AFROBETA

With their infectious rhythms and dance-a-licious beats, Afrobeta's songs are classic yet modern, borderline underground yet so Billboard chart-friendly. Cristina "Cuci Amador" Garcia's pop sensibility resonates through a blend of bilingual proficiencies that even Shakira might covet, while Tony "Smurphio" Laurencio burns holes through his Moog keyboards with funky fire. It wouldn't be surprising to find Afrobeta writing songs for the likes of Madonna or even M.I.A. But for now, Miami is lucky to have the duo performing on a regular basis; the two are a match made in disco-house heaven. - Miami New Times

With their infectious rhythms and dance-a-licious beats, Afrobeta's songs are classic yet modern, borderline underground yet so Billboard chart-friendly. Cristina "Cuci Amador" Garcia's pop sensibility resonates through a blend of bilingual proficiencies that even Shakira might covet, while Tony "Smurphio" Laurencio burns holes through his Moog keyboards with funky fire. It wouldn't be surprising to find Afrobeta writing songs for the likes of Madonna or even M.I.A. But for now, Miami is lucky to have the duo performing on a regular basis; the two are a match made in disco-house heaven. - Miami New Times

http://spin.com/gallery/20-best-pics-miamis-ultra-music-fest?page=19#main - Spin Magazine Online

For many people unaccustomed to the local Miami electronic scene, Ultra was the first opportunity to hear the colorful Afrobeta. Even at a festival with 300 acts, this two-some consisting of Cuci Amador and Tony Smurphio, has a totally unique sound. Located somewhere in-between Peaches, Crystal Castles, and an 8-bit video game, Afrobeta’s bubble-gum house was quite a major shift from the preceding Orbital set. - Consequence of Sound

One of Miami's hardest-working and highest-caliber electro party bands, Afrobeta certainly deserves to perform at Ultra. And if the songs on the dynamite duo's brand-new Do You Party? EP make their way onto the airwaves, this will be but the first of many festivals to come. Catchy but not inane, upbeat but not uptight, Afrobeta's tunes provide the kind of uplifting good time smart folks long for in a continuously dumbed-down world. That the pair happens to hail from sunny South Florida makes it only that much more special. - Miami New Times

Four questions with Afrobeta's Cuci Amador
By Abel Folgar Thursday, Feb 25 2010

Cuci Amador is the effervescent frontwoman of Afrobeta, a Miami favorite that's currently finishing a new studio album. New Times caught up with her to ask about her musical background, new projects, and hidden talents.


Photo by Karla Garcia
Cuci Amador (right)

OK, you've established a pretty solid pedigree locally and a fan base through your work in Afrobeta and with José El Rey and the Miami Bass Warriors. What can you tell us about those projects?

Afrobeta is developing nicely. It started as a beta project, and we are happy to be working on our debut album. We've teamed up with a local indie label started by two of the Ultra Music Festival cofounders, Russell and Charlie Faibisch. You can look forward to a release party announcement soon!

How did you hook up with Calle 13, and what in Sam Hell is "alt-reggaeton" exactly?

Calle 13 had a beat ready for their new album that was kinda a freestyle throwback. A mutual friend showed Residente, of Calle 13, the video for "Nighttime." He liked it and thought I would be a good fit for the beat. That became the song "Electro Movimiento."

I guess "alt-reggaeton" would mean reaching outside of the traditional derivative of Jamaican dancehall. I know that Visitante, the musical mind of Calle 13, is a big fan of folkloric music.

You're an accomplished concert violinist and martial artist. Do you have any other hidden talents? Clearly, you have a great vocal range; are there any other styles of music that interest you? Any people you'd like to work with?

Thanks for asking! I trained for many years for my Olympic figure skating aspirations. I made it to the 2002 semifinals at the Scott Rakow skating rink with my solo routine to "Conga" by Miami Sound Machine. Now I coach the Little Havana girls' hockey team. It's a far cry from my Olympic dream, but it keeps me on the ice! I'd like to work with Björk on a concept album. It is comprised of songs written for animals in frequencies only they can hear. PETA has expressed interest in funding it. - New Times

Take black beans and rice, Cuban coffee, a healthy dose of hipstered
Miami Booty Bass, send it through a sequencer and presto: The
electronic, fertile ground that birthed Afrobeta is sown.

