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Influenced as much by Stereolab and Gorillaz as Aterciopelados and Julieta Venegas, Chana is an LA-based singer whose tropical sound could be described as global hip-pop. Born in New York City and reared by a party-loving Dominican family, her father's salsa and R&B records were a sonic constant while growing up. At the age of nine, Chana and her family moved to Miami and she trained in modern dance at the "Fame"-like magnet New World School of the Arts, where she was exposed to '90s indie acts like Unrest, My Bloody Valentine, and the Swirlies.

She continued to study dance at the University of Michigan, where she danced in works by Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham and Twyla Tharp, which in turn opened her ears to composers like John Cage and Phillip Glass. She then received a fellowship to Ohio State to receive her MFA in Choreography, and thanks to a university grant spent a summer researching Afro-Dominican dance and music in the Dominican Republic.

After settling in LA, Chana hooked up with producer Marthin Chan, whose previous work with Volumen Cero had earned him a Latin Grammy nomination. Working out of Chan's garage in Echo Park, the duo began collaborating in 2005, and were aided by friend Jorge Elbrecht of the New York art collective Lansing-Dreiden. Their first batch of demos includes "No Me Mandes Flores," which sounds like Andrea Echeverri fronting a funk band; "A Veces," whose swampy sonics and bouncy bass give off a dub feel; and "Icaro," a jagged, thrilling rush of pop. Chana also continues her passion for dance as an understudy for Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company (lacontemporarydance.org). She also was the choreographer for Mia Doi Todd's video "Night of a Thousand Kisses".