Quantic and his Combo Bárbaro

Quantic and his Combo Bárbaro

Quantic and his Combo Bárbaro is a group led by British DJ and producer Will Holland, who performs as Quantic. The act is based in Santiago, Colombia, and is active from 2009. Holland forms the project after moving to Cali in 2007 to work with musicians there and to explore Colombian musical traditions alongside new material.

Background

Before forming Combo Bárbaro, Holland plays guitar in rock bands as a teenager and later moves into house and broken beat, which helps launch his career. He first records as Quantic in 2000 with the 7-inch We Got Soul. His early releases include The 5th Exotic in 2001, issued by Tru Thoughts, and Apricot Morning the following year. He also pauses to record the Quantic Soul Orchestra album Stampede in 2003, working on organ, bass, guitar and saxophone, among other instruments, and the Limp Twins’ Tales from Beyond the Groove.

Related projects and releases

Quantic is also part of the Quantic Soul Orchestra and the soul-folk-dance duo the Limp Twins. His later releases include Mishaps Happening in 2004, the Quantic Soul Orchestra album Pushin On in 2005, and in 2006 the compilation One Off's, Remixes and B Sides, a reissue of The 5th Exotic, and the album An Announcement to Answer. In 2008 he releases Death of the Revolution, his first release under the Flowering Inferno name, followed by Dog with a Rope in 2011. He returns to the Quantic name in 2012 for Look Around the Corner, recorded with singer Alice Russell, and then releases Magnetica in 2014, his first solo album in more than seven years.

Recognition

Across his various projects, Holland sells more than 100,000 records. His track Mi Swing Es Tropical, made with Nickodemus, features in Apple’s worldwide iPod advert in 2007 and brings wider attention to his work.

Style and purpose

Combo Bárbaro is formed after Holland identifies a strong pool of musicians in Colombia and wants to continue the musical direction established by the Quantic Soul Orchestra. The group name refers literally to a “group of barbarians” or people from outside Europe.