. And while Oscar grew up right in the thick of Picó Territory, it's important to emphasise that this is the music of poorer neighbourhoods, and Colombians outside of these areas and outside of this coastal region won't necessarily have heard of Picós, let alone been to a party. And sadly, the government is cracking down on parties, starting to ban them.
Oscar [00:06:20] I grew up in a neighbourhood called Villa Campestre, which is just outside of Barranquilla, which is in the north coast of Colombia. You know, very kind of…tropical, Caribbean, and lots of music, the Carnival feel. Barranquilla has the biggest Carnival in the country. Like when you were driving to the airport, you have to drive through certain of these neighbourhoods, and it was like, it was right in your face, you know, because the traffic will stop you, and there was all these Picós playing different types of music.The division, socially, in Colombia, it’s the impact of many things. You know, what I experienced as someone growing up there, is that obviously the economic situation, it kind of defines your status and who you actually get to connect with and meet, which is something that has started to slowly change. You know, I think that things like the Picó sound system and The Carnival and there are things that have been there for actually communities to actually start connecting and meeting with each other. Um, so that's what Picó soundsystem, I mean I guess that for me, initially, growing up as a kid, that was something that was from the hoods, or the ghettos, you know? And they only play these kind of weird African music. And um, years later, when I became a musician and you became so appreciate all these music influence that I had.
Annaliese [00:07:56] In Colombia, it's compulsory for all 18 year old men to spend time in the military, and Oscar was lucky to get posted close to home in Cartagena in the Navy, which was his ideal situation. While serving, he'd have to stand guard overnight like a diligent soldier keeping things in check, but he did manage to find a spot that provided some relief from the nightly monotony and that gave a bit of a musical education.
Oscar [00:08:16] And I remember in particular, there was one spot that for four hours you'll be listening to Picó music at the other side of the river. And that's where the school was in. It was in all these brothels. And, you know, it just places where they have these Picós going like bam! And you are there with your rifle and just listening to this music. And um, I didn't realise how much impact that listening, of, you know, to all that stuff actually had on my compositions these days now, because I was like, oh, yeah, I know that tune. And I never actually hear that in radio or hear it anywhere else than actually coming out of those Picó soundsystems in the brothels. So I am thankful for that experience.
Annaliese [00:09:06] Speaking of music, let's go now to a rough guide of few more kinds of music that you would hear pumping out of a Picó sound system.
Annaliese [00:09:17] This is Champeta - a combination of folk music and dance that specifically originated from people of African descent who are from Barranquilla and Cartagena De Indias.
Annaliese [00:09:35] Cumbia is also native to Colombia and remains hugely popular.
Annaliese [00:09:54] Soukous is from the Congo basin.
Annaliese [00:10:07] Benga—is from Kenya— and it evolved by blending the previously mentioned Soukous, with South African Kwela and various styles of Cuban dance music...
Annaliese [00:10:23] Of course, we can't run through every genre. Shout outs to rumba and salsa.
Annaliese [00:10:28] Now back to Jonny LP to give us more of an idea of what Picó soundsystem parties are like.
Johnny [00:10:34] They tried to shut down the community ones, so now they have parties that are in closed off areas, so there'll be a couple of houses that have an area like a courtyard or an alcove that they have occupation of and it's fenced off. So they'll have a bigger party in that or they'll be the bigger style parties that happen in a larger arena sort of area with the multiple Picós potentially from the same proprietors, so there’s multiple versions of El Coreano, or El Lobo, or they'll be the smaller neighbourhood ones, which is the one that I've been to before, where they'll have Picós set up behind someone's fence.
Usually there’s an old Colombian guy with a big belly deejaying to lots of kids on the street, people selling beer and food out of their fences that are on opposing areas and a booming sound that comes from very far away that you sort of don't expect to be some, like, little party that a family's having for the community.
Tom [00:11:25] I think what characterises them for me is that unlike an event where you'd have a stage and you might have an artist performing on the stage, these sound systems are down in the crowd. You know, you've got four or five thousand people having dancing to Champeta, Salsa, Cumbia... You know, there's bottles of rum being passed around this kind of small barbecue grills with smoke going, the smells are great. Everyone is just having a great time, and this is kind of, I guess, in the West where we're really inhibited. You know, we all stand in the corners of the room and watch people dance and, but one thing that I've been really drawn to in Latin American culture, and particularly Colombian culture, is just first of all people don't need alcohol to have a good time. People will just kind of come together and they'll just throw their hands in the air and party. And, you know, in these crowds that are just pulsing are these giant big sound systems. And for whatever reason, people don't really care too much about their hearing. So these things are just thumping! Like when I say thumping, I travelled with earplugs and my eyes would still ring the next day! For the Colombians, they’ll sort of thump their fist against their chests and say, you know, it's all about the feeling. You know, it's about, you know, being hit with this wall of this wall of sound.
