Meet Pedro Futura

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Pedro Futura. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Pedro below.

Pedro, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

To my complete surprise, no one is doing what I am trying to do with RadioFutura at WFMU…. When I came to this realization, it blew my mind (and that motivate me even more) ….
I never expected to find myself so lonely in this little space that I am trying to build up.
Maybe the ingredients just came together in the most random way possible, but it happens to taste great !! Most importantly: it does taste right !!
Radio Futura was born in some local backyard in New Jersey or bar in New York around imported beer ( Estrella Galicia most likely). All of us with totally different backgrounds and experiences growing up in our respective countries. The only common factor was our LOVE for everything Latin.
It didn’t take long to realize how similar we were, even if we came from places so far apart. We like the same food, love the same music, celebrate the same holidays, speak the same language (or not but close enough) and sort of have similar memories, but somehow we have been separated in our minds over centuries of pain, struggle, conflict, misinformation and toxic nationalism…. Even to this day : Latin people against Latin people seems totally normal and accepted, but we may have reached (or getting close) to an inflection point of this strange, fragile and elusive union that appears to be growing, and the historic FreeForm platform WFMU, gave me the space to at least, try….

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

It is amazing, to realize this late in life, how little I know about my own culture. The story I have been told since childhood, it missed a lot of chapters and episodes. Upon running into some of those “lost significant pieces” , nowadays I found that there is so much to be proud of ! … Sadly, even to this day, notorious Latin figures with a solid Latin last name, use their platform to still spreading the same old misinformation and hate.
Was everything great and perfect ?? Of course not !… They were mostly men, and they acted as such. Men and women that have been able to do some great things but are also (even today) able to do some despicable ones with no remorse whatsoever…. Anyway, I am starting the healing work with probably the smallest but quite obvious common ground at hand with my culture : Music.
I can’t fix history, nor do I have the qualifications to do so, but I can play music…
The misrepresentation is simply obscene. The division is staggering. The lack of channels is unbelievable…. Part of it has to be our own doing. I feel we have been kidnapped by our respective folklore or respective traditions (that used to feed from each other) and any deviation from that would have a really bad reactions among the abundant purists. Somehow along the way, we have been losing what is objectively, the best part of the Latin spirit : MESTIZAJE… Blending, fusion, integrating, combining, always evolving and creating… In Radio Futura I want to highlight how someone from (let’s say) Chile can take traditional rhythms from ANY other Latin country that they feel as familiar (including Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, etc.) and make them his/her/them own … That is the most Latin thing ever and for too long now, we all seem to try to walk away from it !! … Please don’t !
It will be a really sad future if we just get rid of literally the best part of our culture and choose to copy someone else while looking at our own belly button.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Flexibility, adaptability, creativity and stomach (to take the punches) … It is not easy to move forward any possible idea in today’s social media riddle world…
Let me take the opportunity to make this as clear as possible for the wellbeing of us all and whoever is coming behind:
… Not every single product has to be oriented towards entertaining nor tailored to your every wish…
This may come as a surprise to many, it may be even unpopular, but take it from someone that grew up in that place: You really don’t know how much you are missing and the damage (probably irreversible) to CULTURE (all in capitals) or even EVOLUTION (also all in capitals).

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?

Obviously, I have to tank first WFMU radio for taking this chance when no one else would. I have to thank, also, all the growing number of musicians, publicists and labels taking risk and promoting materials that are not necessarily commercially friendly…. And last but not less, the anonymous listeners and supporters of RadioFutura or WFMU all over the globe…. Please keep curious and open-minded !.. Whoever you are and wherever you reside : you are the front (and last) line of defense.
Have you noticed how every club plays the same music, every streaming platform promotes the same artist, every restaurant has the same dishes or the last time you were in a theater was to see a Disney musical ??? …. We need to revert this FOR YOUR OWN GOOD!! …

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Image Credits

Vanessa Tamarit

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