“Pelao” (which equally means “kid”, “hairless”, or even "broke"), includes 11 titles, sung in Spanish, French, and sometimes in a strange mixture of the two languages. In addition to other subjects, the lyrics seek to deconstruct the clichés that circulate about Latin-American cultures.
The story of LA CHIVA GANTIVA starts in Brussels with a group of Colombian percussionists playing together, in order to feel closer to their homeland and its rich musical heritage. Pushed by ...
An Innocent Stranger in a Toy Town
… that's the theme of La Chiva Gantiva's lovely new video, 'Pelao'
The Colombian/Belgian band have self-produced and directed this modern tale of immigration, a parable on the perils and disillusionment which often await the hopeful migrant who manages to make the move from the southern to the northern hemisphere.
The band have painstakingly constructed an elaborate set full of mechanical puppets, hand-painted buildings and piñata clouds. They've rounded up all their friends for the shooting (50 people were required for animating the whole thing…). The video was shot with the help of I-Movix, a Belgian company specializing in the capture and creation of direct and extreme slow motion (as used in the Olympics, the football Champions' League etc.) thanks to a camera called the Sprintcam. The video was directed by Nicolas Moins & Rafael Espinel (the band's front person).
La Chiva Gantiva are currently touring to promote the release of their debut album "Pelao", and are bringing their super-powerful live show to Amsterdam's Paradiso on January 24,.
They'll be doing a live set for (Belgian national radio RTBF's show) "Le monde est un village" on January 26.
La Chiva Gantiva (who were formed in Brussels by 3 young Colombian expats and 4 Belgian & French musicians) recently made their first visit to Colombia, where they performed several shows and were welcomed as a new sensation by the audiences and the media.
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