♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ Ahora me busca la policía ♪ ♪ Porque tengo la mercancía ♪ ♪ Allá en el cerro se metieron y sonaron los fierros ♪ ♪ Hasta los gringos me quieren llevar ♪ ♪ Ahora me quieren extraditar ♪ ♪ Hasta mis amigos me dicen patrón ♪ ♪ Porque tengo finca, porque tengo avión ♪ ♪ Escoltas, nenas y una mansión ♪ ♪ Y no me falta el dólar en la cartera ♪ ♪ Y una caleta grande que no la tiene cualquiera ♪ ♪ Y llaman de la carretera ♪ ♪ Me dicen que van llegando ♪ ♪ Que si cruzan la frontera ♪ ♪ Terminamos coronando ♪ MADE IN COLOMBIA ♪♪ Edgar: My name is Jacob Edgar.

I'm an explorer, but I don't search for lost cities or ancient ruins.

I'm on the quest for a different kind of treasure -- music.

[ Man singing in foreign language ] ♪♪ Edgar: As an ethnomusicologist and world-music record producer, I travel the globe hunting for the best songs the world has to offer, and I suffer through some of the worst so you don't have to.

[ Man singing in foreign language ] Edgar: I've got a backstage pass to the world's music, and I won't stop until I've heard it all.

[ Man singing in native language ] ♪♪ [ Grunting ] ♪♪ I'm at nearly 9,000 feet, or 3,000 meters above sea level, deep in the heart of the Andean forest.

But don't worry -- "Music Voyager" is not about to become some stodgy wildlife show.

It might not look like it, but I'm only about ten minutes away from the heart of downtown Bogotá, Colombia, one of the biggest cities in Latin America.

I'm here with "Music Voyager" to explore a country that has one of the hottest music scenes on the planet.

So I think it's time for me to leave this tropical jungle and head down to... the urban jungle.

♪ Corre que te corre ♪ ♪ Y huele a limero ♪ ♪ Que de que tarda el tiempo, te coge... ♪ ♪ Corre que te corre ♪ As long as I can remember, I've wanted to come to Colombia.

And when we first started this program, I said to Farook, the producer of the show -- He asked me to make my top ten list of countries that I wanted to visit.

And Colombia, I think, was probably number one on that list.

That's because Colombia is the source for some of the most exciting and fascinating music in all of Latin America, from diverse roots and tropical music, to cutting-edge pop, rock, and more.

I think if you asked the average person what they think of when they think of Colombia, it's the three C's -- cocaine, cartels, and coffee.

The reality is so different than the perception, it's unbelievable.

You know, I mean, Colombia is an incredibly beautiful country.

It has incredibly beautiful people.

And, of course, for me, what I care about most -- It has unbelievable music.

♪ Te coge el... ♪ Lately, innovative deejays, producers, and musicians in Bogotá and beyond have been creating a 21st-century blend of electronic beats with folkloric influences that manages to keep traditions vibrant and meaningful for a new generation.

To help put the current Colombian music scene into perspective, I sit down with Iván Benavides, a groundbreaking producer, musician, and scholar who has himself played an important role in the development of what has been dubbed the electro tropical sound.

I think most people outside of Colombia have no idea how rich this country is musically.

I mean, what -- what is going on here?

Why is it like this?

I don't know.

But right now we have music from traditional music, to electronic, to hip-hop, to rock, to jazz, to improvisation, to avant-garde music.

Yeah.

And I think this diversity is hard to find in other places.

♪ Y huele a limero ♪ ♪ Que de que tarda el tiempo, te coge... ♪ I'm going to meet my first band here in Bogotá -- La Mojarra Eléctrica.

Mojarra is a kind of fish, so the band's name means "the electric fish."

And they're a great example of what's going on in the music scene here in Bogotá.

They're taking traditional elements, modern influences, mixing them all together, and the result is really incredible.

La Mojarra Eléctrica brings me to where the band first started -- playing on the busy corner of 19th Street and 7th Avenue in downtown Bogotá.

[ Up-tempo music plays ] How did the idea for the group come together?

Each one of us has been through a different process to get into this new musical movement because, let's say, La Mojarra is one of the pioneers of a movement that's originating in Colombia and that has to do with traditional Afro-Colombian music.

That's right.

You guys were one of the first to really take traditional rhythms and put them in a modern context.

