It might not be the first piece of art based on the Neo-Andino El Alto architecture of Freddy Mamani, but the clip of QOQEQA’s self-titled single could well be the most enveloping. Though the video’s full run is worth your time, producers LADRONdeguevara and Estudio Cabras ratchet up to full hallucinogenic capacity around its 2:50 mark, when Mamani buildings El Sentinel Prime and El Príncipe Alexander become abstract tessellations, a function of the strident wind instruments found in “Qoqeqa.”
Model Gia Bab stalks the sets, her form graced with a synthesis of space age stereo systems and a digital version of traditional Peruvian community garb. Sartorially, the clip is a synergy point for QOQEQA’s work — the producer typically wears the color block tunics created by design laboratory LADRON for his live gigs. “We understand each other’s point of view,” the Peruvian producer told Remezcla, adding that the video was shot before the studios knew which track off of his upcoming album would accompany the visuals.
For QOQEQA (his artist name hails from an indigenous Peruvian word for “coca leaf”), this intricate manipulation of Mamani’s structures expressed something basic about his new musical project. Daniel Valle-Riestra is best known as one half of the experimental duo Animal Chuki, but transitioned into a solo project to focus on different facets of his oeuvre. “Non-pitched metals, raw percussive stuff that plays along with the harmonics of the bass, off-tempo rhythms,” he tells Remezcla when asked to describe the vibe of QOQEQA. Don’t call the track a “ritual,” though. “No shamanic bullshit, just hard Latin groove, duro y con sabor,” he affirms.
The single is just the beginning of a project that Valle-Riestra hopes will strike a variety of chords. Check for the January 9 release of his album Bixo del Mar on Peruvian mutant house Terror Negro Records, which will feature remixes by a small galaxy of Latin American producer heavies – Siete Catorce, Zufu, Vitu, Ynfynyt Scroll, Kid Cala, and more. “The album has contrasts,” Valle-Riestra says. “A couple of ambient tracks, some melodic stuff, some more percussive [tracks]. I hope you will be able to feel the different atmospheres.”
Watch the video below: