Imperio Bamba Release Animated Video For Their Remake Of The Classic ‘My Favourite Things’
03 September, 2022North London-based band Imperio Bamba fuse chicha, cumbia, salsa, psychedelia and Afro-Peruvian rhythms into their roster of musical adventures, defining their sound as ‘chichafrodelic’.
They are ever experimental and on the move, but never forgetting their foundations in companionship, composition and self-expression. What better way to reinstate their vision then, after taking a short break for the birth of a son to band leaders Javiera and Jules, than with the brand new animated music video for their psychedelic take on the classic “My Favourite Things”?
Created by artist and animator David López Retamero, the video takes us on a journey with band leaders Jules and Javiera as they emerge from their coastal and Andean roots in an intergalactic migration from South America to the wet, grey city of London they now call home.
Each stage of the journey is embellished with popular Andean symbolism like hummingbirds, chakana Incan crosses, ayahuasca, skulls, porro, pisco, a panther. In a trippy scene a pastel-coloured guitarist melts into the lush coastal landscape, and skulls and comets guide their electric instruments to London.
When the famous chorus comes in, these symbols are rendered more meaningful as they are reminders of home to a band of migrants with big dreams. The video is a wholesome escape, at once taking the band members to imagined lands and grounding them in their music and identity.
The video’s psychedelic imagery paves the path Imperio Bamba have taken to the stage since their beginnings in 2016, challenging themselves with playing live gigs and pushing their creative boundaries whilst juggling the responsibilities of migration and parenting. They’ve got a lot going on, but these are all part of their favourite things.
Celebrating the new video and important milestones in their lives, Imperio Bamba will play at FESTLATAM and at The Post Bar, on the day of the video’s release, Saturday 3 September.
Imperio Bamba is led by Jules Drade (Perú) and Javiera Limarí (Chile), in collaboration with Kieffer Santander (Perú) on percussion, Cleyder Figueroa (Perú-UK) on timbales, Fernando Fermoso (Spain-Cuba) on drums and percussion, Yuri Betancourt (Chile) on bass, Tora Koike (Perú) on percussion, and others.
Their first EP Mis Cosas Favoritas was released in 2020, showcasing five genre-defying, danceable tracks.
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