Since the 1960s the Picó phenomenon has been growing in Colombia’s northern coast, becoming one of the most distinctive, massive and highly discussed music-related practices in the region. Showing resemblances with the parties held in the context of the Jamaican Soundsystem, the Picó is a gigantic and colourful sound device used in public parties thrown mostly in popular black neighbourhoods in northern cities such as Cartagena and Barranquilla, where very exclusive and hard-to-find African and Caribbean vinyl records are played at very high volumes through its technologically enhanced speakers. The term Picó makes reference as well to the different business ventures that still manage these parties and that began to compete with each other by developing differentiated musical selections and visual aesthetics for their events. Over time, the Picó phenomenon gave way to a music industry of its own, developing itself in a conflicting relationship with urban legal regulations and copyright laws; also, it generated a cult of followers who, on time, began developing local recordings that reflected and even copied these influences. Their style of music ultimately became very popular in Colombia under the name of champeta criolla.

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              Andrés Gualdrón

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