The sound of a cultural crossroads

Todo Mundo’s new album fuses foreign genres seamlessly

By Sandie Torres | SDUN Reporter

Santiago Orozco, Stephen Gentillalli, Matt Bozzone, Mateo Davies and Meir Shitrit met by coincidence, but it was this serendipitous meeting that resulted in the blended sounds of rumba, reggae and samba, all of which can be heard in Todo Mundo’s new album, Conexion.

The band’s union came about by a leap of faith taken by Orozco, the band’s lead vocalist and guitarist. Music found him at an early age when he picked up a guitar in his native home of Colombia. He would play for fun. He would play to see the happiness brought to his listeners.

Because of the joy others found in his music, Orozco decided to dedicate his life to the cause. Guided by a song he heard titled, “I wanna go to San Diego,” the Columbian arrived four years ago in San Diego and started playing at street fairs and farmers’ markets. In this fashion, he gradually met and came to know the group’s other four members. This is how, little by little, Orozco formed what is today known as “Todo Mundo.”

Conexion is the band’s first official LP, but not their first hit as Todo Mundo—they took home the 2011 San Diego Music Award for best world music album. Orozco humbly admits that the first compilation was “something a little more organic with only three musicians … more like a demo.”

“World Music” is the perfect label for their new album. Its fourteen tracks encompass a beat that can’t be claimed by any single country or region.

The songs “Flying Through the Air” and “Freedom” both have a distinct reggae sound that transport you to Bahamian beaches, toes in the sand under the Caribbean sun, calypso sounds beating. If it’s a little salsa beat you seek, fast-forward to their twelfth track titled “Todo Mundo.” However, if you’re setting the mood for a sultry, candle-lit evening with your significant other, “Escucha Now” will be sure to please.

Despite its diversity, Orozco doesn’t like to view the album as a catalog of songs from around the world.

“[The Music] has the power to unite people,” said Santiago.

With this in mind, Todo Mundo encompassed the sounds of South America, Spain and the Caribbean into a masterful blend to the point that, listening to the album, you can’t help but to sway in your chair, and it’s difficult to stay in the chair for long.

The smooth beat of the drums, bass and guitar in songs like “Cuba,” “Escucha Que” and “Yemaya” put you in a trance-like state, eyes closed, arms up in the air, the music moving you.

The message in Todo Mundo’s music, Santiago explained, is that “music puts everyone in the same place, under the philosophy that we are all the same through music.”

Todo Mundo is dedicated exclusively to creating music and, in four short years together, has been able to develop a unique sound. They call this new genre “world fusion” with Conexion being its prodigy child. It is a sound that no matter your religion, country or background, brings people together.

The band is currently on tour and will be at Gallager’s in Ocean Beach on Dec. 14th. Conexion is available on iTunes. For a full list of where you can find Todo Mundo, visit todomundomusic.com.