Photography by: Capitan Walas
Razteria creates eclectic multilingual pop music with vocals reminiscent of Sade, electronic elements of Massive Attack, grooves of Steel Pulse, and the Latin vibe of Shakira. She is also a producer-engineer and collaborates with artists and musicians from the SF Bay Area and around the World. Razteria uses music to describe the spectrum of profound emotions and experiences we have in life, hence the diversity in styles and soundscapes that you will hear in her catalog of independent music dating back to 2005.
Space to play, Razteria’s most recent full-length album released October 2021, is a 16-track bilingual multigenre record that includes, No veo nada and No veo nada Dub, a reggae track featuring words and the voice of blind Peruvian poet Zezé Fassmor. In addition, Razteria has an ongoing gofund me campaign to raise money to purchase equipment for Zezé to start a home studio. Each song on Space to play has a story and meaning behind it (read more here).
Razteria’s 2022 releases will be primarily in Spanish, adding French and Italian in the mix. Deciding to focus primarily on lyrics in Spanish, her second language, Razteria is delving closer to her Bolivian roots, where her father is from. This allows her music to take on different meanings and musicality. New singles are being released every month, continuing collaborations with Zezé Fassmor and musician-producer Dave Shul.
2022 releases:
Ser feliz, an old school steppers vibe about happiness, Imposible, a retro latin pop track, with lyrics by her father circa 1967, in Cochabamba about his first love, Cada dia, a sexy latin pop track calling on your lover to touch you each day like the wind and Sun, featuring Jaime Arredondo on drums. I feel naked (remix by Swede of 808 Mafia), a pop song about the vulnerability we feel when we are in love. Tortuga, is an instrumental compilation.
Madre Tierra, a tribute to the magnificence of the World, sung in Spanish with a few words in Quechua, an indigenous language spoken throughout South America. Razteria was inspired by the complex, nuanced lyrics and theme of the anthemic song “Latinoamerica” (Calle 13), Wu-wei, on Arky’s Grow a Plant riddim is inspired by the Daoist philosophy of active passivity, to practice living in the natural state of flow where actions are effortless. Ambicioso, a Beatlesque track with eastern vibes about how nothing can stop the ambitions of the heart, Me gusta estar sola, an acid rock track about the beauty of being alone, Respira, a latin-pop song about letting life flow, and many more.
Buy on Bandcamp
Wu Wei by Razteria on Arky’s Grow a Plant riddim is inspired by the Daoist philosophy of active passivity, to practice living in the natural state of flow where actions are effortless. A love song about learning to live in the moment and cherish the sweet moments shared. To work without effort. To live without expectations or assumptions. These concepts counter what our default is in today’s society, always planning, always judging, always working to reach some perceived better place. The lyrics describe the lessons we can learn from observing ourselves and nature. To listen to the magic of our heartbeat. To be like the leaves and dance with the wind. And let the water of tears run free with gravity.