AFRO-ANDEAN FUNK
Afro-Andean Funk is a Peruvian-American band nominated for a Latin Grammy, led by singer Araceli Poma and producer/bassist Matt Geraghty. Their music breaks cultural barriers by creating a powerful sound that blends traditional Andean music and the Afro-Peruvian scene with funk, rock, and West African rhythms.
Formed in 2021, Afro-Andean Funk released their debut album, 'The Sacred Leaf' (2022), followed by the latest release, 'Flower on Fire' (2023). Both albums, featuring original compositions, address themes of social struggle, shamanic rituals, and cultural traditions. Their goal is to unite musical cultures and, most importantly, bring visibility to endangered indigenous languages, such as Quechua.
Vocalist Araceli Poma has become one of the most representative traditional artists of her generation in Peru. Her work has been defined by creating platforms for female artists to share their stories and struggles against racism and marginalization.
Bassist, composer, and producer Matt Geraghty met Poma in a recording studio in Lima, Peru, in 2019, while filming a documentary series featuring a talented group of women singers from the Afro-Peruvian and Criolla scene. Poma was selected as a featured singer on the album and subsequent documentary, "The Warrior Women of Afro-Peruvian Music," which was nominated for a Latin Grammy.
Geraghty was impressed by her talent as an artist and her creative drive to bring traditional Peruvian music to the world. From that moment on, they began to join forces to break cultural barriers through music and achieve a new sound.
Afro-Andean Funk is based in New York City, where they have been invited to perform at prestigious concerts at the Lincoln Center and Bryant Park in front of thousands of fans.
The music of Afro-Andean Funk serves as a vehicle to keep this heritage alive and promote understanding and respect among all people.
Collaborating with the esteemed Russian master pianist, Misha Tsiganov, and renowned drummer and percussionist, Harvey Wirht from Suriname, Afro-Andean Funk infuses a vibrant international funk flavor into the rich tapestry of South American roots music.
MUSIC
Afro-Andean Funk's music is not only deeply reflective of its roots and history, but is a catalyst for demystifying cultural differences and building bridges between musical communities. Afro-Andean Funk finds unity through a diversity of sounds, languages and stories.
2nd ALBUM ‘FLOWER ON FIRE’
NOW ON BANDCAMP
‘Flower on Fire’ is inspired by the Cantuta, a flower from the Peruvian Andes, symbolic of the resilience of millions of indigenous women committed to preserving their cultural identity, their traditions and their native languages.
The album presents all original music composed by Matt Geraghty and sung by Poma with lyrics in Quechua and Kukama — native languages from South America in danger of extinction.
LISTEN HERE
DEBUT ALBUM ‘THE SACRED LEAF’
NOW ON ALL DIGITAL PLATFORMS
Afro-Andean Funk received a Latin Grammy nomination for their debut album ‘The Sacred Leaf’ released in the category Best Alternative Music Album. This prestigious honor places Afro-Andean Funk up alongside some of the biggest names in Latin music. The 9 songs on ‘The Sacred Leaf’ composed by Araceli and Matt are inspired by shamanic rituals, indigenous culture, the coca leaf and the story of a group of indigenous Peruvian women who were forcibly sterilized in the 90's. Their music expressively mingles a broad spectrum of traditional and modern musical styles such as Afro-pop, electronica, Huayno, drum and bass, funk, Cumbia as well as hard rock.
LISTEN HERE
VIDEOS
LIVE PERFORMANCES
VIDEOS
SCHEDULE
2024
Saturday July 13th Kultrún Festival / Ottawa, Canada
Friday July 26th Culture Lab LIC / Long Island City, NY
Saturday October 26th Day of the Dead Festival / Roswell, Georgia
2023
Lincoln Center / NYC
Bryant Park / NYC
Instituto Cervantes / Chicago
Columbia College / Chicago
Rockwood Music Hall / NYC
Chelsea Stage / NYC
LIC Culture Lab / NYC
INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS With Afro-Andean Funk
Join us as we invite participants to immerse themselves in intricate dance rhythms and the music of Peru. During these workshops, you will have the opportunity to learn the basic dance steps of Afro-Peruvian musical styles like marinera, festejo, landó, and tondero, as well as popular Andean musical styles like huayno.
But that's not all! We will also showcase a fascinating demonstration of unique Afro-Peruvian instruments that have endured through generations and play a fundamental role in Peruvian music, such as the quijada, cajita, and cajón.
Let's come together to embrace the richness of Hispanic heritage and experience the vibrant fusion of cultures through Afro-Andean Funk's interactive workshops. Get ready for a journey to the heart of Peru's musical traditions.
NEWS
“Following the tradition of Afro-Peruvian Lando, coming from the African side of the Peruvian country and culture. Very very nice produced Afro-Peruvian grooves.”
Felix Contreras, NPR
“Preserving the Quechua language through song.”
Marco Werman, The World
"The nomination for "The Sacred Leaf" is noteworthy because it is one of the strongest and most hotly contested categories in the Latin Grammys."
El Comercio
Afro-Andean Funk is a recipient of a 2023 grant from Chamber Music America’s Artistic Projects program, funded through the generosity of the Howard Gilman Foundation, for ‘Flower on Fire’.
🎉 Afro-Andean Funk is honored to be a recipient of the 2024 USArtists International grant, made possible through the generous support of Mid Atlantic Arts, National Endowment for the Arts and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation! 🙏
We're set to bring Afro-Andean Funk to the international stage at the prestigious Kultrun Festival in Canada next year. 🇨🇦 This festival marks a significant milestone for us, and we're especially proud to be among the 14 first-time USAI grantees.
Afro-Andean Funk is part of Latin Grammy Nominated JUST PLAY, the 501(c)(3) non-profit production company that creates compelling performance and music projects, community workshops and documentary content that unites, inspires and educates local and global communities on roots music and the stories of marginalized artists in the Americas.