“Miami music had a big influence on me,” says keyboardist Tony
"Smurphio" Laurencio, “especially the late '80s, early '90s freestyle,
Miami Bass, and electro coming out of the '90s too.”

“Adding to that is the culture,” says vocalist Cristina "Cuci Amador"
Garcia. “Growing up in Miami with Cuban parents, there’s a sound in the
community. We grew up speaking Spanish and having the culture in our
life. We drink coffee before the show, and after the show we can end up
in a 24-hour cafeteria drinking more coffee and eating. It’s real and
it’s part of our music and life.”

As Afrobeta, the two have been laying down electro funk since 2006.
Their local roots were a large part of the connection and show up in
the constants of their songs: a badass bass thump, electro accents
hovering around Garcia’s lucid, lyrical stream, Laurencio moving to the
beats behind a bank of keyboards, and Garcia--when not
crooning--hopping, dancing and banging her head to the rhythms.

The duo's Afrobeta Sessions--a weekly Tuesday night gig at Jazid--is
ground for more inspiration, and a great stop-by for musicians.

“The whole idea of doing a weekly in Miami is for it to breed new
songs,” says Garcia. “Just from the conferences and festivals that are
in town, we’ve met people from Sweden, London, France, Iowa, New
York--you name it.”

“It’s also part of being a successful local band in Miami,” says
Laurencio, who still holds down a slot in the Suenalo lineup, in
addition to doing side projects with the likes of rapper Pitbull. “It’s
the one night a week that people know you’re going to play in a place,
and you never know who will show up.”

In three short years Afrobeta has had their share of success. They've
played the New Times Battle of the Bands, New York's Latin Alternative
Music Conference, and contributed to Grammy-award winning reggaeton duo
Calle 13's hit "Electro Movimiento.”

The band's own tunes “That Thing” and “Nighttime” are on Itunes, and an
EP is in the works. The duo plans to hit the road hard this summer,
with gigs are already booked in California, New York and North
Carolina.

“Our music crosses a lot of genres and musical tastes so people feel
that we can fit into a lot of situations,” Garcia says. “We’ve been
involved with everything from playing for four-year-olds to providing
animation theme songs to Ultra to the Latin Funk stage at Carnival on
the Mile.”

“We have so many tracks that we’re always doing new stuff,” adds
Laurencio. “Every time people come see us it’s like they’re getting a
new show.” - Closer Magazine

Afrobeta have built an impressive fanbase since they showed up on Miami's stages with spastic, tilt-a-whirl tunes. Blending Tony "Smurphio" Laurencio's psychedelic, keyboard-driven beats with vocalist Cuci Amador's whines and wails, their frenetic brand of electro should win them critical props outside our fair city — but in the meantime, they'll just have to make do with hometown kudos, including the Miami New Times' award for Best Local Songwriter. - Flavorpill

If you're aware the Miami music scene is made up of more than Trick Daddy, 2 Live Crew, and Pitbull, kudos for tuning into Crossfade, our little music blog. Not that we can take credit for introducing you to absolutely all local singers, rockers, rappers, and troubadours, but — ahem — we've schooled you on more than a few. Take, for instance, electro-funk duo Afrobeta. In one blog post, you learn the pair conjures up a groove like "Miami Sound Machine, but indie and better" and that the two are inexplicably "the real deal." You could also probably get that same info from someone who's seen the pair's high-energy live show, or you could go to Jazid Tuesdays for Afrobeta Sessions. Watch Cuci Amador rock the mike and dance away the night while keyboardist/composer Tony Smurfio does his thing backing her up. - Miami New Times

A superfunky beat drops. The woman onstage looks into your eyes and coos, “Didn’t notice you standing there. It took a long time, but you didn’t care.” You think she has mistaken you for someone else, a long-lost love or maybe a drunken one-night stand. But her voice continues to hypnotize you and your ears grow more accustomed to the house/ghetto-tech/funk music. Then you learn this woman is Cuci Amador, that man creating the funky robo music is Toni “Smurphio” Laurencio, and this is Afrobeta. And now you do care, but you’re a little late, because even our readers know enough to name this band Best Electronica Artist.

