Babaloo

Take the rock out of punk rock, add mambo, and you've got punk-mambo! Meet Babaloo.

Since 1994, the self-proclaimed inventors of punk-mambo and hardcore-juju have been exposing their audience of loonies, clergymen, bearded ladies, acrobats and gangstas to the infectious rhythms and melodies of their unique multilingual sound.

So what are punk-mambo and hardcore-juju? It is a mix of soukous, mambo, chacha, samba, reggae, ska and cumbia, sautéed with some special ingredients and blended with the energy and wise-guy antics of punk. Perhaps it is best to describe the music of Babaloo as the bastard child of King Sunny Ade and the Ramones or Tito Puente and the Sex Pistols.

Either way, Punk Mambo will get you dancing and smiling. —Courtesy Calabash Music