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Cola Boyy

Matthew Joseph Urango (February 14, 1990 – March 17, 2024), known professionally as Cola Boyy, was an American musician and disability activist based in Oxnard, California. His debut EP, Black Boogie Neon, was released in 2018. His debut album Prosthetic Boombox was released in 2021. Urango toured and collaborated with MGMT. His music has been described as belonging to the disco genre. NME compared his sound to "a disco ball melting or the after-effects of some particularly potent hallucinogenics".[4]

Early life

Matthew Joseph Urango was born in Oxnard, California, on February 14, 1990; from birth, he had spina bifida, kyphosis, and scoliosis, as well as a club foot.[5][6][7] He described himself as Afro-Latino.[8] Urango had a non-disabled twin brother.[9]

A native of Ventura County, California, Urango said that he "basically taught [himself]" to play piano at his grandmother's house as a child.[5][9] In high school he played in punk bands, playing his first backyard show aged 17.[7] After graduating from high school, he searched for work but experienced discrimination due to his disability.[9] He was employed for a time at Walmart until he was hospitalized with pneumonia due to being pushed to overwork by his employer.[9][10] Before Cola Boyy, Urango played second guitar for indie pop band Sea Lions.[6]

Music career

Cola Boyy released the single "Penny Girl" in July 2018. The track was ranked #72 in Fader Magazine's "100 best songs of 2018".[11]

In August 2018, "Buggy Tip" premiered on Vice's Noisey.[12]

Cola Boyy released his debut EP Black Boogie Neon in September 2018.[13] The EP includes earlier releases "Penny Girl" and "Buggy Tip". The name of the EP comes from an early demo track about a fictional club of the same name where disabled people can enjoy themselves.[9] In the video for "Beige 70", filmed at the real-life Le Peripate club in Paris, Urango is portrayed in this club as a part of a diverse cast of club-goers.[13] Explaining the song's meaning, Urango said: "It's a love song about a girl at a club whose clothes are shabby and her friends are making fun of her, but it doesn't matter to me because she's a star. It's about being judged and accepted."[13]

In 2019, Cola Boyy performed at Pitchfork Paris.[14] In April 2021, he released the single "Kid Born in Space", featuring MGMT.[7][15] Urango explained that the song is about his experience growing up as a disabled person.[15]

The debut Cola Boyy album, Prosthetic Boombox, was released by the French label Record Makers in June 2021. The album features appearances from Nicolas Godin of Air and Andrew VanWyngarden. Paste gave the album a positive review, describing it as "an electrifying, catchy and colorful debut".[16] The Guardian gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, describing the record as a "delirious blast of disco, funk, house and psychedelia".[17]

Activism

Multiple features about Cola Boyy as a musician have made reference to his left-wing activism, which he became involved in around the time he began making music as Cola Boyy. Urango became politicized after participating in a radical reading group that he was invited to by a friend.[18] He organized with Todo Poder Al Pueblo, a collective that advocates for immigrants and workers[14] in Urango's home city of Oxnard.[19] He was also a member of APOC (Anarchist People of Color), which helps to organize free punk rock concerts accessible to all ages.[12]

Urango stated that he wanted to convey his anti-capitalist political views through his music, but opted to forgo the more traditional medium of punk rock in order to reach a wider audience.[10]

Death

Urango died on March 17, 2024, at his Oxnard home at the age of 34. No cause of death was disclosed.[5][20][21][22]

References

  1. ^ "Cola Boyy, Pop Singer-Songwriter and Activist, Dies at 34". Pitchfork. March 18, 2024.
  2. ^ "Singer Cola Boyy Dead at 34, Father Reacts to Disability Activist's Death". TMZ. March 19, 2024.
  3. ^ "Cola Boyy, Oxnard's funk innovator and disabled activist, dies at 34". March 20, 2024.
  4. ^ Skinner, Tom (April 29, 2021). "Listen to Cola Boyy and MGMT's dreamy new collaboration, 'Kid Born in Space'". NME. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Mayorquín, Orlando (March 20, 2024). "Cola Boyy, Indie Singer and Disability Activist, Dies at 34". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 20, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Ribakoff, Samuel (August 24, 2018). "ICE Raids, Socialism, Beats: How Oxnard's Disco Pop Radical Cola Boyy Is Empowered by His Disability". L.A. TACO. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c Morris, Ashley (January 14, 2019). "This is our Culture". today was so yesterday | tmrw. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  8. ^ Amorosi, A.D. (July 26, 2019). "Cola Boyy Is Breaking the Rules of Dance Music". FLOOD. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d e Douze, Khalila (2018). "Cola Boyy is making disco pop for the revolution". The FADER. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Aubrey, Elizabeth (June 28, 2021). "Cola Boyy: California disco dude wants you to fight for your rights (and party)". NME. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  11. ^ "The 100 best songs of 2018". The FADER. 2018. Archived from the original on February 18, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Jones, Daisy (August 15, 2018). "Cola Boyy is Making Weird Disco That Fits 2018 Like a Glove". vice.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  13. ^ a b c Wang, Steffanee (December 11, 2018). "Enter the world's most inclusive club with Cola Boyy's "Beige 70" video". The FADER. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  14. ^ a b O'Flynn, Brian (March 19, 2022). "Cola Boyy is putting in the work". Crack Magazine. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  15. ^ a b Deville, Chris (April 28, 2021). "Cola Boyy – "Kid Born In Space" (Feat. MGMT)". Stereogum. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  16. ^ Friedman, Jason (June 23, 2021). "Cola Boyy's Prosthetic Boombox Is a Radical Ode to the Self, Community and Power of Rhythm". Paste. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  17. ^ Hutchinson, Kate (June 20, 2021). "Cola Boyy: Prosthetic Boombox review – a joyously defiant sugar rush". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  18. ^ "Cola Boyy is a disco crooner, songwriter, and Marxist organiser". Dazed. September 24, 2018. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  19. ^ Greenwood, Douglas (July 16, 2018). "meet cola boyy, california's immigration activist who's resurrecting disco". i-D. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  20. ^ Brown, August (March 20, 2024). "Cola Boyy, Oxnard's funk innovator and disabled activist, dies at 34". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  21. ^ Strauss, Matthew (March 18, 2024). "Cola Boyy, Pop Singer-Songwriter and Activist, Dies at 34". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 18, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  22. ^ Rettig, James (March 18, 2024). "Cola Boyy Dead At 34". Stereogum. Archived from the original on March 18, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024.

External links