Funeral of Hugo Chavez

photo by Oscar Bambo Castillo

The following is a dispatch from Venezuela by Dutty Artz crew member Mariana aka Mpeach. She is in Caracas this month, and gave us a first hand account of Chavez’ passing, as well as her feelings on the future of her beloved homeland.

“No mourning, No Celebration”
(Frase taken from el Libertario)

I am an artist, musician and designer based out of Brooklyn and I am currently in Caracas, Venezuela for a month-long visit. I moved to NY after graduating from college, but travel back and forth as much as I can. This is because my artistic work, musical work, and family (who for the most part still lives in Venezuela) are deeply rooted in my country and culture. On Tuesday afternoon I was taking a nap in my home in Caracas, because I had woken up really early for a radio interview, and had gone to bed really late because I had a triple birthday party the night before. Daniela, a friend, opened the door yelling “Chavez died, wake up!”

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MPeach (a.k.a. Mariana Martín Capriles) is a multidisciplinary artist born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. Her  music is strongly influenced by a combination of Changa Tuki (Venezuela’s native ghetto-dance music), Afro-Caribbean beats and melodies rooted in traditional Venezuelan folk culture. She draws from a wide variety of musical inspirations, including “dembow, soukous, heavy bass, spanish reggae, hip hop, 4×4, grime, dancehall and kuduro,” making for a dynamic sound that stands all on its own.

Mpeach intersects music and visual art, where each side exists symbiotically as a compliment to the other as she present a fully audiovisual show. Her work is profoundly impacted by her individual cultural roots while reconstructed to reflect her global Internet-Age upbringing.

As a member of the now disbanded cult electronic band Todosantos (originators of the ‘tukky-bass’ sound), she’s opened for headlining acts such as M.I.A and The Beastie Boys, as well as performed at SXSW, POP Montreal and the CMJ Music Marathon.

Working independently as an audio/visual artist, MPeach has completed installations at BRIC Contemporary Art (Brooklyn, NY), One Art Space (New York, NY) and collaborated with the Joshua Light Show, Latin Grammy award winner Los Amigos Invisibles, the tropical bass party Que Bajo?, New York based culture blog Mex And The City, and the electro-dance punk band Heartsrevolution.

Mpeach preps her LP with the release of lead single Malania. The song in a chill-trap style has touches of dembow and Miami Bass, and is reminiscent of the sound of LA’s contemporary beat if it were transported to the Caribbean. The song was composed in collaboration between Mpeach and Venezuelan artist Sunsplash, produced by Dutty Artz’ Chief Boima, and mixed and mastered by Venezuelan super-producer Cardopusher.