Née: Ursula Talavera
Raíces: Lima, Perú.
Sounds like: Dengue Dengue Dengue, Deltatron, Elegante & La Imperial.
You should listen to Shushupe because…there’s no such a thing as too much Peruvian ñu-cumbia.
Shushupe is a venomous viper snake from the Amazon jungle. It’s also the stage-name chosen by Ursula Talavera as a ñu-cumbia DJ and producer, and she says it was inspired by a mortal encounter with that snake. What we don’t know if that encounter took place here, in the mortal’s realm, or somewhere in the ayahuasca-induced parallel universe where anthropomorphized reptiles are said to frequently show up and have life-changing chats with the courageous alternate-consciousness-voyagers.
Judging by the impressive cover art of Indocumbia, her latest digital EP, and the trippy qualities of her sound I’m tempted to assume the second. Regardless, if you can’t afford to make your trip to the Peruvian jungle and find a trust-worthy shaman, just listen to Shushupe’s chichadelic tracks and let her transport you– you might not experience a mystical encounter with the talking snake, but at least she’ll get you dancing.