SPACE TO PLAY
Album is no. 8 for SF Bay Area artist
San Francisco Bay Area artist Razteria’s new album, Space to play, will debut October 28, 2021 on all major music streaming platforms. Razteria, whose songs are a combination of World music, Pop and EDM, is also the producer and sound engineer on Space to play.
“Space to play is about our hidden potential,” she says. “I hope these songs inspire you to feel the power of vulnerability that comes with making time to be creative…to enjoy being in awe when the inevitable result of this process goes beyond what you could have ever imagined.”
Read below for more information about the previously released singles for Space to play
BOMS
Video edited and directed by E.A Films
Filmed by Alex Zajicek
Special thanks to Oriana Saportas for the protest footage.
This song is dedicated to all of the black women and men who have been murdered by police, a result of systemic racism which permeates every facet of our society. Until #BlackLivesMatter, all lives will not.
Profits from streaming on any platform will be added to Razteria’s monthly contribution to the Equal Justice Initiative (https://eji.org/), and, if it is ever licensed (big money) profits will also be donated.
BOMS (blood of my soul) represents the beautiful vulnerability we each feel when we love unconditionally. It came as a stream of consciousness three years ago, and developed into this orchestra of intense sound. Razteria is so grateful for the collaboration for the video (EA Films and Alex Zajicek), the single’s cover art with Baidi Kamagate (model and photographer) as well as the musicians that helped bring it to life. Kora by Yacouba Diarra, cuatro by Jackelyn Rago, live drums by Jayme Arredondo, all other instruments/vocals/mix by myself, and mastered by Trakworx.
Razteria hopes we keep up the fight and force true change in the USA. Demilitarise and defund the police allocating these resources directly to the community. Track individual police and hold police accountable when they use excessive force for any reason, not just when it results in severe injury or death. And so much more.
We can do so much. We can vote and make sure those who represent us follow through with their promises, we can protest in the streets, we can donate money, we can boycott businesses use prison labor or otherwise support a white supremacist agenda and we can directly support the black community, by, buying from black businesses, supporting and promoting black artists across disciplines.
Razteria hopes that we do not allow the numbing effect of living in a society of instant gratification consumerism to continue to drug us into inaction through surface-deep distractions, the illusion of division. I hope we can rediscover the unique creativity that lies in each of us, our power of expression, of true love.
STOP
“Stop” is a new electronic/alternative track from San Francisco Bay Area based artist and producer Razteria. It represents ending the toxic relationships that we have with ourselves and with each other.
Razteria’s intention with “Stop” is to extend its message to symbolize the necessary end to current systems in place that prevent us from realizing our full potential. Can we say “just stop” to the system that monetizes people’s illness? Disproportionately impacting black people and other minorities? Healthcare for all is key to ending systemic racism. We have to demand that this realistic solution be implemented now.
Miriam Speyer created the masterful, highly symbolic artwork. The powerful symbol is a Bolivian flag representing the plurality of Bolivia’s indigenous peoples, the heart of South America, where the depths of the Amazon meet the high planes of the Andes, which Razteria is proud to claim as part of her heritage.
The music is written, produced, performed, engineered (recorded, mixed) by Razteria, with Jayme Arredondo as co-writer, co-producer and performer. It features Tomas Salcedo on electric guitar, Cello Joe on Cello, and was mastered by Justin Weiss of TrakWorx.
“Stop” is one track of many from Razteria (and Renay) during quarantine.
WHY
“Why”, my new single, of a “classic” song I wrote 15 years ago. (link in bio)
The message is still relevant for me. Speaking to the irrationality of the human condition, our duality or rather –multifacetedness–, the desire to taste good and bad, that one does not exist without the other, and, there is no hierarchy. There is beauty in pain we inflict on ourselves and others and that is ultimately what I’m trying to capture in this song.
When I wrote the first version of this song, I channeled something that I did not yet understand. It was born out of a very toxic pattern that I had with myself, my sexuality and more specifically my relationships with men. I realize now that the pattern progressed from early childhood experiences which formed me into who I am today. Rather than blame myself or others, I become aware of the transformational power of those experiences, therein lies the beauty in the toxicity.
I have no regrets and I embrace all my sides, all my demons and my desires. Each day that I am here still, my awareness is ever expanding.
