Gio Chamba

It’s rare for a touring band to tear the roof off a room of 400 people, but that’s exactly what happened at ¡Pachanga! back in January. Gio Chamba is the wild duo of Coffee Guzman and Giovanny Alejandro, and their infectious musical blend and raucous performances give them an edge hard to find in many bands. Fresh and exciting, yet there’s a celebratory sense of familiarity and warmness in their performances. Three years into making music together, they only see more potential.

Gio Chamba’s success and sound emanates from the cultural melting-pot that is Houston. The city’s fast growth and integration of different ethnic communities is turning Houston into a place with deep cultural cache. Much like Chicago celebrates its amalgamations, Houston’s diverse communities support each other, and the strong economy makes the music business more sustainable than ever. “There’s more infrastructure for people like us to be able to do this for a living, which was unheard of 10 years ago.”

This rapid development is opening the doors for a new generation of artists to blend their cultures with popular music from the area. Both Coffee and Giovanny love Houston hip-hop and embrace its ubiquity. “I remember when my friends and I were printing out album covers from people like Z-Ro and trading them with each other. That was the music social media in a way. Almost like baseball cards.” Everybody in Houston knows the anthems of artists like UGK and Slim Thug, and Coffee and Gio heard these staples every time they went out.

At home though, their family life was rooted in the Mexican culture of their parents. Gio Chamba’s music is dotted with vicious raps and intense guitar lines from Giovanny, but the driving force comes from Coffee’s fantastic percussion, rooted in the wide-spread genre Cumbia. Cumbia is the comfort-food of Mexican music, that familiar, simple beat that anyone can pick up on. Coffee smashes the congas like a punk rocker, but keeps the beat going in perfect time, serving up an infectious pulse for the crowd to feed on. It’s a potent combination and the groove hit so hard that you can’t help but dance.
This infectious nature of their music was discovered by accident. Coffee and Giovanny happened to meet while they were both on a lunch break. Giovanny had heard that Coffee was a great drummer, so he invited him to play with him. When they saw the reactions of the crowds, they knew they were on to something. “There would be all kinds of people in these little places and they wouldn’t want to leave. It would be 2AM and the door people would have to push these people out, and they wanted to party hard. It really doesn’t matter if you’re latin or not. You’re vibing to it.”

Gio Chamba understand their culture and, in many ways, is making music that truly represents a time and place. The music is distinctly American in its fusion of punk, electronic, Houston hip-hop, and cumbia, and the appeal is wide-ranging. They are showing the musical potential resulting from the growing Houston, and may be able to break into markets throughout all the Americas. They’ve got a groove too good to ignore. - These Days News Chicago

Spring may have just sprung, but Gio Chamba's "High Rider" is pulling up to your curb, swinging open the passenger door and inviting you to cruise along into summer jam territory.

The Houston music dynamo's latest single dropped in February. It's a Latin Boogaloo-infused honeydripper that sounds like a beer, Buchanas and barbecue party at your compadre's house. The video for the song premiered today on Vevo, YouTube and right here. Raven Tower hosts an official viewing/release party tonight.

“[The song] was written in June 2016 and it came about after I showed several Boogaloo artists to our friend and co-producer, Svani Quintanilla, also known as Principe Q, from Corpus Christi," Chamba says. "He immediately said, ‘I'm gonna make a beat like that,’ and he sent it to me within an hour. He works super-fast.

“I was really impressed in how he captured the Boogaloo style so well, down to the claps, but at the same time, threw his signature urban sound on it," he continues. "I loved it so much, I wanted to finish my part quick. I wrote the lyrics and melody the next day with the help of [bandmate/producer] Coffee [Guzman]. That's one of the many songs we have co-produced with Svani.”

Chamba and Guzman share a diverse love of music. We asked for a few acts that inform their own sound and got a list 30 names long. Their shared musical heroes include Bob Marley and Dengue Dengue Dengue. Separately, they noted acts like Mano Negra, Manu Chao, Bone Thugs and Devendra Banhart (Chamba) and Slightly Stoopid, Tito Puente, Beastie Boys and Daft Punk (Guzman) as some of their musical role models.

