Cienfue – Seven Cities of Gold

By: Lisa Steinberg

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) Indie. Tropical Psychedelia. Amazonian Utopic Futurism.

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) Growing up in Panama going to quinceaños parties in the 80s, the playlists were insane, one minute the golden age salsa of Ruben Blades and Willie Colon, the next the reggae sounds of reggaeton precursors like El General and Nando Boom, followed by a rock song from The Beatles or The Rolling Stones. Top that off with rock en español from Soda Stereo and Caifanes. My mind is like a melting pot. Right now, I really enjoy Jungle and Arcade Fire.

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Lost Tribes.”

A) It’s a sweaty trek through the jungle set to a rhythmic Panamanian “Pindin” indie cumbia drumbeat. It’s about a lost love that needs to be rediscovered as swirling arpeggio synths and indie guitars manifest sonic fractals around you.

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

A) I think both the vocal melody and the cumbia rhythm are quite infectious.

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

A) I see it like a jigsaw puzzle. Both the music and keywords in the lyrics are like the pieces, and I like scrambling and putting them together in unexpected ways.

Q) How much of a hand do you have in the production of your music?

A) Very involved, Cienfue is me. I start with demos and ideas on my phone, progress to jamming them out with my band and finally through to the recording and editing process. I love editing and mixing myself actually.

Q) Seven Cities of Gold is the title of your upcoming album. What are some themes that you will be exploring on it?

A) Amazonian Utopic Futurism. Trying to create a landscape that feels like a primeval rainforest combined with an elevated positive vibration. Exporting tropical vibes from Panama to the World. Combining Latin beats and basslines with Indie and electronic ideas.

Q) Are you able to tease a favorite track(s) off Seven Cities of Goldor are you solely eager for fans to enjoy it all shortly?

A) We’ve already released a couple of singles from the full-length concept album Seven Cities of Gold, the follow-up album to 2020’s Life in the Tropics that started to explore an English language indie format. Both albums were inspired and draw from experiences with Ayahuasca, but in Seven Cities of Gold we go in a little deeper, and reintroduce a few Spanish language tracks as well, that take the listener on a musical journey to an Amazonian psychedelic utopia. I’d like the fans to enjoy the album as an “objet d’art” a concept of both music and art wrapped in vinyl. The vinyl is already available on mylongplay.com shipping to anywhere in the world, as well as digitally on bandcamp.

Q) What songs off the album are you looking forward to performing live?

A) “Seven Cities of Gold,” “La Selva Se Lo Llevo” and “Lost Tribes” we already played a couple on our last gig here in Panama and it was beautiful. We are headlining a local festival next week called Macrofest, closing the main stage at 10pm on a former US military base right next to the Panama Canal where ships are crossing and there’s jungle everywhere!

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

A) Check out a band from Panama called Señor Loop they are insane. Cult classic right now in Central America.

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

A) It’s great to post live videos on Instagram as fans send them to us. Every show gets multiple epic videos to share with thousands more fans around the world! Some of the live videos on YouTube have hundreds of thousands of views. It’s really cool to be able to reach so many people basically for free. Also, the fans are sending back feedback continuously on how the songs have helped them get through difficult moments in their lives. It truly feels like a blessing to be able to connect with so many strangers through music.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) Thanks so much to everyone that has streamed our music and come to the shows. We’re a small struggling band from Panama yet our music has reached millions on Spotify! Bendicion y mil gracias!