The Cumbia Renaissance is here with another There Radio classic interview! Today we have three collective leaders pushing Cumbia music boundaries in their respective cities and worldwide. A conversation on movement origins, innovation, and staying true to intentions. Turbo Sonidero (San Jose, CA) has been trailblazing and innovating the sounds of underground Kumbia through his collective Kumbia Net. Turbo Sonidero was one of our first guest on There Radio speaking on his project "Lowrider Kumbias" and his upbringing. OG Ganas (Los Angeles, CA) is a multidisciplinary artist with the music collective Mas Exitos and co-runs the record label Discos Rolas with Alexandra "Xandão" Lippman. Discos Rolas released Turbo's "Lowrider Kumbias" and organized with Grand Performances to bring hellotones to open for the great Grupo Kual. hellotones (PueblaYork, NY) "El Hijo de PueblaYork" is back on There Radio! Since we last spoke, hellotones has grown and energized the movement with Like That Records on the other side of the country with Prendelo PueblaYork and Kumbiatazo.
Today we speak with Melina Aguilar from Te Quiero Mosh, one of our favorite music interview shows! The show airs on Wednesdays @ 8pm on KQBH 101.5. Melina draws inspiration from early 2000s music programming like MTV Tres and LATV, and highlights up and coming artists. We speak with host Melina on the creation of the show, being a city champ in high school wrestling, and of course music! Thank you Melina for bringing us to to your many musical memories!
The Rialto band Brainstory merges influences from jazz, soul, and psychedelic music. The trio began playing jazz and have since developed their sound to what they described as their best album to date, “Sounds Good”. The band breaks down their upbringing in the Inland Empire, collaborations with other musicians from Chicano Batman to Black Thought, performing around L.A, and how they have stayed true to themselves throughout the years!
Celina Lopez and her mother Maricruz opened Cruzita’s Deli & Cafe in Huntington Park in 2015. Since then, they have provided food and space that have cultivated the community of Huntington Park. Cruzita’s has helped bring ideas into fruition, such as last season’s guest SELA Community Map! Over the years, they have supported community projects, such a resource drive with Nuestra SELA. On this Mexican Mother’s Day, we want to celebrate Cruzita’s history and contribution to the SELA community! We hope yall enjoy this conversation with Celina on Cruzita’s Origin, their growth, and how they continue to build community through food.
Compton artist and multi-platinum producer Dnyc3 is best known for his production on “Faded” by Tyga ft. Lil Wayne, and has credits with Blueface, Freddie Gibbs, HBK Gang, Snoop Dogg, Drakeo the Ruler to name a few.. He was also part of the legendary production team League of Starz, who helped define the time and sound in West Coast Hip Hop. Most recently, the Compton producer released the highly-praised project with Watts star 03 Greedo called “ Project T-Pain”. Dnyc3 continues producing and collaborating with young producers and local artists, while building his catalog as an artist. Dnyc3 sits down with us to breaks down his musical journey from the jerk movement to his time in League of Starz to working with 03 Greedo.