We got to talk about a few of our own music favorites with Chamba. The song title and the video remind us a bit of the oft-sampled War classic, “Low Rider.” The correlation was intentional, Chamba insists.

“I have been listening to Chicano Soul-Latin Boogaloo for quite some time, because it's a very unique style with a very interesting history," he says. "It's the blend of American R&B, soul and funk styles with Afro-Cuban instrumentation, and most of it contains English lyrics. There are a lot great Boogaloo artists, but one of my favorites is The Joe Cuba Sextet because they made the catchiest tunes.

“When I listened to the beat that Svani made, I immediately felt like it was a cruising song," Chamba continues. "It wasn't just that he named it ‘mi lowrider’ for the sake of saving the Ableton session, but it also reminded me of a Joe Cuba-type song. I knew that there's already a song called ‘Low Rider,’ so I decided to flip it and call it ‘High Rider’ because it's a new feeling.

"We decided to make the connection between ‘High Rider’ and a person that you love to spend time with, while jamming out to music in the car," he explains. "As soon as we put the track out, we started seeing videos on Twitter with couples jamming to ‘High Rider’ in their car and singing along...and we're cruising through the streets of H-Town.”

Houstonians, especially those in music circles, should see some familiar sites and faces in the film.

“The video was shot and directed by Frank Ipkiss, also known as Quite Frankly. He's a very talented young director from Houston who has his own visual style that fits so well with ours," says Guzman. "Frank has the ability to see our unique vision and vibes with us on a personal level, so it makes it really easy to work with him."

“The video was mainly shot at an event that was sponsored by Wonky Power Records in conjunction with Boombox Taco. We shot it in one day and we had our friend Frank Cruz from Corpus Christi come up to Houston with his 1961 Chrysler Newport,” he adds. “Príncipe Q and Frank star in it, as well as our good friend Christie Chafoya, also known as ‘Cheech,’ and Alex 'Senior Jukebox' from Boombox Taco. It also has special appearances by Marco Torres, Richie from Mind Shrine and the Mantra Love homies.”

Despite the easy vibe of the song, Guzman said the undercurrent to the video is about work, the kind that drives this city.

“We wanted to represent a day of CHAMBA (work) in Houston through our personal, day-in-the-life viewpoint,” Guzman notes. “That's why it shows Gio working in the taco truck and me playing congas outside. Then, later in the video, you see us working onstage. We literally work all day, every day. We also wanted to show the world a different side of the culture that Houston offers, a more artistic and open-minded side of the city. Due to high population, there's a multitude of people that are seeking good food, arts and entertainment. We wanted to pay homage to the city by showcasing those aspects in the video.”

We wondered if this could possibly be Chamba’s first official music video and were a bit surprised when Guzman confirmed it is. He said the best parts of the first-time experience were “that we worked with a great friend who is hustling out here just like we are, and also the fact that we were able to incorporate different friends of ours who we respect in the city and outside the city.”

“High Rider,” the song, is available on all streaming platforms and is part of an upcoming album tentatively titled TEJAS. After tonight’s event, Gio Chamba can be seen at the Houston Astros Opening Day Party Monday, April 3, and then at Cinco de Mayo festivities at Market Square Park.

We close by noting that all those musical influences Chamba and Guzman shared have melded into something new in their hands, something that feels identifiably “Houston.”

“We're thankful to all of the people who listen, go to our shows and follow us online. It feels great to make others feel good doing what we love because we're expressing ourselves genuinely,” Chamba said. “We're a product of the diverse, hard-working culture in Houston and we feel that we must do our best to represent the city in every way that we can. We're flattered and humbled to know that people identify us with the city that way.” - Houston Press

Mr. Instant Party Time should be Gio Chamba's official nickname. Whether opening up the Mercury Stage on Saturday afternoon or providing the inspiration for an impromptu Houston Dynamo pep rally in the street between the Mars Stage and the Fancy Pants tent on Sunday, Chamba's energy was spellbinding and contagious. Along with percussionist Coffee Guzman and dancer/muse Diana Tica, Chamba’s set was a Latin electro-cumbia rave that shook the hips and hearts of all within earshot. Always with a smile on his face and willing to jump onto a speaker or into the crowd in order to turn up the crowd, he was what's right about Free Press Summer Fest, which is good music, fun times, y la pura vida! -Marco Torres Houston Press. - Houston Press

"Gio Chamba is a Houston-based artist who crafts digital cumbia and electropical sounds. He’s definitely a new artist on our radar and we’re looking forward to seeing what he has to offer."

