Montreal's Pelada Mixes Electronic Music And Punk At Poor Boys Sept. 20
Many like to quote Emma Goldman, a Russian immigrant, anarchist and activist, who wrote: “If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution. »
Tobias Roman, one half of Montreal's Canadian electro-punk duo Pelada, mentions Goldman when asked about the fusion of politics and dance music. If Goldman had come to North America a century later, he might have embraced their fusion of punk energy and acid techno at underground dance parties.
On Wednesday, September 20, New Orleans will be able to experience the mixture of the fiery voice of Chris Vargas and the grooves of Roman at Poor Boys. This is their first performance in New Orleans and on Tuesday September 19th they will also be DJing at Chapel Club. The Poor Boys hosted the event with Jay Pennington, along with Rusty Ledger, Ruth Mashelli and DJ Pescadillo.
Pelada arrived in New Orleans on September 16 after releasing his second album Ahora Mas Qui Nunca (Now More Than Ever) in Montreal.
As with 2019's debut album, Movimiento Para Cambio, Vargas' songs are in Spanish.
“We play everywhere, from anarchist clubs to techno superclubs to English-speaking and English-speaking audiences,” says Roman. “A lot of people feel Chris’ powerful voice. They also sing along with songs. They are easy to learn and remember, which is why we usually get a lot of energy from people.
The first song opens quickly with "La Gente se levanta", which translates to "Man, get up", as Vargas strongly urges the audience not to accept corruption. Nine of the twelve songs are 3 minutes or less, with Vargas singing over alternately hypnotic rhythms and beats.
The album is much more serious than their first album.
“With this album, we’re trying to trim as much fat as possible,” Roman explains. “We wanted to make it punk and more direct.”
The album contains an anthem against police brutality ("serdo", which translates to "pig") and a protest against the right to water ("aqua ≠ no mercantia" or "water ≠ merchandise"), in part by denying access to sanitation. . Indigenous groups of Pani Canada.
Dance clubs aren't generally known for heavy political music, but they owe much of that to Pelada, Roman house, and acid grooves.
“It can be a good medium to get a message across,” he says. “A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.”
Both Roman and Vargas were on the team before Pelada was drafted in 2014. Vargas was in an industrial band called Pelvic Floor, while Roman played synthesizers in a band called Cosmetics. As a duo, they played after the Montreal rave scene. They built a following and released their debut on German label Pan in 2019.
“Recording with Pan gave us lots of opportunities to play festivals,” says Roman.
They recently returned from their first concerts in Australia and Japan and will return to Germany, France and London in the fall. The new album was recorded in Berlin last year, originally planned for release on Pan. But instead, they're releasing it on multiple platforms, including Bandcamp, Spotify, and Tidal. There is also a 57-second song on streaming platforms that take money from artists.
When performing live, Pelada generally avoids pre-recorded material or computer sounds.
“We’re not suing,” says Roman. “We bring samplers and drum machines and play live as much as possible. We want an element of surprise.”
To learn more about Pelada, visit pelada.bandcamp.com.
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