Riobamba is an Ecuadorian-Lithuanian sound artist, DJ, and cultural activist based in New York City. Riobamba is represented by techno-feminist booking agency Discwoman.
Riobamba’s rowdy, deeply researched live sets reflect back nightlife’s power as a site of joy and resistance, amplifying connective tissues between YouTube clips, bodega soundtracks, and noise hyperreality "suped up with a twisted, industrial gnarl" (Complex). The Fader has called her production work “a radically self-expressive piece of futurism that stands against a single, boxed-in definition of what Latinx club music can be."
She is founder of APOCALIPSIS, a record label that amplifies artists of the Global South and diaspora, and is intent on restructuring the music industry to center and pay BIPOC creators.
Riobamba has shared the stage with Ivy Queen, Tego Calderón, Nina Sky, Toro y Moi, Princess Nokia, Celso Piña, and DJ Playero, with performance highlights at Panorama Festival, MoMA PS1 Warm Up, CTM Berlin, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Montreux Jazz Festival, Boiler Room, Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, and Red Bull Festival Chile.
Riobamba previously led A&R for iconic Nuyorican music label Fania, and was Music Editor of digital platform Remezcla. Prior to moving to New York City, she was the first Colombia-based Fulbright-mtvU researcher, investigating the potential of digital music production as a subversive tool for healing the legacy of civil conflict. Her research documented collaborations with local musicians and communities, amplifying the sounds of cumbia gótica, political hip-hop, and electro-champeta.
Riobamba has been featured in Vogue Magazine, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, TIDAL, Billboard, Resident Advisor, AJ+/Al Jazeera English, Univision, Fact Mag, The Fader, and Complex.
Photo credit: Guarionex Rodriguez Jr.
ASSETS
PRESS
POPSUGAR – 8 Latinx DJs To Have On Your Radar This Summer
Red Bull – APOCALIPSIS: It’s a Family Affair
Clash Magazine – “You Can’t Flatten Culture Into a Tagline”
The Guardian – Place:Ecuador Review – A Wild Night in Quito
Rolling Stone – This Week in Latin Music
Mic – Listen to ‘Sin Fronteras,’ The Radical Music Compilation Supporting Immigrant Rights
The Face – Raving Outside ICE’s New York Headquarters
FACT Mag – Riobamba Marks ‘Criatura’ EP Release with Protest-Rave Outside ICE Headquarters
VOGUE – How Riobamba Brought the Sound of the Latinx Diaspora to the Chromat Runway
BESE – Breaking Glass: The Label Boss
TIDAL – Riobamba on Activism & APOCALIPSIS
The New York Times – A Labor Day Thank You for the Arts
The Fader – Catching Up With Riobamba, the Brooklyn Artist Straddling Music and Tangible Activism
Billboard – Latin Halloween Playlist with Spooky Perreo, Gothic Cumbia, Morbid Salsa & More
Remezcla – Riobamba is the DJ Bringing a “Ni de Aquí, Ni de Allá” Philosophy to New York Nightlife
amNewYork – Downtown Boys, Riobamba on the Perks of Playing Panorama
Jezebel – Riobamba is Styling
FACT Mag– 10 Club Artists to Watch in 2018
FACT Mag– FACT Mix 635: Riobamba
AJ+/Al Jazeera English– The Beat That Changed Pop Music
The Village Voice– Puerto Rico Strong: A Reggaetón Festival Brings Joy to New York
Thump– Riobamba: Cómo Hacer Activismo Con La Música
Red Bull– La Fuerza Feminina Toma las Tornamesas
Resident Advisor– January's Best Music
Crack Magazine– At Carnaval de Bahidorá, Expertly Curated Sounds Flourish in a Paradisal Mexican Location
Remezcla– Tu Pum Pum: Women Have Helped Carry Reggaetón Since the Beginning. Now They're Its Future.
The Fader– Listen to a Cathartic New Mix from DISCWOMAN's Riobamba
Remezcla – Watch Boiler Room's First-Ever Reggaetón Showcase Turn Into a Perreo Throwdown
Noisey– Escuchan los Sets de Tra Intergaláctico, el Primer Boiler Room de Reggaetón
The Fader– Riobamba Launches APOCALIPSIS Label. Listen to a Cathartic Bootleg Now.
The Fader– FADER Mix: Riobamba
Complex– Mix Up Look Sharp: The Best Mixes of the Week