Womad: 10 Questions with Las Cafeteras

Las Cafeteras. Photo / Rafa Cardenas

From East LA to the 'Naki - Las Cafeteras are set to bring an Afro-Mexican blend to the Womad stage.

1 Tell us who you are and where you're from.

Héctor Flores - singer, dancer, jaranero from East Los Angeles, CA, US (Mother from Michoacán, Mexico and Father from Sonora, Mexico).

2 Describe your sound in one sentence.

Afro-Mexican Folk with a twist of tropical juices, a pitch of punk, splash of hip-hop and pure party.

3 What do you think is the key thing Womad festival artists have in common?

We're all the same because we're all different.

4 Which of your songs is your favourite to perform live and why?

La Bamba Rebelde - it's a great mix of who we are as children of Mexican immigrants re-mixing our roots.

5 What can the Womad audience expect from your performance at the festival?

To not sit down lol!

Las Cafeteras. Photo / Rafa Cardenas

6 Which other acts on the festival bill do you most want to see?

Baloji, La Dame Blanche, Khruangbin.

7 What does success as a musician mean to you?

Two things ... 1) Making music that connects to people; 2) Paying the rent with your music.

8 What would you tell a young person wanting to be a successful musician?

There's no secret ... you gotta work harder than anyone else ... find your voice and you have to believe in the music you're putting out ... you can't fake it.

9 Who or what excites you most about music right now?

The genre-less-ness of our time is incredible ... all kinds of music is being created without musical borders ... it's so inspiring.

10 You can only fit one album by another artist on your device - what is it?

Manu Chao's Clandestino.

Womad takes place March 15-17 at New Plymouth's TSB Bowl of Brooklands, Pukekura Park.