Afro-Peruvian sound with an electronica beat

July 10, 2011|By Andrew Gilbert, Globe Correspondent

The members of Novalima developed new material by working closely with… (MUSUK NOLTE )

NOVALIMA

At Johnny D’s, tonight at 9. Tickets: $15. 617-766-2004, www.johnnyds.com.

SAN FRANCISCO - With each resounding wooden thump emanating from the boxlike cajon bouncing off the exposed masonry walls of a bustling new club, the Lima-based combo Novalima seemed to inspire the dancers turning and spinning in front of the bandstand. Set to a swaying folkloric Afro-Peruvian lando, the song was laced with a supple electronica beat, creating a rhythmic mesh perfectly at home in the hipster-haven of the SoMa district.

While ignored and reviled for centuries in Peru, the music of Africans brought as slaves to the silver-rich Spanish colony has found a home on world stages over the past quarter century through performances by musicologists and artists Susana Baca and Péru Negro. While lesser known abroad, Afro-Peruvian singer Eva Ayllon is a beloved icon of Lima’s teeming working-class barrios. Many Americans first discovered Afro-Peruvian music through David Byrne’s 1995 Luaka Bop anthology, “The Soul of Black Peru,’’ but Novalima, which performs at Johnny D’s tonight, has introduced the tradition to a new generation, both on the international club scene and at home.

“Afro-Peruvian music has kept its traditional sound for so long,’’ said keyboardist Ramón Pérez-Prieto before the sound check. “What we did was give it this electronica twist with a global fusion of reggae, jazz, dub, and salsa. Now younger crowds in Peru are interested in the music we do, and they’re starting to investigate the original versions. We’re trying to keep alive these beautiful Peruvian sounds.’’

While Pérez-Prieto had moved back to Lima after a New York sojourn when Novalima first took shape as a project in 2001, the other three founders had dispersed around the world looking for opportunities unavailable at home. Songwriter, producer, and beat programmer Grimaldo Del Solar settled in Barcelona, while guitarist Rafael Morales worked in London and bassist Carlos Li Carrillo hustled gigs in Hong Kong. High school friends raised in bohemian Lima families, they started building and sharing tracks online. The music ended up on the group’s eponymous 2003 album, which quickly found an avid audience among young Peruvians looking for a cosmopolitan new sound.

Novalima followed up with 2005’s “Afro,’’ on the influential British label Mr. Bongo, an album that took top honors in the best world fusion album category from the Independent Music Awards (and lent the title track to Robert Rodriguez’s controversial 2010 film, “Machete’’).