Elysia Crampton

Elysia Crampton Chuquimia's music is a surrealist, politically charged mix of jarring samples and influences ranging from traditional Andean music to metal, crunk, and R&B. Originally known as a member of a remix/edit project called E+E, she made her debut as Elysia Crampton with the acclaimed 2015 release American Drift. Collaborations with artists such as Kelela, Rabit, and Chino Amobi followed, and the ambitious ORCORARA 2010, commissioned as the soundtrack to an installation, was released in 2020. Born near Los Angeles, Elysia Crampton Chuquimia belongs to the Paka Jaqi nation of Aymara people, and maintains connections to her family in Pacajes Province and Nor Yungas in Bolivia. Initially working with friends as E+E, she became known during the late 2000s/early 2010s for her edits and remixes of pop and R&B songs. 2011's Bound Adam, an EP of original material, appeared along with numerous digital collections and DJ mixes. She began releasing music as Elysia Crampton (excluding her matrilineal name, Chuquimia, in the United States) in 2015, beginning with a 7" on Boomkat Editions before the full-length American Drift, issued by FaltyDL's Blueberry Recordings. The album received praise from publications such as Pitchfork and FACT, and was followed by the similarly acclaimed Demon City, released by Break World Records in 2016. The album included collaborations with Rabit, Chino Amobi, Why Be, and Lexxi. Final Exam, a single with Kelela and Not Adrian Piper, was issued by The Vinyl Factory. The imprint also put out the limited Spots y Escupitajo, a set of imagined FM radio spots, in 2017. The brief, percussion-heavy Elysia Crampton appeared in 2018. Crampton released two albums of Native American classical and folk music under her original name, Chuquimamani-Condori, in 2019, with a further collection of demos appearing in 2020. Crampton's ORCORARA 2010, written for an installation presented at the Centre d’Art Contemporain in Geneva, was issued by Pan in 2020. Dedicated to Crampton's friend Paul Sousa, who fought wildfires across the Sierra Nevada while incarcerated, the release featured guest appearances by Shannon Funchess (Light Asylum), Jeremy Rojas, Embaci, and others.
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