♪ Me voy, me voy pa' volverme rico en los "Nueva Yores" ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Me voy echando pa' "Nueva Yores" ♪ What does Mojarra Eléctrica represent in the Colombian music scene?

They have this powerful sound and this attitude that is kind of punk, but from a small village... Yeah.

...living in a big city.

It's the sound of immigrants living in a big city.

♪♪ ♪ ¿Qué fue?

¿Qué pasó?

♪ ♪ Vos sabé que aquí es que tenemos el flow ♪ ♪ Ríe, llora... ♪ Let's wait for Marlen, too.

Yes, yes.

Ah.

Do you guys want to be interviewed?

We have some new members of the group.

Who do we have here?

¿Quién es?

-Marlen.

-Marlen.

Jacob.

Nice to meet you.

Jacob.

Pleasure to meet you.

Lucho, the guitar player.

Lucho.

It's a pleasure.

♪ Por el hueco ♪ ♪ Adiós, me voy ♪ Attention all... and Colombians trying to swim across the Rio Grande border from Mexico to the United States.

This dangerous band goes by the name of La Mojarra Eléctrica!

♪♪ ♪ Que me voy pa' Nueva York!

♪ ♪ Pa' volverme rico, mamá ♪ ♪ Pa' volverme millonario ♪ What is it about Bogotá?

I mean, is there anything special about Bogotá that has made this music happen?

Of course.

Look, we have something very interesting here.

Here we have two people from Bogotá.

She's from Guapi.

I'm from Cali.

Back there, we have people from... Oh, there's more.

...Guapi, from Santa Marta.

How are you?

What's interesting about this is that since this is a big metropolis, the country's capital, a lot of different cultures come together here, and different characters bring their own, distinct influences, interests, and feelings from their hearts, from which a distinct sound is created.

That's great.

Everybody sing with me!

[ Vocalizing ] ♪ Por el hueco ♪ ♪ Hoy me voy, me voy, me voy ♪ ♪ Por el hueco ♪ ♪ Hoy me voy, me voy, me voy ♪ ♪ Por el hueco ♪ ♪ Me voy pa' Nueva York ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Ba-ba-ba, da-da ♪ Edgar: One of the first people to experiment with blending electronic beats and traditional Colombian rhythms and melodies isn't even a native of Latin America.

Richard Blair is a British deejay and music producer who had a hand in one of the biggest-selling albums in Colombian music history -- Carlos Vives' "La Tierra del Olvido."

But it was with his own Sidestepper project that Blair inspired the now-thriving electro tropical movement.

A British guy in Colombia.

How did you end up here?

I mean, what's the story?

I was working as an engineer at Real World Studios in England.

Peter Gabriel's... Peter Gabriel's place.

Yeah.

And there were five engineers on the staff, and it could have been any one of us... Yeah.

...but it was me who recorded Totó la Momposina.

Who's one of the great legends of Colombian music.

She is one of the great folk divas of this country.

And she's now 70, I think, and she's like my mum here.

And we only spent a week together back in '91.

But being a very hospitable Colombian, she invited me to Colombia, and, "Come down, hang out," and I thought I'd come for a month at most.

Yeah.

And that was in '93, and I'm still here.

♪ Oye ♪ ♪♪ A lot of people in Colombia tell me that Sidestepper was really a pioneering project and helped introduce electronic music into the Colombian scene.

And now it's everywhere.

Yeah.

Do you agree with that?

I'm kind of, like, praising you.

[ Laughs ] I think it's -- A lot of it is right place, right time.

A lot of it is what was happening culturally all 'round the world from the mid-'90s.

♪ Dile que se levante ♪ ♪ Ay, Curura ♪ ♪ Ay, que me muero por ir ♪ ♪ Ay, Curura ♪ ♪ Ay, que yo la quiero ver ♪ ♪ Ay, Curura ♪ [ Vocalizing ] Edgar: While onstage and albums, Sidestepper draws on breakbeat, drum and bass, dub, trip-hop, and other electronic influences, traditional Afro-Colombian music is the foundation of their sound.

♪♪ [ Vocalizing ] Of course, even though they're performing a traditional cumbia on Richard's roof-deck, they can't help but throw in a few modern flavors, as well.

