Aïtawa | PASAJE Review

by Illiam Sebitz

Rhythm carries emotion and images. It preserves the character of regional traditions, the experiences of communities, and the distinctive voices of musicians who continue to reshape their inheritance. On Pasaje, the Franco-Colombian quartet Aïtawa approaches rhythm as the foundation in which melodies, instrumental textures, and vocal exchanges continually relate to one another. Drawing from Colombia’s Caribbean and Pacific coastal traditions, the group creates a contemporary sound that remains connected to its musical heritage while exploring new expressive possibilities.

Released through Salamah Productions, Pasaje is Aïtawa’s first full-length album, following the group’s self-titled 2022 EP. Its nine tracks explore themes of displacement, resilience, love, and the experience of living between places and cultures. The title suggests passage and transformation, ideas reflected in music that brings traditional Colombian instruments into conversation with electric guitar, keyboards, and contemporary production.

The quartet features Luisa Cáceres on vocals, saxophone, gaitas, and percussion; Lucas Territo on guitar; Lorenzo Morrone on drums and alegre; and Antonin Cognet on Rhodes bass and keyboards. Each musician contributes a distinct rhythmic or melodic function. Rather than separating traditional and contemporary instruments into opposing musical roles, Aïtawa allows the entire ensemble to participate in shaping the groove. The result is a collective sound that develops through interlocking patterns, call-and-response exchanges, and changing instrumental textures.

“La Contra” introduces an engaging rhythmic character. A flute establishes a minor-pentatonic melody whose recurring figure rises by a fourth before returning to its original center. Additional flute voices enter, followed by percussion that reinforces the melody’s hypnotic quality. The harmonic accompaniment remains supportive, allowing the relationship between melody and rhythm to define the piece.

As the arrangement develops, the Rhodes introduces a syncopated chordal figure that becomes central to the vocal call-and-response passages. Cáceres brings considerable personality to her delivery, balancing rhythmic precision with a conversational quality. Territo’s guitar assumes a percussive function, contributing short figures that strengthen the ensemble’s collective motion.

An ensemble accent marks a transition before the flute returns for a solo over the original groove. This time, the rhythmic environment has changed. The guitar becomes more active, the percussion introduces additional movement, and the Rhodes sustains pedal tones beneath the developing instrumental conversation. The recurring melody remains recognizable, but the musicians continually reshape its surroundings. Repetition becomes a means of development rather than simply a device for maintaining momentum.

On “Fuera Se Va” the instruments establish complementary roles within a cohesive rhythmic and melodic field. The guitar introduces a percussive arpeggiated figure, while percussion accents particular points within the melodic pattern. Cognet’s Rhodes adds harmonic color, and the bass moves through syncopated figures that give the groove additional elasticity.

The flute enters before Cáceres takes over the principal theme. Their interaction develops into call-and-response, later expanding to include exchanges between the lead vocalist and backing voices. These relationships give the arrangement a communal quality while preserving the clarity of its individual parts.

An instrumental interlude places the flute within a repeating, montuno-like rhythmic framework. Sustained keyboard tones subsequently provide contrast, answering the flute during its solo passages. Throughout these changes, guitar, bass, and drums maintain their established rhythmic functions. When the opening theme returns, it feels like the conclusion of a musical journey through changing colors and instrumental relationships.

The performance illustrates an important aspect of Aïtawa’s contemporary approach. Electric instrumentation is meant to only color a traditional sound. Guitar and keyboards participate directly in the rhythmic language, becoming integral to the same musical architecture as the percussion and winds.

One of the album’s most revealing performances is “Van Cantando Por La Sierra,” a traditional Colombian bambuco credited to Emilio Murillo on Aïtawa’s recording. The quartet retains the familiar melody while reimagining its rhythmic setting through the chirimía tradition of Colombia’s Pacific region. The arrangement eventually moves toward a concluding vocal passage inspired by the bunde tradition of Chocó.

This transformation provides a particularly clear example of the ensemble’s relationship with musical heritage.

Syncopated guitar arpeggios establish the harmonic framework, supported by percussion and bass figures that reinforce the rhythmic movement. Cáceres presents the melody with expressive accents and slurs, shaping the phrases with a natural understanding of their character. The guitar’s lightly processed tone introduces a contemporary color without overwhelming the instrumental texture.

