Centre

Pelada, the duo of singer Chris Vargas and producer Tobias Rochman, broke out of Montreal's underground warehouse rave scene in 2014 after uploading tracks to Soundcloud which caught the attention of the global dance music scene. They spent the next five years touring the globe extensively before signing with Berlin experimental label PAN in 2019 and releasing their debut LP Movimiento Para Cambio. A record which Mixmag included in their 'Best Albums of the Decade' list, Resident Advisor named it 'One of the Best Records of 2019' while DJ Mag asserted "they are a vital and contemporary addition to dance music's punk cannon". The LP was featured twice on the godfather of punk Iggy Pop's BBC6 radio show who personally told his listeners "They always wake me up. I like this."

Their collaboration is a blend of urgent Spanish language vocals centered around themes of power, control, social justice with hardware samplers, synths, and drum machines. The unique sound has led them to perform in many different contexts, whether it be entire tours opening for more traditional punk acts like Iceage and shame, to the exact opposite, performing live during peak times at techno clubs such as Berghain.

Since the pandemic, they have continued to connect with new audiences online, raising money for local charities by performing at the now legendary LGBTQiA2+ Zoom party Club Quarantine, and also for the Latinx Queer collective Chimbites (for whom Chris is an organizer).

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