-Remezcla Staff - Remezcla

Gio Chamba
Houston electro-cumbia/nu-cumbia purveyor Gio Chamba is a force of nature. Combining his guitar playing and vocals with samples and electronic elements, Chamba manages an energetic, wholly new, postmodern take on the familiar cumbia style. Despite the electronica and even hip-hop elements in his music, Chamba's live set feels more organic, and less like a slick tourist trap dance party in Cancún, than you might expect. - San Antonio Current

Gio Chamba keeps bits of tropical beats buried under thick bass lines and his over-effected vocal melodies. Listening to Gio Chamba is like hearing the future’s rendition of the past’s music. There’s something intoxicating in how the musician blends electronic arrangements and acoustic drums to capture the best of both worlds. - Mills Record Company - Mills Record Company

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I would guess that you would have heard of Houston’s Gio Chamba. Like a force of diversity, Chamba has been energetically making his name known throughout the country with his intense live shows and incredibly high energy. Playing what he calls “digital cumbia,” this guy has become synonymous with the tag “performer” due to the fact that he goes hard from start to finish. He’s been everywhere from FPSF to Untapped Fest, as well as all over our city and outside the state. In late September he released his long awaited debut album, “Chamba” where he drops everything from Latin dance to rhythmic electronica, and still finds a way to titillate your senses at the same time." - Free Press Houston

Best Festival Performance from a Local Act

Gio Chamba at FPSF

"The amount of energy that Gio brings to a normal performance is about quadruple of what most acts bring. The amount of energy he and percussionist Coffee Guzman brought to the searing heat of FPSF was on a whole other level. Hopping on the risers, hopping into the crowd, and inviting everyone in attendance into his Cumbia world, Gio solidified his rep as one of our city’s hottest live acts, while making a horde of new fans at the same time."

Five Pretty Damn Good Local Albums:
“Chamba” Gio Chamba

Gio Chamba might be the most energetic performers you can ever have the chance to see in your own backyard. Houston has needed someone of this caliber for a long time, so I was worried that he couldn’t recreate his energy on an album. I should’ve known that wouldn’t be an issue for the cumbia producer. From the opener, “Enter Space City,” the following track, “Chipi Chipi,” to the closer “Finest One;” Gio keeps the energy high and encapsulates his sound on a top notch level. Not only does Chamba introduce many to a different form of music, but he does it in his own style while keeping all of it on a whole other level." - Free Press Houston

The scene: a miserably humid August evening at the Nightingale Room downtown. After experiencing floods of Biblical proportions, as Noah and his big boat of VIPs passed the rest of us by, a torrent of electronic music meshed with the indigenous sounds of cumbia poured out of the venue. A sweat-soaked Gio Chamba came out of the sparse crowd and went outside, randomly inviting people walking by the club to come in and dance. The real post-flood party was taking place inside, and with immeasurable charisma and few words, Chamba managed to lure perfect strangers to come inside, feel the exotic rhythms and permit themselves to escape the day’s burdens by dancing.

And danced they did. The room slowly filled up as more and more people withdrew from themselves, giving up their egos, stepping to the rhythms that he conjured.
Chamba is a throwback. Reminiscent of a bandleader during swing music’s heydays, he conducts the musicians onstage and the audience on the floor. Nods and smiles emerge. He knows that the audience belongs to him, fostering a connection with the entire room.