♪ Ay, Curura vente pa' acá, mira ♪ ♪ Contigo yo quiero bailar na' má' ♪ ♪ Oye, esta noche hay que gozar ♪ ♪ Porque Sidestepper acaba de llegar... ♪ Revisiting Colombian traditions is a pretty new phenomenon in Colombian music.

Extremely.

And like a lot of developing countries, there has been -- it's not so bad now -- but a terrible inferiority complex here.

And anything of ours that's rough and ready and African -- "We don't know want to know about that.

We just want to know about foreign and America and glitz and glamor and so on."

So thankfully, that is gradually dissipating, and there's more work to do.

Yeah.

And it'll take another decade for this to really sink in.

But... Yeah.

...I'm hugely, hugely satisfied to have even been part of it and very grateful, yeah.

♪ Si fueres a la montaña ♪ ♪ Ay, Curura ♪ ♪ Si fueres a la montaña ♪ ♪ Ay, Curura ♪ [ Vocalizing, applause ] [ Music ends, shouting ] ♪♪ Edgar: While Columbia's been through some hard times, most Colombians are putting the past behind them and looking positively toward the future.

A great example of this spirit is Edwin Matis, a young track cyclist who's training for the 2012 Paralympics.

Edwin lost his left hand to a land mine -- still a serious problem in Colombia.

The legacy of years of brutal guerrilla warfare.

But like so many Colombians these days, Edwin isn't dwelling on his troubles.

Instead, he's rising to the challenge and aiming for success.

♪ Es muy elegante... ♪ ♪ Un nuevo querer ♪ Edgar: So I've been riding around the track here with Edwin Matis, who is training for the Paralympics in 2012 in track cycling.

And I'm asking him -- It's -- It's difficult enough to train for a sport at the Olympic level, but this extra challenge makes it even tougher.

Why does he continue doing it?

Why do you keep doing this?

Well, I really didn't do this before the accident, but after the accident, I got the opportunity to practice the sport.

And as time went by, I realized this is a very beautiful sport.

It is a high performance sport, but I like it.

That's why I keep practicing.

It's like a way to improve yourself.

Uh-huh.

So your accident hasn't stopped you from -- from following your dreams?

No.

It's like exactly the other way around -- You feel more encouraged to fight to achieve it.

So, it's like something that made me want to keep going.

♪♪ Edgar: "Music Voyager's" director, Kelly Magelky, is himself an elite athlete, so he knows firsthand how much work people like Edwin have to put in to succeed at their sports, even without the additional challenge of a physical handicap.

It's a nice moment when Kelly gives one of his own team jerseys to Edwin.

♪ Ya verás con las ganas que tú te quedas ♪ ♪ Que no sabes lo que no te enteras ♪ ♪♪ This is The System.

Now you know.

Let's go.

♪♪ I was watching a video from one of my favorite Colombian bands, Systema Solar.

I've never seen them perform live before, but their video "Bienvenidos" is just an amazing amalgam of color and rhythm and energy.

It's totally uniquely Colombian.

♪ Ven, baila con nosotros ♪ ♪ Systema Solar ♪ This is The System.

Now you know.

It really made me think of this place.

Covered from floor to ceiling with art, sculpture, and random tchotchkes that blend folk art with a reverential pop art sensibility, Andrés Carne de Res is a massive and truly unique restaurant.

I thought it would be great to invite Systema Solar to do a session for a "Music Voyager" here.

♪ Systema Solar ♪ Wepa!

♪♪ Edgar: Systema Solar, which means "solar system" in English, represent the colorful, creative, cutting-edge, and just a little bit crazy energy of today's Colombian music scene.

♪ Esta es la manera System distinta ♪ ♪ Que pinta, que pica y se hincha, se pincha ♪ ♪ Hazte lo que quieras, liberas, ¿que esperas?

♪ ♪ Fronteras no hay Yo quiero mi viejo que esto ♪ ♪ Se escuche en hawai ♪ ♪ Autóctono ♪ ♪ Con otro tono mi mono colombiano ♪ ♪ Así lo hago a mi modo ♪ ♪ Me jodo del tono con todo ♪ ♪ Viajando pa' arriba como el apolo ♪ ♪ ¿Qué?

¿Cómo?

♪ ♪ Como el apolo ♪ Systema Solar.

Where are they coming from?

I love the way they work because they are a sound system.

But more than a sound system, they are a system.

Their members live in different places, you know.

Right.

