The cozy spirit with bouncy tunes and jucicy gossip on the radio. A small talk with Mexico Cities, Valeriana

The project of the DJ, singer, broadcaster and musical curator of Aire Libre 105.3fm, Valeria Martín del Campo Castellanos aka Valeriana is filled with good moods, weird and crazy investigations and genres like Break Beats, House, UK Garage, Ghetto House, Detroit House, Juke, jungle, Footwork, Techno , Ambient, Drum & Bass belong to her realm of work.

As Host of the morning program "Su té de Valeriana" on Aire Libre FM in Mexico City, she fills the space where your horoscope is the title of a song, where songs that are scares that give pleasure are revived, and where prayer chains are made to bring our favorite artists to CDMX.

Valeria Martín del Campo will take you by the hand on a musical journey full of urban jazz, R&B, and neo-soul, as well as being the voice of feminism and youth activism within Aire Libre 105.3 FM. She brightens up your day with fun facts full of laughter, and a fresh twist of new music.

We wanted to have her take on our next slot for Community Effects (008) on n10.as and give us a small insight into her life and musical universe in a small talk.

Interview by Sophie Kübler, 21.06.2022 | all photos by Valeriana

Hello Valeriana, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us and prepare the podcast. What music did you choose and what is the vibe?

Hi bbb, thank you so much for having me! It was a mix of bass, UKG, some acid dembow-ish and of course new sounds from my favorite Mexican producers.
The vibe is something I like to call watery with lots of 'woop woop' vibes for a perfect dynamic day or night.

You are the host of 'La Happy Hour' on Aire Libre and together with your partner Joaquina you always bring good vibes to the show. How do you prepare for the shows and what are the themes and ideas behind them?

Yeah well, actually happy hour is over. Joaquina left us last year in January, and I then continued the show with some great collaborators (Sergio Perez Gavilán, Ximena Saldaña, Sexplicame, Discomovil, Allan Mejía). Right now the show is called "Su té de Valeriana" and is what I would call a breath of fresh air. The show is 50% music and 50% content, where we do the craziest and weirdest investigations on all kinds of topics, but also more serious content where we talk about comprehensive sexual and mental health. Also, we go into the samples that are hidden in some songs, where they come from, we have some sections about feminism, LGTBQI+ culture and of course the juicy gossip.

It has its own way of floating, but I think we all prepare with topics that we most likely feel, live, feel empathy for, and then we just talk about it, of course backed up with a previous investigation.

For our readers who are really interested in music from Mexico, what artists would you recommend to get an insight into the current Mexican music culture?

Wow, crazy. I mean, there's a lot on the plate, haha. It depends a lot on the genre you want to explore, but my dearest friend Loris I think is one of the Mexican producers that have a lot to offer and are creating new sounds with Mexican and Palestinian sounds. Also the label WVWV is full of strong producers, W.A.H is without a doubt one of my favorites because he is so young and so talented. Loe gives us new sounds that are full of bass, and then when you get to more

For those familiar with the CDMX club scene, you are a part of it and belong to many line-ups. When did you start playing in front of audiences and what do you enjoy most about it?

I started playing about 2 years ago, I can't really remember because I learned it during the show, that's how "Viernes de Nenas" came about, but then Covid came and I stopped. My first performance ever was at a party hosted by Boyanza crew at a mini-festival in Tepoztlan in 2021. I remember being extremely nervous, and it was also the first time I played with an Allen & Heath, haha, but it was the first time I felt so much joy and adrenaline seeing all the people dancing and enjoying. Look at the happy faces, the bouncing steps and the stinky faces because the bass is sick.

If you could pick one track from recent parties that freaks you out, what would it be? Are there any genres or musical discoveries you're currently obsessed with?

I love the bootlegs/edits from benuebermensch, they're bangers def and it's harder with genres. I feel like I'm very versatile, I can't stick to anything in particular for long, but right now I'm totally into housy, bouncy tunes with electro vibes and bass.

If there are three places in Mexico City you could choose to have a Domingo De Bajón. How would you describe Domingo de Bajón to our readers who are not from Mexico, and what foods and drinks do you recommend for a proper Domingo de Bajón at the three places you chose?

Weird, but my domingos de bajón are really cosy. I love to be at the park, ride my bike or home chilling. Of course I enjoy going to Sunday sometimes but yeah, I rather go for a walk or use my bike to go for a Michelada at la Lagunilla.

A domingo de bajon is a mood, a state of mind, a feeling, where you are close to death because of the hangover or because you haven't slept and of course you are feeling empty because Monday is getting closer and closer. Def you need a Clamato or Michelada + a Suero (mineral water + lemon + salt) and eat a lot of Mariscos, some Aguachile, Ceviche, Oysters. Places: Mercado de Escandón, La Docena if you are feeling expensive or La Guerrerense.

What are the events in Valeriana's life that we should tune in to or visit?

Right now, I have nothing planned for July or August but in September I'll be playing at El Valle Festival sharing stage with Rhye, Poolside, Life on Planets, Mejía, etc..