Episode 8: Macedonia, Venezuela, Tunisia
MACEDONIA – Reporter: Gjorgji Janevski
The Report
Music and friendship in the cluster.
Skopje and beyond.
No beginning, no end.
VENEZUELA (4th report) – Reporter: Trópico 70 Diggin Lab
The Report
Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, hidden inside a valley and surrounded by a mountain range known as El Ávila, how does it sound? Salsa, Rap, Joropo tuyero, Afro-Venezuelan music, reggae and even academic music are part of the music presence in the city, emerging from centuries of mestizaje—the mix of Spanish, native, and African culture. In this video, internationally-recognized vibraphonist Alfredo Naranjo and other known Venezuelan urban musicians talk about their careers, music projects and digital strategies to continue making art, despite the significant impact of a struggling economy and COVID-19 pandemic on the music industry.
The Reporters
With over 15 years in the music scene, Marcel Márquez, also known as Afroraizz Hi-Fi, began playing dub and dancehall vinyls as a hobby, after road tripping several cities in the United States. Since 2012 he is a full-time DJ in Caracas, deep music lover, vinyl collector and digger, he is dedicated to hunting down rare vinyl records and music in all formats. Marcel is also a researcher and music journalist, founder and director of Trópico 70 Diggin’ Lab, a platform for music promotion and research based in Caracas.
Valentina Figuera Martínez is translator, researcher and communications specialist with experience in the fields of culture, arts, contemporary literature and audiovisual translation. Valentina is co-founder, writer and executive producer of Trópico 70 Diggin’ Lab and also is dedicated to poetry translation projects for online literary magazines.