“Degenerate”: Moncho Berry begins a new stage with the premiere of his first album

With more than 50 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify, Simón Yriberry (23), known as Moncho Berry, is one of the most important and listened to Peruvian singer-songwriters of the moment. And to continue within that productive line, he has just released “Degenerado”, his first album where he proposes a variety of genres and styles from Alternative Rock/Pop and Afro-Peruvian Festejo to Afro-Cuban Tumbao and American Folk, marking the beginning of a new stage in his fruitful musical career.

Moncho is one of the most prolific musicians of his generation: he composes, produces, arranges and performs. ‘Zoo Lion’ was his EP that stood out among the best 25 Peruvian albums of 2018. Since then he has not stopped creating and producing a variety of genres that come to life in “Degenerado”, a title he carefully chose for this collection of songs with a clear intention. Moncho explains that this name does not want to convey a negative idea, but rather to disengage, to create without the need to agree or correspond to a single musical category, in this case it is a combination of genres.

This album summarizes the last four years of the Peruvian singer-songwriter and producer. It is also the first album produced by himself. with the help of Alejandro Rivas (of the Lima duo Alejandro and Maria Laura), Matias Cella (Argentine mixing engineer known for his collaborations with Jorge Drexler and Kevin Johansen), Julian Picado and Francisco González.

In addition, unlike other previous works, Moncho confesses that for this production he has shown his versatility by demonstrating his various musical abilities that just being a singer is not enough. He has been the leader of a magnificent band, the producer, arranger, musical director of each of the innumerable recording and rehearsal sessions and even the mixing engineer of several of their songs.

Many people often ask him what style of music he does. Moncho has a very clear answer. For him, music goes beyond a style, a genre, an action. Music goes beyond just singing. “I don’t understand why we have to categorize everything, there’s no need to encapsulate, label, it’s just not necessary. The most important thing is to be free at the moment of exploration, creation, expression and artistic interpretation. Of course it is important to respect and take the time to educate ourselves in as many musical genres as we can, but the most beautiful thing is then to be able to break down barriers and merge “, tells us.

This album is a clear example of that fusion of genres and styles, since it offers fast, energetic and happy songs, but also slow and melancholic ones. Cantions in English and Spanish; songs that break barriers and show a variety of genres such as rock, funk, reggae, festejo and tumbao. “I think this album reflects Moncho as that restless, free musician, without parameters, open and capable of dislocating”, ensures.

Also adds: “Since I started this project I decided to let myself go, open my horizons and explore different sounds, styles. I also resolved to put my musical skills to use. I dared to do everything: create, do the sound engineering, the art of mixing, edit the audio, do all the post-production and arrangements. This album has been the result of a hard work of musical exploration, an exploration without gender or barriers, a free and degenerate exploration”.

As you remember, in the middle of 2020, he was named by the prestigious Billboard music magazine as one of the most important Peruvian musicians of the moment. To present the disc, Moncho Berry will give a long-awaited presentation concert this August 25 at Sargento Pimienta in Barranco. Tickets are now available on the platform Joinnus.

To listen to “Degenerate”, you just have to click HERE.