Gepe

Chilean alternative singer/songwriter Gepe rose to prominence in the mid-2000s through his association with the respected independent imprint Quemasucabeza, where his fluid approach blended elements of indie pop with indie electronica and earned widespread critical notice. Born Daniel Riveros in 1981 in San Miguel, a Santiago commune in Chile, he has named an array of touchstones that span legendary Chilean singer/songwriter Victor Jara and sunshine-pop figure Brian Wilson alongside alternative-rock benchmarks such as Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine, as well as later indie-pop artists including Animal Collective and Devendra Banhart. Prior to performing under the Gepe name, Riveros joined bassist Javier Cruz in the brief duo Taller Dejao, which issued the independently released album El Brillo Que Tiene Es Lo Humano Que Le Queda in 2004. While maintaining ties with fellow figures in the Chilean indie-pop and rock community such as Javiera Mena, he launched his solo identity as Gepe with the 2004 EP 5x5 on Jacobino Discos. He then moved to Quemasucabeza for his first full-length album, Gepinto, released in 2005 and accompanied by an appearance on the label’s sampler Panorama Neutral. Further Quemasucabeza projects followed, among them the album Hungría in 2007 and the EP Las Piedras in 2008.