BIO
Gotopo is a multi-talented singer, composer, producer, and provocative performer who sees the future in her South American past. She’s skilled in folkloric stringed instruments and writes techno-inspired jams that reveal an Afro-indigenous legacy.
Gotopo was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and began her musical training in the town of Barquisimeto, home of a renowned musical conservatory. As a child, she trained with the youth orchestra system El Sistema, the influential program which produced Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor Gustavo Dudamel. Only recently, Gotopo moved to Berlin, where she has gone from street busking to curating and participating in cutting edgemusic events at the prestigious Humboldt Forum. But, true to her ancestral futurist self, she’s intently focused on blurring the line between classical and club music, academic and pop culture.
Gotopo introduced her musical project with her first single “Malembe,” which followed her search for her Afro-indigenous roots. “One step forward and one step back,” she sings over a stark electro-beat, embellished with fuzzy guitars and synths. “I have a hundred years of grief in my soul,” she chants. The song is derived from an Afro-Venezuelan hymn intended for slaves to give a spiritual farewell to their relatives who died at the hands of the enslaver.
Gotopo’s debut EP 'Sacúdete' stakes the middle ground, reinventing folkloric music and practice and fusing it with the electronic sizzle of the vibrant club scene in Berlin. Thriving off the energy of “positive feminism,” a panoply of thriving bass lines, and songs that feel spiritual and sexy at once, her new tracks have the feel of a different kind of revolution. “Berlin is particularly innovative in so many ways, fearlessly trying to break so many creative barriers,” she said. This EP is a collaboration with latin-Grammy-awarded producer Don Elektron (a/k/a Ulises Lozano), Simon Mejia (Bomba Estereo) and Robot Koch.
Kickstarting 2024, Gotopo's latest single ‘Sacúdete’ became the Major League of Soccer’s pick to soundtrack their new season: “We fell in love with the energy of the song”. -Billboard
PRESS QUOTES
The Afro-Indigenous-Venezuelan producer is creating bold, brilliant sounds that encourage people to think about the aftermath of colonization - RollingStone US
There are certain qualities that turn a song into a soccer anthem. First, its sense of euphoria to match the game’s twists, turns and rollercoaster of emotions. Second, the song’s ability to get everyone on their feet...- Billboard
Gotopo is a rising star. Her music is making waves in the industry for her distinctive way of showcasing her Afro-Indigenous heritage through art. The singer’s debut EP blurs the line between folk and electronic music, taking audiences on an exciting journey
- mitú
Gotopo Pays Tribute to Her Afro-indigenous Roots, While Reinventing Folkloric Sounds [...] the singer/songwriter had cemented her mark as an artist, establishing a unique fusion between folkloric instrumentation and electronic dance music. - Latina.com
Alt.Latino's Best New Music Round-Up - NPR
10 songs you need to add to your 2023 summer playlist (for 'Sacúdete') - Hola!
Venezuela-born Gotopo is undoubtedly one of the scene’s most exciting new voices. She digs deep into her Afro-Latin heritage to produce incredible stage and video work, offering deft combinations of Afrofuturism and folk music - Bandcamp
Gotopo explores her own Afro-Indigenous roots through a sweaty mix of ancient folkloric sounds and modern electronic dance music. Gotopo speaks Spanish, English, and German, which I mention simply because she is fluent in several musical languages as well - Newsounds.org/WNYC Radio
Esta chica venezolana dio muestras de tener dotes vocales y de una facilidad impresionante para aprender a tocar instrumentos musicales - La Opinión
Eine außergewöhnliche Künstlerin, ich würde sie beschreiben als Gesamtkunstwerk, wenn ich jetzt sage sie ist Musikerin , ist es eigentlich zu wenig, [da] sie Dinge zusammenbringt die scheinbar nicht zusammen gehören - Knut Elstermann, radioeins
Tropische Vibes für den Dancefloor. Empowerment-Hymnen für Women of Color. - WDR/COSMO Radio
GOTOPO hat durch lateinamerikanische Einflüsse und eine Menge In-Sich-Selbst-Hineinhören ihren einzigartigen Indigenous-Futurist-Sound geschaffen, den sie nun von Berlin aus in die Welt trägt - RollingStone DE
HIGHLIGHTS
“Sacúdete” became the Major League Soccer’s (MLS) pick to soundtrack its latest Our Soccer Is Calling campaign spot. She further got invitetd to Hollywood for a shooting of the MLS Trailer summer is calling.
2024 Gotopo does her first Europe Tour including Festivals like Fusion, Carneval of Cultures Berlin, UEFA 24 fan mile (Germany), Rototom Sunsplash or BAM (Spain), Crack (Italy) or Mezekere (Austria).
Artist Residency in Salvador de Bahía, Brazil, sponsored by Goethe Institut (End of 2023)
International Press Features for Debut EP in English, Spanish and German 2023 (more above under press quotes)
Support Act for iLe at Gretchen 2023
First US trip to DC and NYC 2023:
Live Performance at the State of the arts night @Hirshhorn Museum (Washington DC); Live Interview and Performance in radios like Sirius XM, NPR, NewSounds/WNYC and more
Support Act for Bomba Estereo 2022
Female Producer Prize 2022 - Read more: Variety
GOTOPOs performance at Melt Festival 2022
Support Act for Lido Pimienta, Kantine am Berghain
GOTOPO's performance (min. 49:30) for the Opening of the 'Ethnologisches Museum and the Museum für Asiatische Kunst' w/Speeches by President of Germany Steinmeier, writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Minister of State for Culture Monika Grütters.
WATCH
Gotopo LIVE
Coming off of the huge visibility boost of supporting Bomba Estereo in a recent Berlin date, Venezuela-born Gotopo is undoubtedly one of the scene’s most exciting new voices. She digs deep into her Afro-Latin heritage to produce incredible stage and video work, offering deft combinations of Afrofuturism and folk music - Bandcamp
Official music video 'SACÚDETE'
Eine indigene Kämpferin aus der Zukunft wacht an einem unbekannten Ort zu seiner unbekannten Zeit auf. Der einzige Hinweis: ein antikes, pre-hispanisches Amulett, das die Beteiligten zum Dance-Battle anstachelt. Das ist im neuen Video "Sacúdete" von Gotopo zu sehen - WDR/COSMO Radio
"Gotopo’s beats are an oneiric vehicle, designed to surface the pain caused by colonization. One way she does this is by inviting people into her realm and encouraging them to move, as she proposes on “Sacúdete,” lead single and title of the album. The first sacudida refers to the ritual of shaking it in the club. The second is a shaking of the mind — a kind of dancing that can interrogate and heal generational trauma. [Sacúdete] incorporates rhythmic elements of Raptor House, also known as Changa Tuki, an electronic music genre born in the barriadas of Gotopo’s home in Caracas."
- RolllingStone.com
Official music video 'MALEMBE'
"It is a reinterpretation of an Afro-Venezuelan hymn intended for slaves to give a spiritual farewell to their relatives who died at the hands of the enslaver, which Gotopo infused with hypnotic electro-beats. The video depicts three periods of the South American civilizations: Pre-Hispanic, Colonial and Post-colonial. Gotopo embodies a timeline of her ancestors through the eyes of three epic women: BACHUÉ, head goddess of ‘The People of Gold;’ MARIA LIONZA, Goddess of ‘Espiritismo’ and ‘Santería,’ born in the colonial era; and IEMANJÁ, Yoruba goddess who came to America though the Transatlantic Slave Trade. It was through this first track that Gotopo introduced her unique indigenous-futurist aesthetic and sound."
