Monte Raises Environmental Awareness Via Lush Electronic and Natural Music

Monte is the project of Simón Mejía of Bomba Estéreo, whose new record Mirla is a meeting of electronic dance, ambient music, and environmental sounds. Mejía describes how he was inspired by the traditional folk music of Colombia, and Indigenous music from all over the Americas, which is largely based on bird sounds and natural sounds. So, Mejía got a really good microphone to put on his phone, and that every time he went on a trip in Colombia, to the jungles of the Amazon or along the Magdalena River, he would take recordings of the environment (Sounds and Colours.)

On, Mirla, Mejía’s approach to his art of using these environmental sounds to help people reconnect with nature is an indirect, yet thoughtful one. By centering less on speaking or writing songs about fighting against deforestation and mining, and concentrating his music on the sounds of birds, waves, or the deep Amazon jungle, he hopes to bring an awareness to climate issues. Monte (Simón Mejía) performs a set of these songs, remotely from his location of Bogota, Colombia.

Set list: "Mirla," "Sol," "Jungla"

This is "Sol":

Here is the full set: