PELADA
Formed by vocalist Chris Vargas and producer Tobias Rochman, Pelada 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.’
Pelada 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).
Pelada hope to inspire critical self- reflexivity through engagement, building power, demanding space and action. Or as it is written in their liner notes: 'ABRE TUS OJOS, LA BESTIA SE ALIMENTA DE LA EXPLOTACIÓN' which translates to 'OPEN YOUR EYES, THE BEAST FEEDS ON EXPLOITATION'.
In 2022, Chris and Tobias return to the live stage with their highly anticipated 2nd album currently in production and coming soon via PAN. Both Pelada's sound and ethos translate to a galvanizing live show that will spring dancefloors to action in festival contexts, switched-on club zones, and punk bunkers alike.
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.’
Pelada 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).
Pelada hope to inspire critical self- reflexivity through engagement, building power, demanding space and action. Or as it is written in their liner notes: 'ABRE TUS OJOS, LA BESTIA SE ALIMENTA DE LA EXPLOTACIÓN' which translates to 'OPEN YOUR EYES, THE BEAST FEEDS ON EXPLOITATION'.
In 2022, Chris and Tobias return to the live stage with their highly anticipated 2nd album currently in production and coming soon via PAN. Both Pelada's sound and ethos translate to a galvanizing live show that will spring dancefloors to action in festival contexts, switched-on club zones, and punk bunkers alike.
IG / BANDCAMP / SPOTIFY