hellotones “El Hijo de PueblaYork” is a Cumbia DJ mixing the genre like never before with Kumbias Mezcladas. In late August, hellotones opened for Cumbia stars Grupo Kual at Grand Performances in Los Angeles. A few days after the performance, we caught up with el hijo de PueblaYork to speak on his journey to that moment. Hellotones spoke with us about his journey as a DJ finding his sound, the importance of Like That Records, Turbo Sonidero, and what it means to wave the PueblaYork flag everywhere he goes. Thank you to hellotones for allowing us to capture a part of your ongoing journey! And thank you to everyone who has listened, watched, shared our second season of There Radio! This is our last episode of the season, but we will be back soon with more conversations! In the meantime follow our instagram and TikTok, where we will continue creating. Instagram/TikTok hellotones - @hellotones There Radio - @there.radio
Alejandra Martinez is an artist and creator of The SELA Community Map. The Community Map documents the history and stories of people in Southeast Los Angeles. A project that started online during the pandemic, has now became an in person interaction this Summer at different parks in SELA. Stories are shared in an interactive google maps @theselacommunitymap In addition to stories, the project has expanded to include resources around the cities and breaking down city council news. We sat down with Alejandra and spoke with her about the origins of the map, the importance of community stories, and how the project evolves as she starts her new journey as a Master’s student at MIT. We hope you enjoy this conversation! Thank you Alejandra for sharing with us a part of your journey! Follow maps and resources @theselacommunitymap Alejandra @alejandra90201 Follow us @there.radio
Irene Diaz is a singer songwriter from Highland Park. Her music has gained recognition from Rolling Stone and NPR. Recently, the singer celebrated 10 year since the release of her debut EP “I Love You Madly”. In her last project “Lovers and Friends”, Irene explored different sounds with the mentorship and executive production of Carla Morrison. Now with her latest single “Harbor”, Irene and her life and musical partner Carolyn, return to those sounds and energy from her debut EP. We spoke with Irene on gaining confidence singing, evolving as an artist, 10 years since her debut, Hope Sandoval, and family. We hope you enjoy this conversation. Follow Irene Diaz at @irenediaz https://www.irenediazofficial.com/ Us @there.radio
Valentina Zapata (they/them) is a Los Angeles illustrator and lead singer of the band Yungatita. They recently graduated with a BFA in illustration from Cal State Long Beach. In between school, they have been touring and creating music with the band. Most recently, Yungatita had virality on TikTok with their song “7 Weeks & 3 Days”, but had a similar experience on SoundCloud years prior. We sat with Valentina before they go on tour in September and release a new project. We spoke with Valentina about their journey through college, love for learning, virality, and how music has helped them confront life. Thank you Valentina for joining us, we hope you all enjoy this conversation! Follow Yungatita Instagram: @yungatita Follow us @there.radio
Jose Felix Cruz Ruiz, also known as Pepe Te Adoro, is an animator, illustrator, and graphic designer from Oaxaca, Mexico. He is currently based in Los Angeles. Pepe’s art hold themes of migration, family, and culture. Late last year, his animation on long distance birthday celebrations circulated around Instagram and brought a larger audience to his work. Since then, Pepe has gone one to do murals near his neighborhood and graphics for events in the city. We sat down with Pepe and asked about his artist name, love for art and music, comic books, between Oaxaca and Los Angeles, and creating art for actress Sheryl Lee Ralph. Thank you Pepe for sharing your experiences and journey! We hope you all enjoy our conversation. This episode was edited by Nathan Argumedo and produced by Tony Morales.
Turbo is a clothing designer from Tampa Florida. At age 18, he moved to Southern California and began his clothing brand 2001 Odysey. His brand garnered attention when music artist Destroy Lonely modeled his “Bloom” hoodies. Since then, Turbo has grown the brand to include cut and sew, backpacks, lounge pants, and denim. In this episode we spoke with Turbo about his journey through school in Florida, moving to Los Angeles, connecting with Destroy Lonely, and the relationship with his mom. Thank you Turbo for sharing your experiences with us! We hope you all enjoy this episode. Follow us on instagram @there.radio Follow Turbo and his brand @fuckturbo_ @2001odysey This episode was produced by Nathan Argumedo
baby.com is a DJ and recording artist from Delaware currently based in Los Angeles. So far this year, she has been traveling/performing DJ sets in New Orleans and at the Coachella Festival to name a few. It has been about a year since she last dropped music, but plans on returning with new music soon. In this episode we talk about her hiatus in music, music as medicine, creating Baby World, and what she hopes her music does for others. Thank you to Baby for sharing with us her journey and experience. We hope you all enjoy this episode. This episode was filmed at Re/Arte Literario by Nathan Argumedo and Tony Morales. Follow us on instagram @there.radio Follow Baby.com @babygoinglobal
Edgar Hernandez is a graphic designer from Boyle Heights. He is one of the designer for Nothing Personal, and the owner/designer of his clothing brand, Cielos. We spoke with Edgar about why he created Cielos, having family support, meeting Blazzy, and the importance of packaging. Thank you Edgar for sharing your experiences, we hope you all enjoy the episode!
