Riddim comes to Lima: How Bob Marley has helped them maintain their style in a world of constant change

In a music industry that has prioritized the composition of singles and featuring above all else, the Argentine reggae band Riddim he still prefers to continue creating music albums. For more than 27 years, the band has not changed its musical production dynamics, not because they refuse to change, but because they prefer to maintain their initial essence that follows the teachings of Bob Marley: union, peace and love.

The band is made up of Pety (vocals), Hernán Schapira (keyboard), Fernando Deaño (guitar), Federico Echeverría (bass), Toni Iribarne (drums), Gabriel Vanasco (saxophone), Matías Traut (trombone), Marcelo Castagna (trumpet ) and Ariel Pae Villanueva (guitar). It is not the original formation, since “There are only three of us left from the first period, some started their career elsewhere, but we are still alive in Riddim”, mentions Pety in an interview with Trade.

It is the same vocalist who is considered the alma mater of Riddim, writing the lyrics and composing a large part of the songs. It’s not a matter of ego, obviously, but to maintain a fixed vision and goal for the band. That is the secret of Riddim, they do not lose their root reggae essence, because the vision of Pety’s creative mind keeps them free of any addition that unnecessarily mutates their style.

His musical production, despite the changes in the industry, also knew how to maintain its resilience. “The concept is the same, first we compose. If we like that song, we make a demo. Then we play it in rehearsals until it takes shape to present it in a live show. Once this last phase is over, we repeat the process if there are more songs. We don’t make music from our computers when we get home”, explains Pety, who is the oldest member of the band.

Although the band managed to stop time, their audience did not. Their most loyal fans, who at first were teenagers, are now fathers and mothers who attend the shows with their families to see their favorite band once again. “Every time Riddim plays when that kind of crowd is there — Pety confesses — the energy that is felt is wonderful, and if we can salvage something from these 27 years, it is that our audience was and is the best of all”.

His style is marked by rhythms ranging from ska, through rocksteady and ending in the well-known root reggae, having direct influence on bands like Skatelites, The Gladiators, Israel Vibration or Aswad. Evidence of this can be heard in his musical hits such as “En tus manos”, “Tu amor”, “Hey Bredda” or “La respuesta”, all songs that maintain classic English-speaking and Spanish-speaking reggae topics in their lyrics.

Within the music scene, Riddim is considered a very new band to belong to the first generation and too old to be modern, since they do not share the current vision of the music industry. “I see that the producers are more fashionable than the musicians themselves, the record companies give a lot of importance to who produces the song. Before there was a tendency to listen to an LP, but now it’s all singles and featurings. We will continue releasing records, although we are not very up to date with the music business” adds Pety, as he tells us that he hopes to release a new album with Riddim by May.

The band has been an influence on Latin American music, leaving their grain of sand not only in reggae, but also in Latin rock where they consider that they have been making “cute noise”. Riddim will play at Sergeant Pimienta on the night of Thursday, April 20, in a first meeting with the Peruvian public in what they hope is the door to be able to play again in the country.