How could I not like this? The recipe is perfect: take a bonafide hit from a phenomenal Afro-Colombian folk singer, and put Uproot Andy to work.
Señor Andy is one of the prophets of tropical bass, breathing new life into traditional music. The video (made by Ghostleg) brings out the politics... it's dark and uneasy, just like the music.
It's relentlessly sinister and grating music: not the happy tune of the original. The original is a straightforward anthem: "la vida vale la pena" literally means "life's worth the struggle", and it details how the campesinos make their living from the land. But the remix shows how unfair the burdens placed on poor rural people are. They are ruthlessly exploited by their governments and by industry - their lives do not need to be so full of struggle.
If you want something gentler and more beautiful, watch the original: the video's also a beautiful lo-fi depiction of rural Colombia.
More "sinister" than the original? I agree the electronic bass/treble is particularly grating, but I feel that this cumbersome/plodding anthem is needed to equalise the minor tonality of the lyrical voice. The original is very beautiful, but I personally thought it sounded quite sad... Xx
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