OG Chino sits down with There Radio in Re/Arte Literario to break down the start of L.A. Hip Hop. He is an artist and owner of the restaurant in Koreatown, Escala. Before owning a restaurant, the Korean-born artist had roles in the music industry. He went from owning the first hip hop curated record store in LA to touring with the DJ group X-Ecutioners. In this episode we talk about his role in Def American, platforming an early Black Eye Peas writing about Gang Starr, the crossover between gangs and hip hop, and about how he navigates the rollercoaster of life. Thank you OG Chino for sharing with us your experiences. We hope you enjoy this episode! This episode was filmed by Nathan Argumedo and Jennifer Guzman at Re/Arte Literario in Boyle Heights. Follow us on instagram @there.radio @og_chino
Today on the show we have Santa Ana artist Kapri! Kapri has been busy this year, making his goal to be consistent. He has worked with West Coast artist AzChike, MoneySign Suede, Cypress Moreno to name a few. Kapri and I met up at Mixwizards Studio in Montebello and spoke about the importance of Santa Ana, the music business, his brother's legacy, and his goals in music. This is a special one because it is our first video interview! We collaborated with The Guild to bring visuals. Follow the team, we will be putting their info in the description of this episode. Kapri @killkapri @guildtapes @worthyshotthat @pharsydesa Thank you Kapri for sharing with us your experience! We hope you enjoy this episode, and soon we will bring the visuals.
Daniela Garcia Hamilton is a painter and art educator who creates art that brings forth questions about traditions. At the time of this recording Daniela was preparing to show her solo project Coyote at Expo Chicago. We spoke with her about her goal as an art educator, questioning traditions, the meaning of coyote, and including embroidery in her recent art work. Thank you Daniela for sharing with us your experiences, memories, and the music in this episode! You can find her work at www.danigarciaart.com Follow her on instagram @dahnniii
On the show today we have painter and sculptor Estefania Ajcip. Estafania's art comes out of the canvas many times, exemplifying different textures in her pieces. We spoke with her about her shift from a nursing major to art, her artistic style, and how she uses art to keep memories of Guatemala close to her. Thank you Estefania for sharing part of your experiences and the music in this episode. You can follow Estefania on instagram @guamomo_steph. On another note, we are close to finishing this second season of There Radio. If you enjoy these conversation, tell a friend and let us know what you think!
On the show today, we have artist, oil painter, Nia Simone. Nia creates oil painting that tell stories of Black people in a mental and emotional capacity. We spoke with Nia about her decision to pursue painting, the musical inspirations behind her art pieces, and the intersection of art and mental health. Her piece, “Tryna Find Piece of Mind” is currently on display at Stay Gallery in Downey, and her piece “The Pinata” is currently a part of the "Irrepressible Soul" Show at Urban Arts Space in Columbus, Ohio. Congrats Nia! Thank you Nia for today’s music selections. You can find Nia on instagram @artbyniasimone. Website www.artbyniasimone.com
Today on the show we have artist, painter, singer and very good friend Dulce Lopez. Dulce and I met in college as artists creating political posters. It was great catching up with her since we last spoke 3 years prior. We spoke with Dulce about her artworks: Latinoamerica and Las Guadalupes, returning to her home in Toliman, and the kind of society we are creating and reimagining through art. Since we last spoke, Dulce has been accepted into the Latin American masters program at UCLA. Congratulations on the accomplishment, we are excited to see you walk the stage again! Thank you Dulce for sharing with us your experiences, the songs in this show, and your radical energy! We hope you enjoy. The music in this episode was selected by Dulce. Image was taken by Beatriz Cadenas @beatrizcfilms Follow Dulce on Instagram @candydexocolatl www.dulcemlopez.com
Thank you all for joining us in our second season of There Radio! We are excited to go in conversations with a new group of artists. Today on the show we have artist and painter, Kiara Aileen Machado. I had came across Kiara’s work through her artwork on Janel Pineda’s chapbook, Lineage of Rain. It’s an amazing poetry book with an equally amazing cover caring a colorful intimacy. Last fall, we went to Kiara’s art exhibit in collaboration with Homies Unidos titled "Encuentros, llamame por mi nombre". It was a beautiful show with a community of artists. The day after the opening, Kiara was kind enough to have a conversation with us about her art work . We spoke with Kiara about the Encuentros art exhibit, growing into art, creating the cover for Lineage of Rain, and being aware of language and privilege when presenting art. Today’s music has been curated by Kiara. Thank you Kiara for sharing your music and experiences with us. We hope you enjoy. Follow Kiara on Instagram @kiara_aileen_arts Website: www.kiaraaileen.com