La Danza

The Peruvian band, Novalima, blend Afro-Peruvian music with electronica, Latin American beats, and other contemporary genres. This intoxicating mix has seen them evolve over the course of 20 years, as part of the shifting soundscapes of the global African diaspora. Their latest album, La Danza – released, at least at first, as two EPs – is a pulsating offering. Conceived during the paralysing lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, its tracks exude a joyful rebellion.

Movement, and a sense of reclaimed physical and spiritual autonomy through movement, are everywhere on La Danza – not least on the album’s bristling opening title-track, the percussion on which (if not the overall energy) reminds me a little of the wonderful Congolese band Kasai Allstars. Other stand-outs include the earworm ‘El Tiempo’, featuring acclaimed Brazilian singer-songwriter Dom La Nena, and the xylophone-heavy ‘Amanecer’. Overall, La Danza has a confident swagger, and although the sounds and influences shift emphasis from track to track, there’s also continuity between the layers of musical sediment. It’s a confident and deeply enjoyable statement from a band that is clearly still evolving, exploring, and having fun.