Top Five Papi Fimbres Projects

FIMBRES
By MATTHEW SINGER
(See our feature on Papi Fimbres here.)

Sun Angle
Initially sounding like “a sped-up Can,” Fimbres describes the material on the band’s upcoming debut—recorded in a cabin in Zigzag, Ore., under certain, um, mycological influences—as “more bombastic but really intricate, like a psychedelic woven tapestry.”
O Bruxo
At one point, Fimbres’ globe-trotting dance band was Portland’s sweatiest live act. Although on indefinite hiatus, the group is releasing a long-delayed album on cassette this year.
Paper/Upper/Cuts
Featuring Fimbres alone with his drum set, accompanied by dubby textures, the occasional flute solo and whatever else happens to pop into his head, P/U/C is his most loose-limbed, freeform project. North West Coast Music, an album-length dedication to his wife coming out this month, is the solo venture’s most cohesive statement yet, Fimbres says.
Ioa
One of Fimbres’ personal favorites is this tripped-out soul-pop group featuring members of Vellela Vellela and Point Juncture, WA, a baritone ukelele and Fimbres on timbales. It rarely performs live. “Everyone in that band is in every other band,” he says.
Orquestra Pacifico Tropical
Introducing the Pacific Northwest to the national rhythm of Colombia (and a bit of its fuzz-toned Peruvian variation, chicha), Fimbres and his orchestra—he’s got horns, accordion and traditional percussion—play cumbias from the 1950s and ’60s, with little modern affectation. “I love knowing we’re playing this music that was created in a different part of the world at a different time,” he says, “and that a fresh breath of air is being blown into it.”

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