MARIA SONORA – 1988 / HR-69 / 12″ VINYL / 2025

Chile was then a country of few colors. Muted tones and imposed shades dominated the landscape, caught between military olive green and a gray that matched the fear of daily life. But from the early 1980s onward—in successive band projects, collaborations, and finally as an independent sister-brother duo—María José and Sebastián “Tan” Levine kept composing songs that were both acts of resistance and declarations of brightness, rhythm, and energy. In a country subdued by a dictatorship and paralyzed by mistrust, their music stood out. «Many young people at the time settled into the gloom, which is why we identified with post-punk and its introversion. We created MARÍA SONORA as a contrast to all that. We felt it was time to venture into music that wasn’t so serious or so sober —looking for something playful. Our concerts were colorful, almost kitsch. The idea of color and rhythm was like a manifesto.» It wasn’t the first time the Levine siblings had collaborated —there had been the band Primeros Auxilios (1984–1985) and a theatrical version of Hipólito, directed by Vicente Ruiz in 1984— but MARÍA SONORA became their most distinctive project. Despite limited promotion and few recordings, it left an indelible mark. From its inception in 1988, the duo set out to blend rarely combined Latin and North American rhythms: hip-hop, funk, raggamuffin, cumbia, rock. Their performances featured professional musicians and striking visuals.