CARIBE CARNAVAL presented by Brunswick Music Festival and Multicultural Arts Victoria ¡PURO SABOR! An explosion of colour, music, and Caribbean culture. On Saturday 11 March at Howler, CARIBE CARNAVAL will channel the energy of Barranquilla’s vibrant carnival celebrations! ¡CON PICOTERO! General Feelings MORDISCO (COL) @sonido_melbourne La Foxy Fuzz (Sydney/COL) Randy Castilla (PE) Plus guest Carlo Xavier! ¡EN VIVO! MC Kaimán Jiménez (Barranquilla/COL) Dance-crew Selva y Tambó (COL) Afro-Colombian band La Descarga and the awe-inspiring Snuff Puppets. PLUS MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED! Made possible with support from our friends Aguardiente Antioqueño Powered by El Gran Mono, CARIBE CARNAVAL offers a unique alternative to the summer Latin festivals held across Melbourne, merging both the rich history of the Colombian picó sound system culture with the energy of one of the country’s most important folkloric celebrations. Performances will be interwoven with dance and theatrical elements, creating a one-of-a-kind show never before seen in Melbourne. Do not miss this true taste of the Caribbean. A portion of profit from this event will be donated to purchase supplies for the hosting of a community art workshop by the Colombian picó sound system artist William “El Maestro” Gutierrez. PICOTERO (DJs) GENERAL FEELINGS General Feelings AKA Lucreccia Quintanilla is a New York born Salvadoran artist living in Melbourne whose work includes amongst many things DJing, and the of running General Feelings sound system. As Australia’s first female run sound system, General Feelings continues to lift sound system culture in this country, with tough party-selections and a forward thinking vision. Regardless of the outcome Lucreccia’s work always comes from her deep love of music which she inherited form her family, especially her grandfather and aunt who were both cumbia musicians in El Salvador. MORDISCO Beat bitting, sound sounding, song grinding. MORDISCO is a Colombian Melbourne based song chewer savouring what can only be explained as Hardcore Vallenato and Heavy Merengue. Known in other circles as being one of the owners and driving forces behind cult cafes Sonido in Fitzroy and Arepa Days in Preston, it is exciting to welcome MORDISCO to the carnival. LA FOXY FUZZ Known for her passion in music, La Foxy Fuzz is a Colombian woman with an ability to provoke people to dance to Latin rhythms. Over the past nine years she has performed as a member of the Queen Bee collective, one of the founders of Discoteca Tropical in Sydney, and made appearances on various projects such as Tropicante SoundSistema, Sydney Fringe Festival, Vivid Sydney with El Gran Mono, New Beginnings Festival, and featured by SBS in Spanish. RANDY CASTILLA Originally from Peru, Randy grew up on a diet of his parents favourite music consisting of Guaguancó, Merengue, Guarachas, Cumbias and Boogaloo. Picking up records in faraway places during his travels through Europe and South America, his collection has now grown to an extensive and rare musical library. CARLO XAVIER Carlo Xavier is a DJ and picótero dedicated to the future of music, curating high energy sets which explore modern sounds grounded in deep foundational influences. His Portuguese family heritage has nurtured Carlo’s profound appreciation for Lusofonic and complex rhythms, and his record digging trips across Northern Brazil and Colombia have seen Carlo compile music for the cult label Analog Africa, including Jambú, Camarão, contributing to Los Diablos Del Ritmo releases. Previously supporting artists such as Ray Lugo (US), Frikstailers (MEX), Criolina (BR), Mo Horizons (GER), Carlo is also a co-producer for Other Words Other Sounds, and a key member of El Gran Mono familia, performing with the picó at Womadelaide, Rising (Heavy Congress), Vivid, and Spilt Milk in 2022. LIVE PERFORMERS LA DESCARGA The forerunners of Colombian tropical roots music in Australia, La Descarga were born in 2010 in Melbourne, as a tribute to the traditional rhythms of the coasts of Colombia and a preserver of its cultural heritage. Performing with traditional drums, marimba, gaita flutes, with cantadores y cantadoras (traditional singers) and folkloric dancers, La Descarga pay tribute to the foundational traditional sounds of the Colombian Caribbean. KAIMAN JIMENEZ MC Kaimán Jimenez AKA Oscar Jimenez is a local musical force, borned Barranquillero, and embodiment of picó culture here in Australia. Also know as producer and leader of popular Latin alternative bands such as Watussi and Amaru Tribe, with whom he has released several albums and received awards and Nominations plus opened for artist such as Santana, Seun Kuti, Manu Chao, Earth Wind and Fire and more. He has performed as part of El Gran Mono familia at WOMADelaide, Rising (Heavy Congress), Vivid Sydney, and regular parties including Sound System Giants. SELVA Y TAMBO Selva y Tambó is a journey through the roots of popular and traditional Colombian culture in an expression of dance and movement. They are women of fire and the jungle, who move to the beat of their own hearts, and together strive to represent the joy and energy of their immense culture. Formed in 2021 with Karen Bravo, dance-crew Selva y Tambó is now lead by Michelle Llamas and Yulieth Ibañez, inviting other members of the dance community to participate in performances. Selva y Tambó have performed with El Gran Mono for Rising (Heavy Congress) in 2022, and the sold out 'Colombia y Brasil: Cultura del Sonido' event and Spilt Milk festival tour in 2022. SNUFF PUPPETS Since 1992, Snuff Puppets has been unleashing its giant puppet spectacles on millions of people worldwide. Snuff Puppets is a collision of visual art, sculpture, design, engineering, music, movement, performance and physical theatre. At the heart of it is giant puppets – sometimes gorgeous; sometimes grotesque – and the unpredictable ways they are brought to life. EL GRAN MONO El Gran Mono is the first picó sound system built outside Colombia, and features artwork by the great sound system artist William “El Maestro” Gutierrez.The Caribbean coast of Colombia is known as the origin of the picó sound system culture, which stretches back to the 1930’s when valve radios would be decorated in paint or chalk and blast the broadcast of Radio Barranquilla from people’s home. The 1970’s to 1980’s are often referred to as the “Golden-era” of picó, with giant elaborately decorated systems playing regularly throughout cities such as Barranquilla, Cartagena, and Santa Marta.