Producer, composer, and guitarist Giovanni Escalera was a pioneer of the late-'90s electronic music scene in his hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico. He formed the band Sweet Electra in 2002 and became a part of the Nopal Beat collective, eventually signing with EMI records for his first album.

When Giovanni was a teenager,  while his friends traded Latin American pop albums, he waited patiently each month for the latest British new wave imports to arrive at the local record store. Though he loves classic Latin dance beats, he creates sounds that are truly global, reflecting his omnivorous musical tastes. In addition to composing and producing for Sweet Electra, he's written scores and songs for several Mexican films and television shows. In his free time, he enjoys painting, shooting and making videos, and trying new ethnic foods in his current home borough of Queens.

In 2005, Giovanni relocated to Mexico City to join in on that enormous metropolitan's exciting art and music scene. When he was auditioning young women to fill the role of Sweet Electra's new singer, someone urged him to call a student at the city's prestigious Fermata conservatory named Nardiz Cooke. As soon as she opened her mouth to sing for him, Giovanni knew he wanted to collaborate with her. They immediately recorded the group's second album, CAMA.

Nardiz grew up in the hot and dusty northern Mexican state of Sonora, where she performed since she was a child, often in traditional mariachi groups. Her mother recalls her singing loudly in her crib--˜perhaps her father had a premonition when he named her after the beautiful Jazz standard "Nardiz."   Now that Nardiz, a mesmerizing and passionate stage performer, is enjoying the glittery Manhattan life, you can often find her during off-hours sitting on a stool at Schiller's Liquor Bar.

Both Giovanni and Nardiz enjoyed success and a strong fan base in Mexico City. But after performing at Joe's Pub for the Mexico Now Festival in 2006, they eventually made the big decision to pull up roots and try to make it in the world's greatest city, New York. The emotional and exciting year they spent settling into their new home inspired their latest album, When We Abandoned Earth. Surrounded by new friends and an inspiring new collection of artistic influences, they're broadening their outlooks while retaining their warm and fun-loving Mexican sensibilities.