From Santa Marta and Cartagena and Barranquilla and Bogotá.

So they work together online most of the time.

But when they met together, it's wild, amazing, and very postmodern.

iBienvenido!

♪♪ [ Vocalizing ] One, two, three, four.

♪ Tumba que tumba, que tumba, tumba ♪ ♪ Tumba que tumba, que tumba, don ♪ ♪ Tumba que tumba, que tumba, tumba ♪ ♪ Tumba que tumba, que tumba, don ♪ ♪ Bienvenidos al concierto musical ♪ ♪ Con el estéreo video láser mas popular del mundo ♪ ♪ El preferido por todo el... ♪ Edgar: It turns out that the mule-driven sound system featured in their music video for "Bienvenidos" is based on something they actually saw in real life in Colombia.

Truth is often stranger than fiction.

And they were, like, in the -- in the highway... Edgar: Uh-huh.

...with [Laughs] with -- like, carrying, like, a sound system, you know, to...

So...

So this was -- You didn't make this up.

Woman: This was real.

It's real.

Yeah.

It was just -- I said, like, "That's huge, you know?"

And the photo of our album, it's... Well, we have that photograph.

[ Vocalizing ] ♪♪ Hey, hey, hey!

♪♪ ♪♪ Mm.

Systema Solar was awesome, but I haven't had enough of Andrés Carne de Res.

I'm gonna come back here on Saturday night when I've been told the place is packed, the music is rocking, and the party goes all night long.

[ Robotic voice ] Here I come.

Andrés Carne de Res.

[ Laughs ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Edgar: Andrés Carne de Res definitely lives up to its reputation as the place to be on a Saturday night.

Music is blaring and everybody's drunk and having a great time, so...

I'm gonna go check it out.

♪♪ ♪ Oye ♪ The scene inside is loco, with about 3,000 people dancing on tables and drinking large amounts of guaro, the Colombian liquor.

It's a tough place to bring a TV crew, but after trying to squeeze our way through the crowds, we just decide to throw in our hats, go with the flow, and join in on the fun.

[ Glass shattering ] I heard the glass break.

That means the party's started.

It's about 1:00 in the morning, and this place is just starting to get hot.

I mean, the party's probably gonna go on for hours.

♪♪ ♪♪ [ Shouting ] ♪♪ Edgar: Probably the most popular electro tropical group on the Bogotá scene today is Bomba Estéreo, a scorching quartet fronted by the incredibly charismatic and energetic singer Liliana Saumet.

Man: 11... 10, 9... Ignition sequence start.

♪ Y grita fuego!

♪ ♪ Mantenlo prendido, fuego!

♪ Edgar: The group's founder and musical mastermind is Simón Mejía, who asked me to meet him in a square near where he grew up.

Simón, here are we?

We are in Plaza de Lourdes.

This is the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes.

This is a very popular square here in Bogotá.

It has a very local character from Bogotá.

And it also feels very Colombian because it reflects an old Spanish tradicion that remains very strong in all the squares in cities and towns around this country.

I see.

Squares with a big church.

Let's go explore a little.

Let's go exploring.

♪ Y aquí viene Bomba Estéreo, viene con to'... ♪ How would you describe the concept of Bomba Estéreo to somebody who hadn't heard the group before?

I think -- Liliana and I always say that this is a mixture of coast and mountain.

Coast and mountain?

Coast and mountain.

Or sancocho, which is a traditional stew from our coastal region, and ajiaco... Ah, okay.

...the traditional dish from Bogotá.

I like that description.

That's a nice description.

[ Laughs ] ♪♪ ♪ Mantenlo prendido ♪ What are these?

We call this fruit mamoncillo.

Mamoncillo.

Mamoncillo.

This fruit is also very traditional in Colombia.

Try it.

Okay.

It's like eating an eyeball.

[ Laughs ] A Colombian eyeball.

♪♪ This is an interesting street.

I seem to see a lot of guys in funny suits with guitars and big hats.

What's going on here?

As you can see, that is really popular here in Colombia.

Ah.

Okay.

It's a traditional part of local parties here.

People drive out here at night and hire these bands so that they can go play for them at local parties.

And then they come back here.

They work all night.

And not only mariachi bands.

There are also bands that play genres like llanera, vallenato, trio, bolero.

I used to play mariachi.

Oh, really?

Yes.

I took -- I can't believe that.

