Leyenda: Liz Melina Godoy Nieto
International pop art iconic Liz Melina Godoy Nieto; photographed by Brenden Beu.
The artistry involved with observing human nature involves a degree of amateur anthropology. A level of dissection is at play, investigative probing and inquiries into obtaining a closer view of the discipline mechanics that drives impulses, impetus, points of actions, etc. Comparisons are often made as demarcating pinpoints in these studies, as more often than not the findings of these deep dives are wild and messy (abandoning neat, linear logic). These varying vectors that make up volition are like a rushing river, a deluge of inexhaustible energy that breaks like a racing force of marine wildlife making their way through the rocky chop that carries all aquatic elements within the stream in a rough and tumble fashion.
Through impressionistic art forms the most self-serving elements can be depicted in the most extravagant of brush strokes. We see the perils of hubris play out on the stage that portrays plot arcs of hubris, stadium lit idol worship of ego ingesting/chart-topping gods, gallery space giants, modern museum cult fodder catnip for all concerned curators (of distinguished taste and rep, of course), to the delivery of the art piece itself. The presentation of the manic heart and soul of the human condition is always through a barrage of emotive tones, technicolor palettes offering infinite hues, and unlimited variations upon themes that have yet to be expressed.
Poolside at Yamashiro with Liz Melina Godoy Nieto; photographed by Brenden Beu.
The movements and madness of desire and determination rage ahead on “Esa Avaricia” from creative powerhouse Liz Melina Godoy Nieto. Having received an arts grant from the Arts Council of England last year, the currently UK-based multi-hyphenate shares a hyper Banda single that sprints madly like a racetrack runner trying to be the best bet yet. Like the previous single “Display”, Liz orchestrates traditional Sinaloense horns in radically rhythmic sequences that blare like prosodic klaxons for all to heed and feel.
“Esa Avaricia” is a visceral journey down into the void of human greed. Like an adventure to uncover the pagan sanctuaries dedicated to worshipping the base spirit of the self’s most immediate and trivial wants: “Avaricia” courses through the caverns of the unconscious like a spaced-out spelunker searching for some sort of Jungian shadow self. The multidisciplinary artist inverts the concepts of avarice as a shortsighted component of human folly, exploding it into an ultra-charged rhythmic landscape of sound styled with the bombast of a final boss theme. The song abandons the grounding of self-conscious behavior with the all-consuming production that wilds out with the thrills of an insatiable want, and appetite to takeover the world.
Liz builds upon a trad Banda foundation and into new realms of dance pop. Call it Latin dance futurism, Banda la bomba, discotheque universal, and any other such inspired and applicable descriptors as Nieto continues to push the parameters of experimentation passed the point of frequency fusion. “Esa Avaricia” casts a light on the volatility of human emotion, obsessive mania, and implicit urges with bright splashes of brass that spin out toward the sun like a whirling toy thrown to heavens. The track’s rhythms gradually increase in tempo, rising in tension to depict the nature of an out control ego and id that cannot be ratified by the connection to the superego.
Liz Melina Godoy Nieto out of the blur at Yamashiro; photographed by Brenden Beu.
Liz Melina Godoy Nieto provided the following expansive reflections on the new single, being awarded the arts grant from the Arts Council of England, and more:
“Esa Avaricia” is That Greed in English. It has a Quebradita beat, a subgenre of Banda that was THE thing to dance to in the 90s in Mexico and in Mexican communities abroad. In January and February I traveled to Los Angeles and Mazatlan Mexico to begin working on this Idea I've been toying with for over a decade. The project doesn't officially culminate until this December, but last year I had already started working on music incorporating these themes; I wanted to record some of my compositions with traditional Sinaloa Banda instruments and musicians, and after returning to London, I would combine, and deconstruct some of, these elements with more electronic and experimental elements as well as with my very own style of songwriting. I also wanted to focus on finding women in Mexico playing Sinaloa Banda.
Taking a water temperature check with Liz Melina Godoy Nieto; photographed by Brenden Beu.
Last November I was informed I was awarded an arts grant by the Arts Council of England. The person that really pushed me to apply for the grant was Lia Mice, after she heard my demo for Esa Avaricia last year. Since she moved to London (we met while living in NY!) she has been a massive advocate for women in music, for experimental artists, for instrument design, for Music Making for People with Physical Disabilities, all aside from the fact that she's an amazing musician and artist herself.
Listen to more from Liz Melina Godoy Nieto via Bandcamp and listen to the artist's collaborations with Brenden Beu's project BEUHON,