Grammy nominated, Independent Music Award winners, 15 years on the go and five albums already published which have spread their name all over the world…but if you can’t demonstrate your qualities in front of your audience, your award, prizes and career’s accomplishments aren’t worth a dime. That’s why the eight musicians who compose Novalima and performed at Rich Mix for the final act of the tenth anniversary of Movimientos can be easily considered one of the most thrilling acts around.

The Peruvian band is a live wire and their gigs are the best evidence of the musicians’ energy. Throughout the night they indeed shouted, jumped and fired up their audience with some of the finest Afro-Caribbean rhythms. They expressed an upbeat and energising drive that ignited itself into a spontaneous combustion from the cajón and congas played by Marcos Mosquera, intensified by the ardour of Rafael Morales‘s guitar riffs, flared up with the electronic wizardry of Ramón Pérez-Prieto and finally burnt brightly thanks to the overflowing vitality of the singer Milagros Guerrero.

Novalima sound is rich, contagious and able to infect every single member of the audience. In fact, Rich Mix jam-packed hall just needed few notes to start rumbling and sweating: everywhere you turned your eyes, you could only see people dancing, moving their bodies or at least trying to find some space where to give vent to their excitement. The electro-traditional Latin American mix played by the band was the absolute winner of the show and crowd-pleasing tunes like “Machete”, “Guyabo” and “Bandolero” drove the audience crazy. But it also looked like Novalima’s fans were totally into the tunes of their latest work. Planetario includes indeed some rutilant floorfillers like “Beto Kele” and “Como Yo”, which are too lively to be left out of a live setlist.

Novalima’s gig on the Rich Mix stage was a triumph of South American rhythms and possibly the crowning moment for Movimientos as one of the most exciting event organisers in London. Saying this we’re not flattering or exaggerating because, after ten years, Movimientos has undoubtedly become a referential reality in the London music scene and what happened during the final part of its anniversary was the irrefutable evidence.