MAHICO Interview - Barrio Lindo

Hola Augustin! Thanks for taking the time to sit down with us here at Mahico HQ. We have been a huge fan of your music for some time now and are so very humbled to be touring you in Australia. Tell us a little about your beginnings as a musician. When did this idea of mixing Latin American folklore and electronic music begin for you?

Hello! Since I was a kid, I started to be interested in music and musical instruments. I first started playing the guitar and then exploring some Andean instruments. As some of my family roots are from Colombia, since my teenage years I started listening to tropical music, which has a very different spirit to the folklore of Argentina. Then, in the early 2000s, I met Gaby Kerpel and was a great surprise to discover the emerging sound of folktronica. For a decade, I devoted myself to studying and building musical instruments as a luthier, and years later, I discovered the music of Chancha Via Circuito, which drew me closer to this genre. After living in Bogotá for a few years, I returned to Argentina and started attending a music production workshop that Chancha taught in Buenos Aires. That's where Barrio Lindo was born in 2012.

In addition to being a huge fan of your productions, Sikha Shika the records label you co founded with El Buho is a big inspiration for us here at Mahico and has been a big influence in the curation of our events. You have released from over 90 different artists from across the globe. Can you talk to the ethos and origins of Shika Shika and what we can expect in the coming year?

After some unhappy experiences with other record labels, El Búho and I decided to create a platform that gives space to emerging artists from around the world who are inspired by their roots and engage with a language of electronic music. From the very beginning, the approach to this label concept was very political, feeling that Shika Shika should serve as a bridge connecting the audience with the artists, fostering a different relationship between label and artist. Additionally, we believe in music as a tool for social and cultural transformation, so our vision goes a little further and involves concepts such as ecology, migration, and indigenous rights.

Shika Shika will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2025, and together we are maturing in a new way of involving the public with the artists, going beyond the music business and digital platforms.

At Mahico we love a mix of live acts and dj sets at our events  and we are super feliz to have you playing Live at our Mahico Festival. Can we have a little sneak peak into what you have in store for us?

This time I will mainly share new music on this tour, and my idea is to test out new tracks that I am creating for my 5th LP, which will be released in 2025. 

This is not the first time you have toured Australia. Tell us about your previous experiences here. What were some highlights and what places are you most looking forward to visiting this time around?

Visiting Australia in 2019 was a great experience. The energy I felt at that time was very special, and I definitely felt very connected to Australia's multiculturalism, especially the large Latin community. This time, I am happy to visit Brisbane and Byron Bay to discover a little more of the country.‍

Lastly we have heard rumors of a new album in the works. What is in store for Barrio Lindo  in the coming year?

Great rumors have being heard well! I´m preparing my 5th LP that will bringing dance music with the roots from Barrio Lindo, this time with strong percussion. After my last album I decided to explore acoustic music and nü latin jazz created in band format. I came back to do music only from my studio with drum machines, synths and samplers. I think this new album will be the most extended and danceable of the 12 years of Barrio Lindo. You guys will still have to wait a little bit more to be able to listen to it but on this Australia tour will be a great time for me to mature the album through my live set.