A unique tradition exists in towns along the Caribbean coast of Colombia. With their gigantic, technicolour speakers, the music and culture of Picós are distinctly Afro-Colombian and exist only in specific towns and neighbourhoods in the region. Now for the first time, a Picó soundsystem is being built outside of Colombia —in Melbourne. In this episode we look at the distinct music and cultural diaspora that created Picó soundsystems, the power of music to connect people and bridge class divides, and Colombia’s increasing connection to Australia.

Guests: Johnny El P, Tom Noonan and Oscar Jimenez
Intro Theme: First Kiss Goodnight - “Story One”
Music Credits: Victoria Jazz Band - “Stevin Ojwango (Dholuo)”, Hernando Hernández - “La Viuda De Pescado”, Adolfo Echeverria y Su Conjunto - “Amaneciendo”, Kanda Bongo Man - “Sai”, Daniel Owino Misani - “Otieno Owing Ramogi”, Son Palenque - “Adios Batata”

All Ears is produced and presented by Annaliese Redlich, with mentorship and editorial support from the Broadwave team. For episode transcripts and more information head to broadwavepods.com/allears

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