Cienfue – “Life in the Tropics” (premiere)

Kaleidoscopic images open the video for “Life in the Tropics”, the English-language debut track from Cienfue, the alias of Panamanian artist Camilo Navarro Quelquejeu. They suggest something more dynamic than dreaming, a barrage of color, smoke, and bold imagery that perfectly fits Cienfue’s blend of Latin pop sounds and electronic beats – his signature psicodelia tropical.

It’s hard to get more psicodélico or more tropical than the substances inspiring Quelquejeu. “Inspired by the Ayahuasca movement, ‘Life in the Tropics’ takes us on a psychedelic romp through the jungle,” he explains. “A significant Ayahuasca movement is happening right now where the shamans are leaving the jungles to awaken people to higher realms of consciousness and connection to the Earth.”

The transcendently hallucinogenic quality of the video for “Life in the Tropics” meshes well with steady rhythms and mellow synths, breathing life into the echoes surrounding Quelquejeu’s relaxing voice. It makes for a perfect first foray into the Anglophone market for Cienfue, an infectious and overwhelmingly enjoyable single that entrances and envelops its listener with natural warmth and a sense of rapturous freedom.

“Life in the Tropics” marks the very beginning of Cienfue’s next artistic era. Over the next year, he intends to release monthly singles in anticipation of a full, 13-track English-language album of electronic pop music that takes cues from the vast diversity of Latin American roots music and more contemporary sonic elements alike. With a remix of this first track in the works courtesy of producer ill Factor and a keen sense for combining digital and analog flavors, Cienfue, well-established throughout Central and South America, is poised to take the United States by storm, too – and the tempest he conjures on “Life in the Tropics” is a welcome one.