Since 1998, composer and multi-instrumentalist Eblis Álvarez has been at the center of his musical outfit Meridian Brothers, a kaleidoscopic and imaginative Colombia-based group that explores a variety of diverse Latin American sounds.
In their performance for Global Spin, the group delivers a dizzying, fast-paced performance of "Metamorfosis," a tapestry of salsa dura, guaracha, and classic Cuban rhythm montuno that offers a lively percussion line and a mesmerizing, danceable beat.
The music is a backdrop for an equally immersive story. "'Metamorfosis' explores transhumanism through its main character who imagines waking up in Kafka-esque fashion to find himself turned into a robot," Alvarez said of the song's themes in a press release.
Meridian Brothers perform as a five-piece band in this iteration of "Metamorfosis," wearing matching outfits — patterned orange-and-white shirts and blue pants — as they careen their way through their uptempo performance of the song, which pairs a piano line against pulsing rhythm guitar and sharp percussion. At the center of it all is Alvarez' charismatic vocal delivery, with its focus on magnetic storytelling, which invites listeners to dive into the world the band is creating in song.
"Metamorfosis," which the group released earlier this spring, is the lead single off the band's forthcoming album, Meridian Brothers & El Grupo Renacimiento, out Aug. 5. As the song reflects, the album will be filled with the same amalgam of musical styles and evocative, mythical storytelling. New York City-based label Ansonia Records, which focuses on promoting Latin music in the Latin diaspora as well as across Latin America and the Caribbean, is returning from a 32-year hiatus to release this new Meridian Brothers project.
Watch Meridian Brothers' hypnotic performance of "Metamorfosis" above, and keep checking back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of Global Spin.