Biography
From: http://www.myspace.com/novalima"Since its formation in 2001, Novalima has been breaking
down boundaries, uniting seemingly irreconcilable genres, communities
and generations to create an inspiring movement that has revolutionized
the music scene in their native Peru. Founded by four friends from Lima
with a shared passion for both traditional Afro-Peruvian music and
modern DJ culture, Novalima searches for the common ground between past
and future, between tradition and innovation. Their efforts have also
helped bridge the divide between the Peruvian mainstream and the
Afro-Peruvian community, a minority population that has struggled
against discrimination and the threat of cultural dissolution for
generations.
While their sound is futuristic and cutting-edge, the roots of
Novalima’s music stretch back hundreds of years to the times of slavery
and Spanish colonial rule. In a far-too-familiar tale, African slaves
were brought to Peru as early as the 1500s until the middle of the 19th
Century, establishing an outpost of African culture in South America.
Over the years, the soul and rhythms of Africa blended with the melodies
and instruments of Europe and the Andes. The result is rich musical
repertoire that has existed for generations on the periphery of Peruvian
popular culture.
The founders of Novalima, Ramon Perez-Prieto, Grimaldo Del Solar, Rafael
Morales, and Carlos Li Carrillo, became friends while in high school in
Lima. The children of artists and intellectuals, Ramon, Grimaldo,
Rafael and Carlos were well-educated and well traveled, and while they
grew up listening to the popular and folk music of Latin America, they
also shared a fascination for rock, pop, reggae, salsa, dance and
electronic music.
down boundaries, uniting seemingly irreconcilable genres, communities
and generations to create an inspiring movement that has revolutionized
the music scene in their native Peru. Founded by four friends from Lima
with a shared passion for both traditional Afro-Peruvian music and
modern DJ culture, Novalima searches for the common ground between past
and future, between tradition and innovation. Their efforts have also
helped bridge the divide between the Peruvian mainstream and the
Afro-Peruvian community, a minority population that has struggled
against discrimination and the threat of cultural dissolution for
generations.
While their sound is futuristic and cutting-edge, the roots of
Novalima’s music stretch back hundreds of years to the times of slavery
and Spanish colonial rule. In a far-too-familiar tale, African slaves
were brought to Peru as early as the 1500s until the middle of the 19th
Century, establishing an outpost of African culture in South America.
Over the years, the soul and rhythms of Africa blended with the melodies
and instruments of Europe and the Andes. The result is rich musical
repertoire that has existed for generations on the periphery of Peruvian
popular culture.
The founders of Novalima, Ramon Perez-Prieto, Grimaldo Del Solar, Rafael
Morales, and Carlos Li Carrillo, became friends while in high school in
Lima. The children of artists and intellectuals, Ramon, Grimaldo,
Rafael and Carlos were well-educated and well traveled, and while they
grew up listening to the popular and folk music of Latin America, they
also shared a fascination for rock, pop, reggae, salsa, dance and
electronic music.