Novalima is one of Peru's most popular musical exports. Their pioneering fusion of Afro-Peruvian roots music with electronic, dub, and global beats have made them a favorite throughout the globe. The first time I spoke with members of the band was when they released their much acclaimed album Chusay, and they told me their origin story. Novalima started when Ramón Perez Prieto (Lima), Rafael Morales (London), Carlos Li Carrillo (Hong Kong), and Grimaldo Del Solar (Barcelona) met in high school in Lima. They shared an interest in many different types of music and started playing together, and when each returned to their home country, they kept creating together.
From their individual home studios, the friends started experimenting, influenced by the music they listened to in the cities where each one lived. They blended music from different parts of the world with electronic beats and funk, adding Afro-Peruvian percussion and chants to elements of dub reggae, funk, and afrobeat. In those early days of the internet, they emailed song ideas to each other and had to courier CDs to share song files, resulting in their first two albums. This was the beginning of the Novalima sound.
The band is back on tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their album Afro and will be performing at The Freight in Berkeley on April 30. I spoke with Rafael to learn more about the upcoming show. Press play above to hear the conversation. You can also hear a full version of the interview on Saturday, April 18 on AfricaMix.
