Multiculturalism in the producer’s work. Sounds from different cultures as a way of passing messages to other communities. Mia Moretti in the lens of Jacq Harriet and Carolina Orrico
Culture and community are at the heart of the artist’s work. She honors sounds that use music as a way of passing messages.
Mia Moretti in the lens of Jacq Harriet and Carolina Orrico
«As a DJ, my work has always been focused on looking for sounds and stories that I relate to and that I canconnect people to», that is how Mia Moretti describes herself. Exploring different aspects of humanity, expanding her own geographic boundaries and searching beyond, through her production as well, Moretti is a proponent of unique but universal tales.
Sounds have a definite connection to the places from which they are born, but that is not to say that they cannot connect to others. Music is a pretext but mostly for a means of disseminating social, political, and cultural aspects that define a region or community. Often it is the members of these groups who export them by being spokesmen for these instances in other places.
Other times, with works such as Moretti’s, the spread is facilitated by the coming together of different sounds in which one pulls the other toward popularity. «These projects are an opportunity to share voices that others have never heard and connecting them to new audiences», the producer says.
Beyond the language: a shared message
In today’s hyper-connected world. A song represents, according to Moretti, «what was, what came and what we are today».
To better understand it comes from something that has been, but also from the sounds that travel around the world to end up in someplace new. It can also in part be a sound that is indigenous and proper to a place, or how it is perceived, she concludes.
The hybridization between the different worlds is happening at an accelerated pace. This exchange has always happened, she continues, but it evolves to the extent of the accessibility and speed at which different cultures can resonate with each other today. «This can be both an opportunity to preserve cultural aspects that could be removed with time and a possibility in the creation of completely new outputs», she concludes.
The EP Tambor represents for Moretti both the ending of a process and the starting point for a new one. The project came about as a result of being in a place at a specific time, at the time of the creation, the producer points out, she was in Colombia working on another album.
«I found this small geographic area that has a specific music, bullerengue. I was able to understand the specificity of the sounds in the geographical context of the country, and that was very interring to me», Moretti says.
However, telling stories differs from standing as a storyteller, Moretti specifies.
Totó La Momposina: the Afro-Colombian core in Tambor
Totó La Momposina’s voice is sampled in Moretti’s newest work. The uniqueness, the producer points out, lies in the purity that these vocal expressions. Voices that have been preserved, and without influence.
The system of music production, of thinking about an album or piece, of including sounds that may appeal to different target audiences, cannot be traced in this type of artistic work. The sounds resemble something much closer to basic instincts, and these are echoed by Moretti on her EP. «What I asked myself about Totó La Momposina’s powerful voice is how I can share it in a contemporary place with my audiences».
Human diversity: Rosa through different communities
This is the only track, Moretti explains, that was not produced through sampling, but was re-recorded with original lyrics Moretti wrote.
Totó La Momposina’s granddaughters, who are singing in the re-recording of Rosa, are now based between Bogota and London.
The uniqueness of the song is the inclusion of the protagonists voices: musicians were found in the area as well as the connection with Totó La Momposina was recreated through her granddaughters vocal timbres. To make a sort of aude to the original song, in Rosa the lyrics have been modified in a small part by Moretti. «Rosa is a standard in Colombia, some famous artists republished it and it represents a recognizable and familiar sound in the area», Moretti adds.
Womanity: finding a voice in the industry through DJing and production
«When I started DJing I was in my twenties, I loved focusing on lyrics and connecting them in my mixes to tell stories everyone could relate to», this is how Moretti starts talking about her first approach to music. Her voice evolved naturally in the industry following her inclination, finding a reference audience, exploring more possibilities in the mixtapes.
Lately after ten years of Djing she started sharing her own voice writing. «At that point I had some confidence that I understood what I wanted to say, and also understood what I wanted to share with the audience. I think that was the moment when there was a shifting from just playing music to making music. And as a result, my playing then focused on the music that I was creating», she points out.
Amplifyingpeople’s voices have always been a way for Moretti to create music selecting those relevant for the story she wants to tell in a determined point and time in her career. Bringing powerful sounds and tales together with the dance world she is living in represent the essence of her voice today.
Lampoon Magazine: the editorial project
About the editorial for Lampoon Magazine, Mia Moretti recalls in the first place the setting of the house on Silver Lake. Shooting in Los Angeles has been an emotional connection for the musician whose roots are to be found in that place. «LA can be a city I don’t feel connected to sometimes, and I think it’s because there are so many cultures that appear in specific and separated places, I love that diversity, But I struggle to find the place where they all come together», she explains.
Working on this project in Los Angeles made her reestablish a link with it. At the end of the day in our houses we are isolated, but Music has always brought people together.
Mia Moretti
Mia Moretti is an American artist, born in Los Angeles. In the early 2000s, her career began with DJing, which allowed her to be recognized and after several years to evolve by becoming a producer. Alongside music she has dedicated her work to poetry.
Mia Moretti photographed by Jacq Harriet and styled by Carolina Orrico
Talent: Mia Moretti
Photography: Jacq Harriet @ FasterFaster
Stylist: Carolina Orrico
Hair: Maranda Widlund @HomeAgency
Makeup: Valerie Vonprisk
Photo Assistant: Alizabeth Bean
Chiara Narciso