So now is the time to either jump on the bandwagon or get run over by it. After only a year together, the duo has Miami hipsters clamoring for its unique brand of musical refreshment. “It’s funky electro disco. It makes you feel psychedelic. Kind of uppity, good-feeling music,” says Smurphio. See for yourself tonight at PS 14; the show begins at 10:00 p.m. - Miami New Times

http:// - Flavorpill

Afrobeta has been making music for 1 year, 9 months, 2 weeks and 3 days. On their own, Smurfio and Cuci know a thing or two about music -- together they are unstoppable, with a sound that can best be described as an unexpectedly colorful explosion of feel good lyrics, electronic beats and psychedelic mischief.

Music lovers well versed in the Miami scene, the duo kept on running into each other at musical haunts like Jazid, Churchill's and the North Beach Bandshell before finally deciding to join forces. Christina "Cuci Amador" Garcia serves as the spunky resident siren of the group and does her thing on lead vocals. Tony "Smurfio" Laurencio, who represents Afrobeta on guitar and synthesizer, is a veteran music maker who has toured with heavy hitters like Pitbull, Jorge Villamizar, Jeremias, Christian Castro and Bacilos. Their creative process is twofold: Cuci brings the ideas for lyrics and melodies, Tony always asks, "What tempo is it in?"

"Miami is a tough crowd," explains Cuci. "If you can do it here, you can do it anywhere." Finding inspiration in other rising Miami talent like Monkey Village, The Spam All-Stars, Sueñalo and Elastic Bond pushes Afrobeta to their creative limits. "We go to see our fellow musicians play and they come see us - we love to be inspired by them," she continued.

If you had to fit Afrobeta into a musical box, one would be hard pressed to choose between disco house, ghettotech and funk. Smurfio and Cuci have inevitably created a new sound, culling influence from their heroes Bjork, Celia Cruz, Erland Oye, Chicago, Van Halen, Infected Mushroom, Juana Molina and Mouse on Mars.

Without a doubt, success is in the cards for this quirky pair. They recently won a spot in MySpace Latino's Get Your Band Sponsored showcase competition. If they win, the duo will propel themselves onto the music fast track with a sponsorship by MySpace, iTunes and Gibson, as well as a chance to play the indie showcase at the Latin Alternative Music Conference in New York City. No matter how things go this week, this summer will be spent recording their highly anticipated first album. Garnering so much acclaim in such a short time, Afrobeta are definitely ones to watch. - Miami Herald (Miami.com)

http:// - The Miami New Times

Winners of Myspace Latino Sponsorship
-Juan Mesa, New York

Their histories are as different as their musical genres. Changes of residence, returns to the scene, friendships or simple urban encounters are some of the experiences lived by the five winning bands of the contest Sponsored Bands of MySpace Latino, carried out during the last months in Austin, Los Angeles, Miami and New York.

But where Afrobeta, Ceci Bastida, Contramano, La Conquista and Los Hollywood coincide is in their attachment to the communities to which they belong. The bands received the support of its public during the first part of the contest, when the fans had the opportunity to vote for their favorite bands on MySpace. Eight bands by city were submitted to the election and the four with the greatest number of votes of each group participated in showcases in local venues in their respective cities. Later MySpace decided the winners.

The five bands are benefited now with the promotional support of MySpace, presence in the Latin Alternative Music Conference LAMC (Afrobeta), noticeable in iTunes, the instrumental sponsorship of Gibson (wrong direction and The Hollywood) and the possibility to sign with Warner Music.

Afrobeta (Miami)

The duo of Cristina "Cuci Amador" Garcia and Tony "Smurphio" Lawrencium was born in the heart of the rock community of Miami. "We had some songs and we put them in My Space, then our friends gave us a name: Afrobeta. Tony has an Afro and the project was in its beta version. In fact, we think that we are in an experiment that is still developing", Garcia says.

Afrobeta carries two years agitating the scene in South Florida with its electronic fusion and its energetic shows. "At our shows, not all is so electronic, the keyboard is organic and in a 85% of the presentations we have a drummer", Laurencio says. In the recent edition of the LAMC in New York, the duo carried out its first one presentation out of Miami.

