By José Gandue @Gandour Photos by Max and Vito Mirr
Within the framework of Tempo Tropic festival, The festival, which takes place at the Colsubsidio theater in Bogota during the months of August, September and October, features one of the most elegant Latin American fusion acts of the moment: the Peruvian band Novalima. Formed in 2001, this group has toured the world, sharing their music on seven albums and garnering Latin Grammy nominations and international acclaim from specialized media. Regarding their arrival in the Colombian capital, We were able to interview Ramón Pérez Prieto, who has given us details of Novalima's history and the feeling that spectators have when witnessing their live performance:
What does Novalima sound like?
Novalima's sound is African, Peruvian, contemporary, and incorporates elements of genres like dub/reggae, dancefloor electronica, jazz, funk, rock, cumbia, Latin and folk, and Afrobeat. The spectrum of "color" in our music travels from the traditional to the contemporary in a subtle way, always striving to highlight Peruvian percussion in all compositions, as well as the rhythmic elements when the piece requires it.
Where did the idea of merging all these sounds come from?
The producers' background and each one's musical affinity led us to fuse what we liked most with the Afro-Peruvian genre, whose interest took hold of us while living outside of Peru.
Was it nostalgia, or was it also seeing that these kinds of mergers were taking over the world?
Nostalgia definitely, and the exposure to new sounds we had living abroad, where we discovered traditional rhythms and themes that were merging with electronic music towards the end of the 90s.
At what point did they realize the good results?
We made a self-titled debut album that wasn't released internationally but had a big impact on the local market. This led us to re-release the album, and that's how we secured funding for our second album., Afro, which was the first to go international and where we focused on Afro-Peruvian music, after seeing the results of the first experiment.
Does the Peruvian public feel close to their proposal, or is it something they have struggled to connect with?
The focus, after the album Afro, It was the international market that opened doors for us, primarily due to the exotic nature of our sound, and later, the opportunity to tour internationally, which gradually increased our recognition outside of Peru. For the same reason—since we initially lived abroad—performances in Peru, as well as airplay on local radio and other media, always remained secondary. Our primary intention was always to internationalize and modernize Afro-Peruvian music on a more mainstream scale. However, our music resonated significantly with younger generations of Peruvians living abroad and eventually impacted the local market. Today, we are more widely known than before, though not yet a massive force in the local market, thanks to awards, tours, media coverage, and our continued dedication to creating new albums.
For those who haven't seen them live, what are Novalima's performances like?
It's a sonic journey that invites you to dance from beginning to end, with a rising cadence that takes you through different Peruvian rhythms, as well as a fusion of sounds, genres, and textures that definitely lead you to a very catchy and provocative sonic space. It's impossible to keep your legs still when you listen to it. Your feet just want to move!
Within the new Peruvian and, why not include, Latin American fusion proposals, do you ever feel any affinity with Novalima?
I think that Novalima, within the local market, opened doors that had been closed to many Peruvian musicians for years regarding internationalization. I believe we've served as an inspiration for many current local bands, and why not, international ones, in the way they create, fuse, and interpret music. However, I think our greatest contribution to the national music scene is showing that even the most outlandish and difficult-to-conceive ideas can be achieved, against all odds, against all predictions of failure. When the objective is clear, and the perseverance and passion of a group of people are aligned, anything is possible. Novalima was a project born from our need to keep making music, after having been in several rock bands and other genres. It was initially conceived as a studio project, and the rest is history!