By José Gandue @Gandour
During the editorial chaos that December always turns into for Zonagirante.com, it's almost impossible to receive new material when we're in the process of putting together our year-end articles., those that list what are apparently the best productions of the last twelve months. Often there's a lack of time, and although what I'm about to say might sound strange, perhaps we don't have the patience or the nerve to listen to something that will definitely change our playlists in some way. At that point, when our friends from Rock Achorao, based in Lima, chose the best Peruvian saying of 2020 Postwar period, of Dafne Castañeda, We felt disoriented. Yes, exactly like that. Checking our email, we realized that we had received the relevant information from the label a few days earlier. Catenary Discs about this artist and it had slipped under our radar. Returning to our routine of reviewing new material in 2021, we set about listening to this seven-song compilation and discovered a gem of varied and diverse sonic flavors., that contained a lot of elements that redefined, as happens with great artistic gems, words like "fusion", "experimentation", "mixture" and "research". Yeah, Postwar period It's a pop album, but pop, for the new generations of Latin Americans, has ceased to be the insufferable drivel that the mainstream media still promotes today. This is an album rich in nuances, beautiful in the new paths it explores. This is pop hungry for musical richness, eager to draw from other genres to renew itself, to feel fresh in its development, wanting to give listeners a joyful slap in the face so they don't lose their sense of wonder, of celebrating the beauty that can still be found in every musical session we immerse ourselves in. Here you'll find folk, trip hop, Andean waltz, and techno. Here, many musical styles blend together, flowing according to the needs of the melody, in its pursuit of grandeur. This is a meticulously crafted album, made through a process that is clearly complex, even baroque, but which overwhelms with its beauty and demands, once it has finished playing, another complete listen to continue discovering each note that forms part of this solid, resonant structure.
For all these reasons, we contacted Dafne to learn more about her and better understand her album:
Postwar period It's an eclectic album, where do you think the unity of the whole work lies?
That's a good question. I think it focuses on my experiences as a singer-songwriter. From a production team perspective, it's definitely an achievement… Releasing music independently in a country like Peru is quite daring, especially with the risks involved in this album… I've gathered some feedback from people, and I'm very surprised by how they've embraced the album, the songs, the lyrics, and above all, understood its diversity…
The thing is Postwar period It's a free-flowing production, with many elements that aren't easy to see together. If you had a sonic blender in front of you, what elements do you think you'd put in it to create your album?
I like it a lot «"free production", And that's exactly how it was… It all starts with an idea and a blank page… Imagine all the possibilities for creation… That really appeals to me. For everything I do, I think I always put the following in the blender: commitment, passion, fun, creativity, and food. (laughs). In fact, we're a great team. Building a good team has become an art. Our goal with the production team has always been to create something we feel comfortable with and to contribute our own ideas.
What was the goal? Did someone say, "We have to sound like this," or were they more surprised by the outcome?
We were definitely surprised… We questioned a lot whether it could work… And proof of that is undoubtedly the first single, If anyone asks, We didn't really have a fixed direction... We just did what we felt we had to do... We relied heavily on the lyrics, the intentions behind the words, for the arrangements and other atmospheres... And so far, it's the song that has had the biggest impact. And it's a song that doesn't have a conventional structure... There's a lot of influence and inspiration from Latin American music...
Let's talk about the lyrics: What do you talk about in your songs?
From personal experiences, from life and how difficult it can sometimes be… About failed relationships. I think it's about life itself. Internal conflicts.
Hey, I've been surprised by the explosion of Peruvian singer-songwriters in recent years, a very interesting movement with some striking representatives. What are your thoughts on this phenomenon?
It's very interesting, I don't know if there's "something" that has generated this phenomenon... But what I do know is that as people, expression is fundamental to our existence... I would dare to say that it's something that was bound to happen... There have always been female singer-songwriters, and we're probably more visible now.
And of all that new generation of artists, do you feel any connection with any of them?
Hmm, I haven't really thought about that until now. I think I could identify with someone who does things a little differently. Someone comes to mind... Andrea Martínez who has been carving out an interesting path in Peruvian music. I like it The Fox Zapata. I could also rescue the work of Ati Lane. There are surely many more that I don't know about yet, and that excites me. I think breaking the mold a little opens up many possibilities for creating and making good music, which is ultimately why we work.
What does the future hold for you? What are your plans?
There are plans to release some audiovisual material. stream, and live sessions. I'm also already composing for future material; it's likely that singles will be released this year.
Finally, a cruel and possibly pointless exercise: If you were forced to describe the music you make in very few words, what would you say?
(Laughter) It's always been difficult to define myself... Or rather, in this case, to sell myself. (laughs). I think I'll stick with what you mentioned, eclectic. But I'll let the listeners define me however they want. I'm just a worker.