“Yo Te Vi” introduces Calima, a collaboration between London collective Balimaya Project and Colombia’s Discos Pacífico All Stars. The project takes its name from the Saharan dust that crosses the Atlantic to Colombia’s Pacific coast, framing music as another invisible bridge linking continents.

Composed in Tumaco and recorded in Bogotá, “Yo Te Vi” is built on the melancholic juga form, with William Jair Martínez Riascos on lead vocals and Angie Lizeth Micolta Ospina adding Pacific ensemble harmonies. Balafon and marimba establish the track’s interlocking foundation, while percussion stretches from cununo, bombo, and guasá to Yoruba bata and the dunun family. Horns and Fula flute shape the melodic line, joined by hints of Congolese rumba guitar and Agbadza rhythms drawn from West Africa’s Gbé traditions.

Written by Edwin Jiménez of Bejuco, the song sets a story of love and absence within the resonance of marimba folklore. The collaboration, forged by Jazz:re:freshed and Llorona Records with support from the British Council, links the Mandé-rooted jazz language of Balimaya Project with the deep folkloric pulse of Colombia’s Pacific coast.

With Calima due for release in London this September, “Yo Te Vi” offers a precise glimpse into a transatlantic dialogue shaped by history and memory.

Explore the full story behind Calima HERE