Daniel Alejandro Riveros Sepúlveda (born September 28, 1981), known as Gepe, is a Chilean singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has released five solo albums in addition to one album as a member of the band Taller Dejao. He has been described as the "new 'guru' of Chilean folk" for combining the sensibilities of 1960s and 1970s Chilean folk (especially the music of
Víctor Jara) with a minimalist,
electropop
Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
sound.
Biography
Gepe was born in
San Miguel, a
commune of
Santiago, Chile
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital (political), capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated Regions of Chile, region, t ...
.
[ Allmusic/ref>
]
Taller Dejao
Taller Dejao, consisting of Gepe on drums and vocals and Javier Cruz on bass, released an album entitled ''El brillo que tiene es lo humano que le queda'' in 2004.
Solo
Gepe released his first solo recording, the EP ''5x5'', on Jacobino Discos in 2004. On November 4, 2005, he released his first full-length album, ''Gepinto'', on the Chilean label Quemasucabeza. The same year, a track from the album, "Namás," was included on the Chilean indie compilation and label sampler ''Panorama neutral''. Gepe also contributed to electropop artist Javiera Mena's track, "Sol de invierno," on the compilation. The Chilean edition of '' Rolling Stone'' voted ''Gepinto'' the 22nd best Chilean album of all time in its April 2008 issue, and the Argentinean edition of the same magazine selected "Namás" as the 49th best track of 2006.
Gepe's second full-length album, ''Hungría'', was released by Quemasucabeza on May 18, 2007, at Cine Arte Normandie in Santiago, Chile
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital (political), capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated Regions of Chile, region, t ...
. The same year, he was awarded "best new artist" at the Premios a la Música Chilena, and filmmakers Rosario González y Pablo Muñoz released an independent documentary about Gepe and Javiera Mena.
In 2008, Gepe released a second EP, ''Las piedras'', available free for download from the label Quemasucabeza's website.
In 2009, Gepe could be heard in a beautiful Spanish cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," specially recorded for the film "Sugar." Gepe's Hallelujah remains unavailable for purchase and can only be heard in the film (prominently featured towards the end) and on Gepe's MySpace webpage.
In 2012, Gepe released his fourth album entitled ''GP''. The album was heavily influenced by Chile's northern and Bolivian music, and also went more in a Pop-oriented direction. When performing live he also started to be accompanied by a dance crew for the first time.
Influences
Gepe's influences range from Chilean nueva canción
Nueva canción (European , ; 'new song') is a left-wing social movement and musical genre in Latin America and the Iberian peninsula, characterized by folk-inspired styles and socially committed lyrics. ''Nueva canción'' is widely recognized to ...
artist Víctor Jara to Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...
, Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the b ...
, My Bloody Valentine, Animal Collective
Animal Collective is an American experimental pop band formed in Baltimore, Maryland. Its members consist of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin (Josh Dibb). The band's work is characterized ...
, Pet Shop Boys
The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo i ...
, and Devendra Banhart.
Performances
Gepe regularly holds live performances at venues and festivals in Santiago and other major Chilean cities, such as Viña del Mar
Viña del Mar (; meaning "Vineyard of the Sea") is a city and commune on central Chile's Pacific coast. Often referred to as ("The Garden City"), Viña del Mar is located within the Valparaíso Region, and it is Chile's fourth largest city w ...
. In addition, he toured Europe in 2006,[Rocksonico: Noticia: LA OTRA CARA DEL ROCK CHILENO LLEGA A MEXICO : GIRA QUEMA SU CABEZA – 12 al 23 de Junio](_blank)
/ref> Argentina and Mexico (with Javiera Mena and Mostro) in mid-2007, and Spain in late 2007.
In February 2009, Gepe toured the United States for the first time. He performed at three concerts in New York City, including one at the Americas Society.
Personal life
Gepe is a supporter for the Hare Krishna movement and he tried to convert to it, but he gave up for his difficulty to maintain a vegetarian diet.
Discography
Solo albums
* 2004 – ''5x5'' (EP) (Jacobino Discos)
* 2005 – ''Gepinto
''Gepinto'' is the first studio album of the Chilean musician Daniel Riveros, better known as Gepe, released in 2005 under the independent label Quemasucabeza after his EP ''5x5''. This album includes his first success, entitled "Namás" With the ...
'' (Quemasucabeza; released in Spain by Astro Discos and distributed in the United States by Darla Records)
* 2007 – ''Hungría'' (Quemasucabeza; released in Spain by )
* 2008 – ''Las Piedras EP''
* 2010 – '' Audiovisión''
* 2012 – ''GP''
* 2015 – ''Estilo Libre''
* 2017 – ''Ciencia Exacta''
* 2018 – ''Folclor Imaginario''
* 2020 - ''Ulyse''
With Taller Dejao
* 2002 – ''El brillo que tiene es lo humano que le queda''
With Alex Anwandter
* 2013 – ''Álex y Daniel''
Soundtracks
* 2009 – ''Sugar (Soundtrack) – Gepe's contribution: "Hallelujah (Spanish version)"''
References
External links
Gepe on Quemasucabeza's website
* Gepe's profile on Allmusic
{{Authority control
1981 births
Chilean folk singers
Chilean rock singers
Chilean male guitarists
21st-century Chilean male singers
Chilean singer-songwriters
Living people
Chilean multi-instrumentalists
Musicians from Santiago
21st-century guitarists
Latin music songwriters