"We felt the support of the LAMC, the public was open and ready", Garcia says, that writes the lyrics although she affirms that they both distribute the work equally. "I share with Tony what I write, we lean on each other, also I give ideas for melody and keyboard lines".

Afrobeta expects to put its first album in the market in the next months and to leave tour after the year end festivals.

http://www.myspace.com/afrobeta


- Billboard en Espanol.com

Afrobeta draws inspiration from local roots
By: Larry Boytano

“We’ve been involved with everything from playing for four-year-olds to providing animation theme songs to Ultra to the Latin Funk stage at Carnival on the Mile.”

Take black beans and rice, Cuban coffee, a healthy dose of hipstered Miami Booty Bass, send it through a sequencer and presto: The electronic, fertile ground that birthed Afrobeta is sown.

“Miami music had a big influence on me,” says keyboardist Tony "Smurphio" Laurencio, “especially the late '80s, early '90s freestyle, Miami Bass, and electro coming out of the '90s too.”

“Adding to that is the culture,” says vocalist Cristina "Cuci Amador" Garcia. “Growing up in Miami with Cuban parents, there’s a sound in the community. We grew up speaking Spanish and having the culture in our life. We drink coffee before the show, and after the show we can end up in a 24-hour cafeteria drinking more coffee and eating. It’s real and it’s part of our music and life.”

As Afrobeta, the two have been laying down electro funk since 2006. Their local roots were a large part of the connection and show up in the constants of their songs: a badass bass thump, electro accents hovering around Garcia’s lucid, lyrical stream, Laurencio moving to the beats behind a bank of keyboards, and Garcia--when not crooning--hopping, dancing and banging her head to the rhythms.

The duo's Afrobeta Sessions--a weekly Tuesday night gig at Jazid--is ground for more inspiration, and a great stop-by for musicians.

“The whole idea of doing a weekly in Miami is for it to breed new songs,” says Garcia. “Just from the conferences and festivals that are in town, we’ve met people from Sweden, London, France, Iowa, New York--you name it.”

“It’s also part of being a successful local band in Miami,” says Laurencio, who still holds down a slot in the Suenalo lineup, in addition to doing side projects with the likes of rapper Pitbull. “It’s the one night a week that people know you’re going to play in a place, and you never know who will show up.”

In three short years Afrobeta has had their share of success. They've played the New Times Battle of the Bands, New York's Latin Alternative Music Conference, and contributed to Grammy-award winning reggaeton duo Calle 13's hit "Electro Movimiento.”

The band's own tunes “That Thing” and “Nighttime” are on Itunes, and an EP is in the works. The duo plans to hit the road hard this summer, with gigs are already booked in California, New York and North Carolina.

“Our music crosses a lot of genres and musical tastes so people feel that we can fit into a lot of situations,” Garcia says. “We’ve been involved with everything from playing for four-year-olds to providing animation theme songs to Ultra to the Latin Funk stage at Carnival on the Mile.”

“We have so many tracks that we’re always doing new stuff,” adds Laurencio. “Every time people come see us it’s like they’re getting a new show.”

Afrobeta plays Ultra in Bicentennial Park on March 27 at 8 pm

www.myspace.com/afrobeta

- Closer Magazine

In a splintered local musical climate, Day-Glo duo Afrobeta is beloved by all. The band can credit some of that to its members' varied musical pedigrees. The duo's instrumental mastermind, Tony Smurphio, has tickled the ivories for Latin-scene staples such as Suenalo and Bacilos, and even Pitbull. Frontwoman Cuci Amador has earned major hipster cred with her cartoonish style and has even laced a track for reggaeton group Calle 13. Then add sonic confections that straddle many genres and spin them into something futuristic. Sometimes Smurphio's synth lines squiggle and thud with the best vibrations of Miami bass; other times they head for a sweeter, almost radio-friendly electro lite. Amador goes for sassy, almost-rap spitfire; then lets out a freestyle-esque, lovelorn sob; and then goes for all-out next-wave pop princess. No matter the direction of individual songs, though, it all comes together in a sweet form that goes down easy and makes locals proud that the band continues to rep Miami in ever-widening global circles. - Miami New Times