As the performance progresses, vocal passages alternate with instrumental statements before the arrangement expands into a horn tutti supported by keyboards. The texture becomes increasingly contrapuntal as vocal lines overlap with the saxophone, creating a lively exchange between melodic voices.

The ensemble eventually reduces this to only singing, leaving the vocal harmonies to carry the concluding passage.

The effect is satisfying because the arrangement follows a clear musical trajectory. What begins as a rhythmically grounded interpretation becomes an elaborate conversation before returning to the direct expressive power of collective singing. Aïtawa preserves the composition’s melodic identity while allowing its rhythmic and instrumental surroundings to change. Tradition becomes material for continued expression rather than something that must remain fixed.

“Te Alcanzo A Ver” is inspired by the experience of separation from loved ones and one’s homeland, the song places Cáceres’s voice at the center of a warmer, more intimate arrangement.

Her opening melody has a sweet, engaging tone, supported by instruments that enter gradually around her phrasing. A guitar delay adds spaciousness, while two recurring chords establish a hypnotic foundation. With harmonic movement deliberately restrained, rhythmic variation and vocal expression carry much of the song’s development.

Cáceres demonstrates considerable expressive flexibility. Her diction and rhythmic accents give the melody a conversational flow, while vocal counterpoint during the second statement expands the arrangement’s emotional character. As the song develops, she moves into her upper register and falsetto, reshaping the melodic line without abandoning its underlying energy. These changes in vocal color provide contrast within the recurring harmonic framework.

The rhythm section introduces a more pronounced backbeat, lending portions of the arrangement an R&B-like flow. This contemporary rhythmic quality becomes especially apparent during the flute solo. The subsequent interlude restores the clave-oriented instrumental relationships before the backbeat returns beneath vocal harmonies and lyrical flute responses.

The interaction between voice and flute is enjoyable, the flute becomes a second expressive presence, answering and extending the melody. The arrangement communicates its emotional subject through the musicians’ interaction as much as through the lyrics.

Across these performances, Aïtawa demonstrates a preference for rhythmic continuity over elaborate harmonic movement. Repeated figures, pedal tones, and relatively stable chord progressions provide a foundation for melodic variation and instrumental development.

That approach creates both the group’s distinctive identity and its principal artistic challenge. Music built around recurring patterns must maintain interest without depending on constant changes in harmony or form. Aïtawa meets that challenge through arrangements that continually redistribute musical activity. Instruments enter and withdraw, melodic lines become contrapuntal, and familiar themes return within altered rhythmic environments. The musicians understand that a groove can remain recognizable while the music surrounding it continues to evolve.

The album’s cultural dimension is linked to Colombian Caribbean, Pacific, and Andean traditions, all emerging through musical practices that retain their individual character while participating in a contemporary ensemble language. Psychedelic colors, electric textures, and popular-music influences become additional resources for exploring those traditions.

Aïtawa understands that tradition survives when the performances emerge when rhythm, melody, and instrumental interaction become inseparable. In those moments, the quartet creates music deeply connected to its sources yet unmistakably its own.

Pasaje is a vibrant expression of Colombian musical heritage in motion, carried forward by four musicians whose shared rhythmic language makes the journey compelling.

Artist: Aïtawa

Album: Pasaje

Label: Salamah Productions

Buy and Stream Links

Release Date: May 22, 2026

About the author

Illiam Sebitz

Born and raised in a picturesque European village, my fondness for music began during my formative years, when the charismatic tones of the recorder first filled the halls of my primary school. This early fascination escalated into my lifelong pursuit of embracing the melodious charm of the flute; I have even spent time refining my skills at a music conservatoire. As a seasoned music connoisseur, I find myself captivated by the multifaceted world of music. I enjoy writing music reviews to better enable me to explore genres as diverse as world, rock, jazz, classical, folk, and film music, each offering a unique auditory journey that enriches my life and intellect.

In my spare moments, you'll likely find me meticulously crafting my latest woodworking project, sharpening my skills with flute etudes, or inventing tales of fantasy through the art of creative writing. My eclectic interests and expertise harmonize to create a symphony of passion and curiosity that resonates within every aspect of my life as a music enthusiast.