Novalima

Novalima is a production collective formed by four Peruvian musicians/DJs based in Lima and London: Ramon Perez Prieto, Grimaldo Del Solar, Rafael Morales, and Carlos Li Carrillo. Its music is heavily driven by Afro-Peruvian and Latin percussions, blended with dub, broken and house beats.

In 2003 the collective independently released its debut album, "Novalima", recorded and produced throughout various countries with guest artists from across the world including Lima, Rio de Janeiro, London, Valencia, Barcelona, Rome and Hong Kong, covering a wide spectrum of Latin styles (son, guajira, cumbia, samba, bossa) blended with downtempo beats and live Afro-Peruvian percussions. The debut album had a strong reception in Peru and achieved Gold status in its home country.

In 2004 the collective released their first international 12" single through Outcaste Records in the UK (EMI) with the track "Ritmos Negros", a vanguard dub Marinera (a traditional Peruvian style) featuring poems by the great Nicomedes Santa Cruz. The track is also included in the compilation "Essential Latin Flavas Dos" on Outcaste.

Subsequently, Novalima regrouped in London with UK producer Toni Economides (Nitin Sawhney, Da Lata, 4Hero, Bugz In the Attic and more) to mix their second album Afro, a selection of versions and adaptations of traditional Afro-Peruvian songs (some of which are more than 200 years old), blended with electronic beats, dub, and their own compositions.

Afro, recorded mostly in Lima, features original performances from Afro-Peruvian legends such as Nicomedes Santa Cruz, Lucila Campos, and Zambo Cavero in addition to renowned contemporary Afro-Peruvian musicians such as Juan Medrano Cotito, Mangué Vaquez, Milagros Guerrero and Oscar Avilés Jr.

In 2005, Novalima signed to Mr Bongo, and we released Afro in the UK and Europe to rave reviews by critics, press and the public. All of of the band's shows sold-out shows during their first European tour in April 2006.

In June 2006, Afro was released in France by Because Music (Manu Chao, Amadou & Mariam) and in August 2006 in the USA/Canada by the USA label Quango. Afro reached Platinum in Peru, and reached no.1 in the USA/Canada CMJ World Music radio charts with 10 tracks charting in CMJ's top 100 by the end of 2006.

Currently, the Novalima producers are dividing their time between DJ gigs across Europe and South America, live shows with the full band - comprising the core four producers on beats, guitar, keys and bass, in addition to 3/4 percussionists in cajon, cajita, congas, bongos, timbales and vocals, and the studio where they are remixing for other artists as well as finishing the last details of their brand new album, to be released in 2008.



Above: Novalima promotional video



Above: Live at Cargo, London