ABOUT
Imperio Bamba is a project born in North London, led by Jules Drade (Perú) in guitar and vocals and Javiera Limarí (Chile) in vocals and güiro, who have been creating music and performing live since 2016.
The band collaborates with a cohort of incredible Latin American musicians, like; Kieffer Santander (Perú) in percussion, Mariel Cámara (Argentina) in drums, and Titi Damasso (Argentina) in guitar and synths. They released their first EP Mis Cosas Favoritas in 2020, which comprised five genre-defying and danceable songs. They define their style as chichafrodelic -a rebel mix between chicha and afro-Peruvian rhythms and psychedelic sound aesthetics with snippets of salsa, merengue, reggae and rock.
In September 2022, after a brief hiatus due to the birth of their first child, they released the music video of My Favourite Things, their unique and psychedelic take of the classic song. The video was created by the animation artist, David López Retamero, and it shows the journey of band leaders Jules and Javiera as they emerge from their coastal and Andean roots in a fictional transition of their migration from South America to the sometimes wet and grey city of London. The animated video is an explosion of colours, a vivid example of the bands uniqueness, originality and creativity. The quality of the video production is undeniable, reaching the level of mainstream popular bands.
At the heart
Javiera & Jules are the beating heart of Imperio Bamba. For them it wasn’t enough to do music together, but they also share a home, a life and recently they welcomed a child.
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Vocals - güiro - songwriterVocalista - güiro - compositora
Javiera is from Santiago, Chile and she is an artist and educator. Apart from Imperio Bamba, she works with latinx migrant communities in London and she is doing a PhD mixing arts-based research with migration and education.
Javiera es de Santiago de Chile y es artista y educadora de formación. Además de Imperio Bamba, Javiera trabaja con comunidades migrantes latinxs en Londres y está haciendo un doctorado, combinando investigación basada en artes con migración y educación.
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Composer - Guitarrist - Vocals - ProducerCompositor - Guitarrista - Vocalista - Productor
Jules was born in Lima, Peru, but he has lived in many countries since childhood. He is a trained musician, following his father’ steps. Besides being an artist, Jules works as a mentor with migrant latinx youth in London.
Jules nació en Lima, Perú, pero ha vivido en distintos países desde pequeño. Se formó como músico siguiendo los pasos de su padre. Además de artista, Jules trabaja como mentor con jóvenes migrantes latinxs en Londres.
Listen up.
Their first EP Mis Cosas Favoritas was released independently in 2020.
It comprises four original songs -Summer, Los Amantes, Imperio Bamba, and Camino-, and their version of the classic My Favourite Things.
Videos
Watch Imperio Bamba in action. Their song Summer was recorded live in That Sound Studio. Their version of My Favourite Things was animated by the artist David López.
Outstanding Press
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What this EP feels like is late night at a festival; you have stumbled into a random tent and found a crowd having the time of their lives in the heat of summer, with Imperio Bamba chanting and dancing at the front. It is unexpected but brilliant.
Latino Life
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Imperio Bamba’s influences span their Latin American roots and beyond, with chicha, cumbia, salsa, psychedelia and Afro-Peruvian rhythms colouring their unpredictable sound. Their wholehearted advocacy of freedom of movement is not just a statement about migration, but about self-expression and dance too.
Sounds and Colours
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Ya en 2020 habían lanzado su primera versión (de la canción My Favourite Things), la cual está incluida en su EP, sin embargo, en esta ocasión han florecido con unas figuras que parten de la chicha tradicional y la han fusionado con sintetizadores atmosféricos, guitarras cercanas al rock alternativo, una línea de bajo de cumbia, y una voz cálida y empoderada transitando entre el inglés y el español.
Indie Rocks!
