Despite not being from a Latin background and during a global pandemic, Australian artist Danny G. Felix and his band Malo Malo have achieved success in the world of salsa music, recording several tracks in Cali, Colombia, salsa's "capital".
Malo Malo is a contemporary Afro-Latin dance band with a distinct soul flavour that moves between two worlds - Australia and Colmbia - just like Mr Felix.
In 2019, they released their debut album "Australeño", with nine original tracks and one cover.
Some of Malo Malo's tracks charted internationally and have appeared in the top 100 of the "New Generation Salsa" playlists, while "Australeño" made it to Eastside Radio's "Album of the Week".
In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, Malo Malo performed at the New Year's Eve party in the Ulpiano lloreda neighbourhood.
At the same time, the following year, he recorded a live EP called "Live In Cali" 2021 at La Topa Tolondra.
"The new album is a mix of everything. It has elements of timba, urban salsa, R&B, Colombian folklore, Pacific music," Mr Felix explained to SBS Spanish.
Highlights:
- Malo Malo, led by Danny G Felix, has a Sydney version, with musicians based in Australia and Cali, the "salsa capital". Danny Goodacre, his given name, built a strong connection with some of the other members of his team. Jeimy Castillo, John Paul Avila, Hans Gonzales and Camilo Rengifo while working together in Orquesta Calibre.
- Malo Malo, a 10-piece orchestra, derives its name from Willie Colón's album "El Malo". In that salsa era (the 1970s), several songs were composed about gangsters and bad guys.
- Malo Malo released 2019 their debut album, "AUSTRALEÑO" (which includes nine original songs and one cover). Several tracks have charted internationally and appeared in the top 100 of the "New Generation Salsa" playlists. It was also "Album of the Week" on Eastside Radio.
- Their single "Finao" was "Song of the Week" on FBI Radio's Bare Necessities. In 2020, they performed at Cali's biggest New Year's Eve party in the Ulpiano lloreda neighbourhood. Later, they performed in Colombia's capital, Bogotá and Cali. They recorded a live EP, "Live In Cali", 2021 at La Topa Tolondra. Recently, they have collaborated with other emerging Latin artists from Australia.
Mr Felix said music was everything and his "religion", although sometimes it was difficult to survive.
As a result, he said he had considered other directions and loved to "combine genres, styles and find new flavours, colours, textures".
However, the challenge didn't stop there, as there was "a lot of music to investigate", such as the potential blends of Australian indigenous music and Latin rhythms, he said.
"I love listening to a lot of music, not just salsa or jazz," he said.
"I like to listen to music like R&B, and I've found people here who are very talented in that genre.
"There are excellent singers, and it inspires me to create music combining it with Latin rhythms."
He said he had recently released a single "Vente Nena", which was recorded in Colombia with Cali-born singer Carolina Mosquera.
Life hadn't been easy for artists, which is why Malo Malo's triumph had more merit, given that the pandemic years had been complicated, Mr Felix said.
For this reason, singer Richard Valdez said more support for culture in Australia was needed.
He said: "...if you take away the artistic-cultural part (of a country), you create empty minds, which has long-term consequences."
Latin music was an unexpected discovery
Malo Malo de Danny G Felix Source: Supplied
Latin music had a special place in Mr Felix's heart according to he musician.
He said he found inspiration in an endless list of artists such as the classics Roberto Roena, Grupo Niche, Eddie Palmieri, Bobby Valentin, Son 14, Orquesta Aragón, Irakere, Dan Den and NG La Banda.
"I fell in love with that music," he said.
"I fell in love with that music," he said.
He said he was introduced to Cuban music when he met Latin percussionist José Márquez at the age of 12, with whom he played in a rock band called "Flight Path".
His friend's father was a music collector and showed him Cuban music, he said.
"At first, I didn't like the salsa he showed me so much, but I went with my parents to a Latin Festival (Bacardi in Sydney) one day," Mr Felix said.
"There, I saw a salsa orchestra for the first time playing live and it was almost instantaneous that I fell in love.
"It was impressive how the musicians played together, with so much joy and how people danced."
Thanks to the support of his mother, his friend José Márquez and his father Pepe, together with his own determination, Mr Felix said he began to learn the fundamental rhythms of Latin music such as the clave, the campana, the cáscara tumbao, among others.
Then followed his professional journey, which took him to a music conservatory to perfect himself in jazz and to work on what he loved most, music, he said.
He lived in New York in 2009 where he was part of the "Steve Oquendo Latin Jazz Orchestra" and the "Boys Harbour Latin Big Band" during his five-month stay.
In addition, he worked with many jazz artists including Gregory Porter and Frank Lacey.
One of the songs on his new album, "El Robo", told the story of his first encounter with Cali, he said.
His mobile phone had been stolen while he was walking absent-mindedly through the streets of that Colombian city after many days of partying, clubbing and attending concerts, he said.
