Since unleashing the multi-album Kiick cycle upon the world two years ago, Venezuelan producer and vocalist Arca has been on a continuous journey of self discovery. Following The Kiick Cycle, it was Arca the woman who felt most prominent, with a series of high profile gigs that included opening for Beyonce and a viral Boiler Room set placing her in front of her music like never before. As she’s settled into herself, her artistry has settled into the themes that have always been central to her – gender identity, transmutation, and the psychosexual.
Chama hints toward this new found sense of self. A glitchy reggaeton ballad, Chama is instantly less fractured and deliberately disjointed than Arca’s usual output. She enlists Dominican rapper and songwriter Tokischa, who lends her voice not in prose, but gentle melodies on most of Chama’s runtime. When Arca arrives at the song’s halfway point, it is with a series of rapid fire vocalisations – neither language nor melody, but a strange warcry announcing her otherworldly presence.
Chama bolts through time signatures and atmospheric tonal shifts over its four minutes – sometimes fierce, other times gentile. The song traverses these moods with a poignant emotionality, belying an honesty that lends an unexpected gravitas to Chama, and makes for something absolutely captivating.
