Banda Senderos is a large intercontinental ensemble that cooks a hot musical stew of modern cumbia, dancehall reggae, funky Afro-Latin jazz, bossa, and electronic dance-pop. Though based in Essen, Germany, its members hail from Congo, Chile, and Europe. Their lyrics are in German, Spanish, French, and English. Founded as a bossa, jazz, and pop trio in 2012 by Chilean vocalist/keyboardist Sebastián Campos, guitarist David Fiege, and drummer/percussionist Julian Kühn -- both from Germany -- by 2013, their ranks had swelled to nine members. The current lineup also includes Congo's Dan Matweta (aka Dan Brown), bassist Pascal Wenske, keyboardist and live sound producer Jacek Brzozowski, tenor saxophonist Johannes Hartogh, trumpeter Dominik Ohlmann, and trombonist Jens Kolpatzik. That fall, the ensemble entered the studio with producers Stefan Mohr and Ingo Schnorrenberg, emerging with the EP Vagabundo. Its single, "Ay Nenita" was picked up by the popular radio program Funkhaus Europa on West German Broadcasting/WDR and resonated with listeners, exposing Banda Senderos' sound to a wide European audience. The track and EP were picked up by other stations as well. The song was selected as Global Pop Hit of the Year by Radio Europe in 2014. Its popularity resulted in a club tour as well as performances in front of large audiences at festivals across Europe. Due to their intense live show, Banda Senderos' reputation spread by word of mouth, press notices, and YouTube clips. When it was time to enter the studio again, Banda Senderos re-enlisted their co-producers and emerged with the full length Mobulu. It was released in Germany in April 2015. The set's first single, "Baila," hit on several European radio charts. The album received an international release in early 2016. ~ Thom Jurek