Another mixtape for Festival Cordillera 2022

We’ve made a playlist of some of the highlights coming up on Sunday at Festival Cordillera 2022 in the Parque Simón Bolívar. 

This weekend sees the Festival Cordillera 2022 rock up in Parque Simón Bolívar. It’ll feature the very best of Latin talent both established and up-and-coming. Tickets are still available, and they’ll even plant a tree to celebrate your purchase. We’ve made a playlist featuring the Saturday superstars, now it’s time to look at Sunday’s artists. There are four stages – Aconcagua is the main stage, then Cotopaxi and Cocuy as smaller setups. There’s also a tent for when it gets cold, the Bosque Electrónica.

Conociendo Rusia (2pm, Aconcagua) kick things off on Sunday afternoon. The young Argentine and his band are looking to emulate the successes of yesterday’s headliners. It’s a radically different sound though, measured and softly emotive rather than exuberant and raucous.  He’s in the running at the Latin Grammys this year with Disfraz.

If you’re not into guitars this early, get on board with N. Hardem (2.15pm, Cocuy) for some raw hip-hop. Eschewing the clichés of gangs and guns, his songs speak to the soul rather than bling. He’s actually a lovely guy face to face, by the way. Although a lot of his older stuff is lo-fi genius, he’s slightly more polished these days, as you can see in Quest. It’s calmer and less urgent, but retains a quiet power. Going from strength to strength.

For a certain type of Bogotano, Aterciopelados (3.45pm, Aconcagua) are literally the stereotype. These idiosyncratic hippie-rockers are as Teusaquillo as it comes. It’s fairly standard 90s soft-Latin-rock in the Soda Stéreo mould. But back in the day, it was revolutionary. You’ve likely heard this song in the background before, but in case you’ve not caught the name, it’s Bolero Falaz.

He used to be a boy bander. Now he’s older and wiser but still has all the flair of his youth. Draco Rosa (5.45pm, Aconcagua) is heartfelt and broodingly intense. Let’s just hope he keeps his other ‘pink dragon’ in his pants, and not Dentro de Ti.

Don’t be fooled by the name, because Akapellah (6.15pm, Cocuy) actually has a sparse backing track to accompany his laconic lyrics. He switches effortlessly between almost catatonically slow choruses and quick staccato raps. A good sense of fun too, as seen in the video for Como Mario.

Julieta Venegas (6.45pm, Cotopaxi) has a hell of a voice and her whimsical songs belie a sort of constant mild heartbreak. It’s all rather uplifting in a way. A nice background for taking some time out, standing at the back and eating some chips to. Time to take it Lento, in other words.

Shockingly not on the main stage, La Etnnia (7.45pm, Cocuy) are as Bogotano as cheese in your chocolate. There’s nothing cheesy about their music though, with sharp social commentary about the harsh realities of la nevera scything through sparse hip-hop soundscapes that recall Cypress Hill. If Aterciopelados are the sound of Teusa, Etnnia are the sound of the periphery, where most of Bogotá really is. We’ve gone with Manicomio 5-27:

Hailing from, errr, the Welsh borders, Quantic (8pm, Bosque Electrónica) is nonetheless as Pacific as they come. It seems strange that a Midlander might have fallen into the West African-influenced rhythms of tropical Colombian music, but don’t take our word for it. He’s got the approval of the likes of Pacific legend Nidia Góngora, showcased in Que Me Duele.

Zoé (10.15pm, Aconcagua) are the first of a Mexican headline pair. The better of the two, they’ve got a very Britpop feel, echoing the likes of Suede or Placebo, even if they do veer dangerously close to U2 territory at times. Light guitars dance slowly over a full bottom end, accompanied by lyrics that evoke the gritty glamour of a crack den in an antique shop. In Bogotá you’ll never see the stars, so Vía Lactea can at least let you hear them.

Ending the festival, although across the way, are the other big-name Mexicans, Café Tacvba (11.45pm, Cotopaxi). They absolutely tore Rock al Parque to pieces last time they hit Colombia, in 2019. Expect to see tens of thousands of rolos bouncing along when they hit Ingrata somewhere in the middle of their set.