Annaliese [00:13:29] Cut through and during an audience to your soundsystem is key, as his branding. So each sound system has its own series of short promo stings to drop during tracks, all to build the hype, of course.
Tom [00:13:39] Our system is called El Gran Mono in the tradition of Colombian Picó Soundsystems we've gone with a name that’s…well, ‘El Grande’ is a term that's given to a lot of large Colombian soundsystems. We've gone with ‘Mono’ I guess for a couple of reasons. One of which is that originally was inspired by a Lee “Scratch” Perry album to, kind of, featured a large ape or gorilla on the front. Mono itself obviously means one.
Annaliese [00:14:14] And let's not forget the other key elements to Picó Soundsystems aside from their size, music and promo stings, the artwork! Blazing neon psychedelic illustrations, accentuating the name and splendour of the Picó. Take a look online, there are tons of amazing pictures.
Tom [00:14:32] I reached out on social media to a guy called Fabián Altona Romero because I was considering going to the north-coast of Brazil or Colombia to look for records. Fabian is like the number one guy on the ground on the Caribbean coast for this culture, and he introduced me to the soundsystems of Colombia and also the artwork of Master William Gutierrez. He's an art teacher by day, lives in Barranquilla. And so when I went over there in 2012, I was like, I got to have a Picó made, I've got to bring it back to Australia and I've got to have Master William paint it! I was lucky enough to be, sort of, dragged through neighbourhoods and sort of met the owners of about 10 or 15 separate Picó soundsystems. And Master William’s artwork was always the best. It uses fluro colours to highlight or accentuate the artwork itself. They're just so vibrant and um, Master William has been doing it since the sort of 60s or 70s and is one of the most celebrated and prolific artists for Picó artwork currently still painting.
Oscar [00:15:40] Positive things of, ah, Picó is the beautiful exposure of culture and the visually, it's something that what really attracts a lot of the people that pass through from other countries, and I think that's what inspired Tom and L.P to say, hey, you know, this is something this is amazing, and say hey let's just do something like that in Melbourne. I hope that it just continues to, to, be celebrated because art and music has a great connection into our culture and how we how we evolve as a community as well.
Tom [00:16:18] You know, I mean these kind of Afro-Colombian communities in... in Barranquilla, they're playing kind of a Kenyan Benga and, you know, Soukous and, you know, like Congolese Rumba and like virtually no Colombian music at all. It's just all African music. The hope is, and this was never really created for us to deejay on, you know, for these two white guys to have “discovered” this culture and brought it back to Australia, you know, and here we've discovered this thing and everybody look at it…it’s not about that. We want to bring it in and have it at festivals, um, have it at community events and try and change a bit of the narrative around what Colombia means to Australians as well. And that means, um, yeah, getting people playing Afrobeat on it or, you know, you know, having yeah. We can have rare African vinyl collectors on it. That's great. And, you know, I'm all about that as well, but, we also want to make it accessible.
Johnny [00:17:13] If you hear a great ape screaming from a distance, it could be a great mono having a Verbena in a neighbourhood near you
Annaliese [00:17:33] Before the pandemic, Picós in their native Colombia were the target of massive government crackdowns, but fortunately in recent times a more sympathetic mayor in the Barranquilla area has relaxed things a little. And now during lockdown many of the Picós have taken their music online for people to enjoy—we’ll share the links to this.
And since this was recorded El Gran Mono has been built and started many a party for those around Melbourne…We look forward to when it can return to doing what it does best! Check out their website or social media to hear some DJ mixes and stay in the loop!
Thank you to Johnny El P, Tom Noonan and Oscar Jimenez for sharing their stories. Thank you also to Fabien Altahona Romero on the ground in Barranquilla for his encyclopaedic and passionate Picó brain, he gave extra resources for this story including some of the images accompanying this episode! And thanks to Beth Atkinson Quinton for her editorial support and First Kiss Goodnight for our theme music. I’ll see you next time on All Ears!Thanks for your ears on this show, I’m thrilled to have you with us - I’ve just got a quick favour to ask so that more people find out about All Ears - please rate us and leave a review in your preferred podcast platform, it’s really quick and easy to do and makes a huge difference to the show and how many people hear it!
Multiple voices [SFX: Broadwave, Broadwave, Broadwave, Broadwave, Broadwave.]