He knows how to own a crowd. It is unavoidable these days not to see audience members bored by musical performances staring at their screens to make the experience less painful. Not at a Gio Chamba show. If phones are out, it is to let their friends know that they are definitely missing out.
Chamba's passion for music was nurtured by his surroundings in Houston and abroad. As a kid, he traveled between Mexico and the U.S. Unknown to him at the time, the cross-cultural musical influences eventually shaped who he has become as an artist today. - Houston Press

The days of future past blended with Gio Chamba’s 21st-century sound generates the necessary party sounds FPSF needs. Chamba meshes traditional cumbia arrangements with electronic manipulations to create performances that force casual listeners to put away their smartphones and dance to his infectious beats. It is simply a matter of time before Chamba becomes an internationally beloved act; moreover, it is also only a matter of time before you start to hear throngs of musicians inspired by his ability to piece together two musical styles that beg to be joined together. (STEPHAN WYATT) Houston Press - Houston Press

When you look at the slew of local acts on this year’s Free Press Summer Festival, they’re as eclectic and diverse as our city itself. Quite possibly the most diverse and possibly even energetic, Houston’s Gio Chamba will bring his crazy blend of electronics, multi instrumentation, and Latin jams to those in attendance. Chamba is like a mix of Carlos Santana, At The Drive in, and Tito Puente while still keeping things fresh and inventive. Anyone who’s seen him perform just once can tell you about something crazy he’s done for the sake of performing, and no one who sees him thinks that he couldn’t be the biggest act to come out of Houston in the past twenty years. - David Garrick - Free Press Houston

"The first show I covered Saturday was one that I hadn’t quite exactly planned to attend. Lured in by very familiar Cumbia and reggae beats mixed with very tasteful electronic sounds, Gio Chamba rallied up quite a crowd at the somewhat smaller Mercury stage. With a lively backup dancer and rhythmic beats, people gravitated to Gio’s set completely entranced by his digital Cumbia songs, a genre of music originating from South America, particularly Argentina. A blend of folkloric music and urban sounds, Gio’s music provided very engaging performance. If Free Press promises any kind of musical discovery, Gio Chamba’s set was one treasure many concertgoers happily came upon." -Trent Lira and Tiffany Valdez - Coog Radio

Viva Gio Chamba!

Houston-based "digital cumbia / electropical" artist Gio Chamba has had a heck of a 2015, playing for a large crowd at Free Press Summer Festival in June and opening up for The Suffers last month. He got the Untapped crowd bumping early in the day and couldn't walk five feet without getting a high-five the rest of the night.

-Craig Hlavaty - Houston Chronicle

"...Gio Chamba, whose music was described as a “crazy blend of electronics, multi-instrumentation and Latin jams” by the Free Press in Houston, his hometown." -Timothy Finn - KansasCity.com

If those set times are too early for you, then you should at least catch local fave, Gio Chamba at 1:20 on the Mercury stage. Gio is like if Carlos Santana, Tom Ze, and Tito Puente dropped acid and procreated. He’s seriously one of Houston’s best performers, you’re foolish if you miss out on his set. -David Garrick - Free Press Houston

One of my day’s highlights was hearing no less than fifty people talk about the crazy set from Gio Chamba, thus proving that he found a way to go harder than he usually does. - David Garrick - Free Press Houston

The always entertaining and massively high energy of Gio Chamba will go on prior as direct support. Gio is having a banner year with shows outside of Texas, a set at FPSF, and a set at Untapped. If for some dumb reason you’ve never seen him do his thing, this is your chance as he’s one of the best performers in Houston. -David Garrick - Free Press Houston

The crazy and intense digital cumbia experience known as Gio Chamba will be there as direct support. This guy made 2015 FPSF memorable just based on the fact that I heard people both days talking about how crazy his live set was. -David Garrick - Free Press Houston

Dressed in a funky polyester shirt, Gio Chamba looks like a relic from the 70s. But This Houston-based musician is more than a throwback act. He is a passionate artist who embraces many musical styles and uses them to entertain and unite people.

“Music is powerful connector,” he said. “It can change people’s lives.”

-Mocha Man Style - Mocha Man Style

Gio Chamba might have one of the hottest live shows going, with his mix of Latin rhythms and crazy lights. A true mix of the past, present, and future, Gio is one of the few guys who can make me get down just with a handful of notes; so his EP is definitely one to watch out for.

-David Garrick - Free Press Houston

Chamba’s set at Houston’s Best Halloween Bash blew me away with his mix of lights, Latin flavor, and tropical beats. He’s like if Tito Puente did acid and then formed an electronica act with Sergio Mendes and Tom Ze.

-David Garrick - Free Press Houston