by Kevin Vaughn
Obviously the nature of WhatsUp is to recommend all the city´s cultural marvels. And there is a lot to get bothered about. But don´t take this recommendation lightly: listen to Paloma del Cero.
Easily topping the list of favorite end of the year albums, “Gozar Hasta Que Me Ausente” (lit. Love Until I Leave) is a magical, infectiously joyful debut from Paloma del Cerro. Every song on this nine track LP overflows with an extreme sensory experience; laughter, screams of joy, wild animal calls, rain, running water, I can´t help but imagine Paloma scampering through the forest, singing with the birds, bouncing from tree to tree, dancing in the clearings and rolling around in the mud. Digging through the past and flying into the future, Paloma takes the instruments of her ancestors (particularly music from Northwest Argentina) and mixes their sounds with digital rhythms. Paired with the sweet and overpowering voice of Paloma she whisks us through an adventurous journey with the pachamama (mother nature) always smiling at our side.
We asked Paloma to tell us about the album, this is what she had to say.
by Paloma del Cerro
“Gozar hasta que me ausente”, my first officially released album (but not my first project) contains nine songs, the majority of which are based on popular folk songs and vidalitas from Northeast Argentina mixed with electronic bases and indigenous instruments.
The disc was born from the hands of Nagendra, Gerardo Morel, Guillermo Porro and Remo Leaño. Later on Dj Migma, Rafa D´Andrea, Maximiliano Arzani, Santiago Hernandez joined on, with the special participation of my beautiful friend Miss Bolivia on “Curandera, curandó”.
“Gozar hasta que me ausente” and “Curandera, curandó” are the two songs that I chose for this article, although I love the entire album, every phrase that is sung was written and selected specifically to transmit one of life´s pleasures.
"Gozar hasta que me ausente" is about the importance of reconnecting with the earth, the wonder and knowledge that is nature and its laws. Reconnect with one self, value what we have, the family that chose us.
We live in a time where everything is put on the outside, and little within, success, trends, fears, prejudices connect us little with our own essence.
I use song as my medium of expression of the way I see the world and how I would like to transmit myself, I like to hear the people sing "Voy a agarrar a las penas y voy a cambiarles el color" (I’m going to grab the pain and change its colors).
"Gozar hasta que me ausente" is about the wisdom of being able to be happy in the world that we live in, without pretending it is the way we wish it was. We have the power to choose the way that we want to see the things around us. When you judge something as a good or bad situation we are confusing the reality with our own interpretation. If we have our minds focused on conflict, conflictive will also be the experience.
And then follows “Curandera curandó”, that talks more or less about the same thing, it is about every one of us being our own curer, that we don’t need religions or shamans to cure us, each one of us is a special being that needs to be awakened and recognized as they are.
The song also talks about love and the destructive ways in which we love, but that’s an entire other chapter…
