With members from Colombia, Panama, France, Italy, and New Zealand, Pambelé is more than a band, it’s a joyful collision of cultures. Named after a Colombian boxing legend, the group blends traditional Caribbean rhythms with raw 70s energy, electric guitars, and unfiltered live passion. They have listeners from all over the world and in this interview guitarist Giles shares their story.
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Introduction
What does ‘Pambelé’ mean?
The band is named after Antonio Cervantes, aka Kid Pambelé, a Colombian featherweight boxer who became world champion. What I love about his story is that after reaching the top, he simply went on to live a peaceful, happy life. I love the name, it has a story and it packs a punch (pun intended). We felt like it’s perfect for a band like ours.
How would you describe your music to someone who’s never heard you before?
It’s compellingly energetic music that makes everyone dance, it’s music that doesn’t require any context and you don’t need to know, you can just jump in and move with us. We play with a traditional Colombian rhythm section from the Atlantic coast – no drum kit, just percussion – combined with a vintage, 70s-inspired sound.
What are your songs about?
Our singer and lyricist Yamira decided early on that this band should be about fun and good times. Many are about having a good time, about enjoying life. Light and playful. Mujer Perfecta starts out sounding like it’s about a deep theme like “the perfect woman,” but if you listen to it it’s just about dancing. But we also have more serious ones. Damelo, for instance, speaks to the importance of water in certain parts of Colombia, and the preciousness of this universal resource.
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Roots
How have different roots shaped the sound of Pambelé?
Our Colombian members Mario and Luisa bring deep roots in traditional music, they grew up with it. Palenque is a very specific region in Colombia which has it’s own cultural heritage. The rhythm section is completely based on their traditions, the way how they play together defines our sound. Another cultural element brought to the mix are the guapirreos, it sometimes sounds a bit like possessed yelling and I love it. But then we also have the harmonic section of our band, and we don’t share that same heritage. I’m from New Zealand, Paul is French. We bring rock, funk, and other western influences into the harmonic layer with guitar, organ, and synth. That clash of worlds – Colombian traditions vs. Western – is what defines our sound.
What traditions do you want to keep or challenge?
I asked Mario and Luisa this question, since they’re steeped in the Colombian tradition. What they love most is the way the music is passed down orally, generation to generation. Everyone knows it, everyone participates. It’s a living tradition. But they also pointed out one thing they’d like to change: the gender imbalance. Many traditional ensembles are male-dominated. We’d love to see more women on stage and we’re proud to already be contributing to that change.
Having the different influences, what does the concept of fusion mean to you?
To be honest, I used to associate the word “fusion” with overly complex jazz solos. But in truth, life is and endless fusion of elements. Everything is a remix of influences. We take what we’ve heard, combine it with something new and then we think we’re original. But yeah, in fact that’s exactly what we do with Pambelé: we blend traditions and sounds that wouldn’t normally meet.
Do you see a role for Pambelé in bridging cultures?
It’s not something we consciously set out to do, but it naturally happens. We’re a band based in France, with members from Colombia, Panama, New Zealand, Italy, and France. Our music is listened to all over the world — from Europe to South America to Oceania. Danceable music transcends language and borders. We’re here to play, connect, and have fun and if that brings people together, that’s a beautiful bonus.
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Live
What kind of experience do you want to give your audience?
We want people to sweat, dance, and feel joy. Our shows are loud, raw, and full of energy. We prefer venues where we’re close to the crowd, clubs and intimate festivals. There’s something contagious about watching a band go all-in on stage, yelling, jamming, visibly loving it. That’s the feeling we want to pass on. After two songs I already look like I’ve been swimming, that’s the level of intensity we bring.
What’s a live show you’ll never forget?
There are many, but one recent show stands out: during a noisy guitar solo, Alex – our maracas player – joined me in a hilarious on-stage jam and swiped my guitar with his maracas. But at some point, he vanished. Turns out he fell off the stage mid-solo. He was fine, but it was pretty legendary. Another time, we played for 2000 school kids at 9 AM, they started seated, but within minutes were on their feet waving shirts in the air. Total chaos. Total joy.
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Inspires
What’s next for Pambelé?
Right now, we’re working on our second album. Some of our band members are currently in Colombia studying with master musicians. We’re composing, preparing new material for next year, and planning to release a single soon. And also figuring out what to do with our vintage Farfisa organ. it’s beautiful, but breaks all the time. It has a too intimate relationship with our repair guy, haha.