I still haven’t quite figured out how to break the patterns necessarily but I am aware of them and there is no regret. I’m still alive and healthy and young and powerful and so everything just gives me greater perspective. I think when we push ourselves to extremes, we as a result develop empathy for those that find themselves in those extreme situations. We’ve tasted it and even though it was mentally destabilizing or physically painful, it allowed us to grow towards whatever heightened consciousness we may have the opportunity to develop, God willing, given that every moment is a gift.
The tug-of-war that we have been conditioned to make into a hierarchy “the good over the bad” / “the white over the black”, it’s all one in the same, necessary parts of our Life experience. Our pursuit of perfection is just a distraction, the imperfections make us unique and push us to grow as long as we don’t wallow in self critique.
WHAT I LOVE
“What I love” is about loving the moment, and appreciating everything that you have.
I finished this one during lockdown – finding the blessings of being alone and focusing on my creative outlets: songwriting & production. ⠀
This track took three years to finish, first ideas were laid in winter 2017 with Jayme Arredondo. ⠀
I hope you find what you love and have harnessed these crazy new life circumstances to dive deeper into your passions. ⠀
Thank You! Blessed Love ❤️
NO VEO NADA
“No Veo Nada,” is a Reggae/EDM/Pop song sung in Spanish that combines a sultry and sensuous beach vibe with pop hooks and the ethereal qualities of ambient EDM.
“No Veo Nada” was written using a piece of Zezé Fassmor’s poetry. Zezé became blind at 25 as a rare consequence of an eye injury. The Peruvian-Argentinian poet is now 34, and in his poem he describeshow he now perceives the world, as one eye is dead and the other shines perpetual in bright white, as it still has some neural activity. It is like having one eye in the new moon and one eye as a sun. Living in between reality and the dream world, he finds peace through acceptance, diving deep into his being, and his desire to live and love. Symbolically through this song, Razteria is the “dulce voz,” the sweet voice, helping him to “see the horizon”.
The song gives a nod to the laid-back, tropical style of Sade with the groove of Shakira and the reggae swagger of Rita Marley, but brought to us with the breathiness of Cazzu. Júlio Mesquita’s graphic artwork powerfully symbolizes the way that Zezé visualizes his world.
Razteria has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for buying equipment needed for a home studio so Zezé can start a podcast to further his artistic productions and the promotional efforts he makes for other independent artists and musicians. Learn more about Zezé and how you can support him here.
“No Veo Nada” features drums by Jayme Arredondo of classic Don Carlos reggae band, guitar by Tomas Salcedo of Fantastic Negrito and Kora (a West African harp) by Yacouba Diarra.
I Feel Naked
“I Feel Naked,” is a Hip Hop/Pop/Gothic NeoSoul song about the vulnerability which comes with the intensity of love and desire for another. The style of this track can be compared to artists such as Billie Eilish, Erykah Badu, and St. Vincent. Razteria has pushed her limits as an artist and producer on this new single experimenting both musically and lyrically. Originally written in 2016, she first produced and released it as the reggaeton/EDM song “Naked” in 2018, but she felt that version was too glossy and over-produced. After revisiting the track this year, Razteria realized that the original song’s raw qualities should be brought back, and she’s done so with the appropriately named “I Feel Naked.”
“I Feel Naked” mixes real players, including electric guitars (Tomas Salcedo from Fantastic Negrito) and cello (Joey Chang from Cello Joe). Thanks to the help of lyricist/rapper Patrick Johnson, it is more lyrically nuanced and Razteria was able to successfully capture the vibe she wanted to in the verses.
Crash
“Crash,” illustrates the harshness of human society juxtaposed with the power and beauty of the ocean’s waves. The style of this track can be compared to artists such as St. Vincent, Jhelisa, and Jada Kingdom.
Lyrically, “Crash” tells the stereotypical story of tourism in a coastal paradise, where the locals try to please the Gringo (man), but he will inevitably “crash”, a metaphor for death and an end to the power hierarchy which exists in society between humans. Most importantly, recognizing that the destruction and domination of nature is an illusion, we are only destroying ourselves. The wave’s crash represents the transformative power of nature to which we will all return.
The song symbolizes the freedom we realize when we embrace our insignificance. By letting go of the myths we hold about ourselves, and allowing our egos to crash, we find peace. Death is the ultimate equalizer, we will return, like the waves to the ocean.