Yes.

I play trumpet.

I studied mariachi in -- in college.

Believe it or not.

So you might end up playing a demo...

Uh... ...to show your trumpet-playing skills.

Uh...mm...

Okay.

[ Up-tempo music plays ] ♪♪ Edgar: I guess if this TV thing doesn't work out, I could throw on some studded skintight pants, a huge sombrero, grow a big ol' mustache, and try to make it as a mariachi.

[ Trumpet playing ] All right!

All right!

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] ♪♪ ♪ Tráeme un frasco pa' guardar ♪ ♪ La sangre que se derrama de mi corazón ♪ Edgar: Later, I connect with Bomba Estéreo for a stripped-down performance of one of their new songs at Gaira, a restaurant owned by Colombian star Carlos Vives.

Artifacts and collectibles from most of the biggest names in Colombian music are on display, from Shakira's skirt, to Juanes' guitar.

It's a fun place for music fans to explore.

♪ Pa' nunca más dejar de respirar ♪ ♪ Por dentro y tráeme un cuerpo ♪ ♪ Un cuerpo, un cuerpo ♪ ♪ Que este ya no va más ♪ ♪ Y tráeme un cuerpo ♪ ♪ Un cuerpo, un cuerpo ♪ ♪ Que este ya no va más ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Desesperadamente, sueño y despierto ♪ ♪ Que con tu calor y energía me alimento ♪ ♪ Siento que si probara un poco más de esto ♪ ♪ Por las mañanas, ya no me despierto ♪ ♪ Mis ojos, respiración a tus ojos ♪ ♪ Les dicen que existen ♪ ♪ Los veo de reojo ♪ ♪ Yo solamente quiero conocerte ♪ ♪ Y por la noche las manos te cojo ♪ ♪ Yo solo pido un espacio pa' respirar ♪ ♪ Porque si te tengo cerca, puedo volar ♪ ♪ Y es que no quiero ponerme a pensar ♪ ♪ Solo respiro y te digo la verdad ♪ ♪ Mi sentimiento, es un sentimiento ♪ ♪ No pido aprobación ni tu consentimiento ♪ ♪ No te pregunto, solo te cuento ♪ ♪ A mi no me molesta pa'na este sentimiento ♪ ♪ Yo solo pido un espacio pa' respirar ♪ ♪ Yo solo pido un espacio pa' respirar ♪ ♪ Yo solo pido un espacio pa' respirar ♪ ♪ Pa' respirar ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Pa' respirar ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Pa' respirar ♪ ♪ Y es que no quiero ponerme a pensar ♪ ♪ Solo respiro y te digo la verdad ♪ ♪ Y es que no quiero ponerme a pensar ♪ ♪ Solo respiro y te digo la verdad ♪ ♪ Y es que no quiero ponerme a pensar ♪ ♪ Solo respiro y te digo la verdad ♪ ♪ Y es que no quiero ponerme a pensar ♪ ♪ Solo respiro y te digo la verdad ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Y es que no quiero, no quiero, no quiero ♪ ♪ Porque vos tenés algo ♪ ♪ Porque quiero hacer contacto ♪ ♪ ¿Acaso no me ves?

♪ ♪ ¿Será que hablo al revés?

♪ ♪ ¿Será algo de temor?

♪ Edgar: Like Colombia itself, my exploration of Bogotá's vibrant electro tropical sound has been full of surprises.

A new spirit has taken over the city, one inspired by diversity, creativity, and a positive, youthful energy.

It's a sign of the times and a sure indication that the future of Colombia's music scene is bright.

♪ Quiero esa noche que recuerde ♪ ♪ Y que me bese ♪ ♪ Solo ese ♪ ♪ Como si no hubiera otra en la vida ♪ ♪ Ay, ninguna ♪ ♪ Es solo una ♪ ♪ Y son esos los ojos que de frente de repente ♪ ♪ Me miran fijamente hasta cegarnos ♪ ♪ Siente, siente ♪ ♪ Y solo ver no es suficiente ♪ ♪ Y me da algo de temor ♪ ♪ Acercarme a su calor ♪ ♪ Que no es dolor ni ningún horror ♪ ♪ Moriría por verle frente a frente ♪ ♪ Y sentirle de repente ♪ ♪ Con toda confianza, con toda sinceridad ♪ [ Vocalizing ]