“Ven Pa’ La Loma” – notes by Steve Roitstein

Written by Ciro Rodriguez (Peer International Corporation). Produced by Steve Roitstein

“Ven Pa’ La Loma” is the only song on the album This Is Afro-Cuban Funk that we didn’t write. The composer is Ciro Rodriguez from the incomparable Trio Matamoros. To me they are the soul of Cuban music. I’ve put in more hours listening to el Trio Matamoros than any other Cuban group. Miguel Matamoros wrote most of their famous songs, but for some reason this tune was the one I thought would be a nice vehicle for PALO! I’ve always admired the sultry poetry of the lyrics and the sexy twists and turns of the melody. It just seems timeless.

A Rare PALO! Cover Song

Despite the fact that quite a few versions of the song have been recorded, I still felt we could put our own signature on the song. I started out with a couple of slow and sleazy drum loops, and the bassline almost wrote itself. After that, the rest just fell together very quickly. Leslie put her unique stamp on the vocal; many people have commented about how incredible she sounds on this song. Ed’s playing on this tune is epic! And I love the exceptional percussion work by Raymer and Philbert.

Many of our DJ friends around the world love this song. A particular example is the great Luis “DJ El Chino” Aristizabal of DJ El Chino´s Solar Latin Club. Thanks to Luis and all the incredible DJs who support PALO! and other artists. You all help keep the music alive!