EDIFICIO TARAKA in Nuevo Eden, Guatemala.
After previously opening his first learning centre in Guatemala, GORDO heads back to the country he grew up in as he partners up with Seeds of Learning for the third time to open EDIFICIO TARAKA in Nuevo Eden, Guatemala
Diamante Anthony Blackmon — better known to those in the house music world as GORDO, or previously Carnage — has once again made good on his promise to help communities like those he grew up in. Today, the doors open to the third school in Central America, spearheaded by the artist who is committed to helping children and young people overcome disadvantages and create far brighter opportunities for tomorrow than they have today.
Again working alongside established partner organisation Seeds of Learning, a non-profit dedicated to improving prospects for young people living in rural areas of Central America, EDIFICIO TARAKA is the latest learning center the US-based, Guatemalan-raised DJ and producer has funded since his campaign of giving back began in 2014. Situated in Nuevo Eden, a locality in Guatemala’s San Marcos region, the facility’s impact on students will be profound once construction completes.
“My childhood in Guatemala shaped who I am today and I am honored to give back to the generation of tomorrow in my home country. I dedicate this school to my aunt, my uncle and my late cousin Catherine who I grew up with in Guatemala.”
– Diamante Anthony Blackmon (GORDO)
GORDO’s appreciation for the importance of education stems directly from personal experience — his “second mother”, also known as ‘Auntie’, drove both private and public school students around Guatemala City. This, and his own upbringing in Guatemala, laid bare the disparities between those born into relative privilege and abject poverty. Even before the family relocated to the US in the hope of finding a better life, GORDO’s childhood was defined by caring parental figures, and marked by the sheer desperation of a world in which so many are forced to sacrifice their potential to earn money, lessons abandoned to necessity.
Hence education being so highly valued by those who understand what it looks like to have none. Regularly playing in many of the world’s most prestigious venues — touching down in spots from London and Ibiza, to Tulum, Miami, San Francisco, and New York in the past 12 months alone — this is the latest example of socially responsible investment from a man who, by his own admission, is blessed with high profile bookings and chart topping tracks, and remains determined to ensure the associated trappings are used to make a real difference.
About GORDO
Diamante Anthony Blackmon has already helped to define a global musical movement. But now he’s doing it again: GORDO is a new house music alias from the artist previously known as Carnage. Ever since Diamante entered the dance music scene, he’s been educating himself and those around him, inspiring a new sound and a new movement. His quest for this new sound has led to releases such as ‘KTM’, which became an instant Top 10 hit on the Beatport Main Chart, TARAKA, which was named after his own event series, the techno-infused speaker-rattling ‘Leaving Earth’ with KAS:ST, and the widely acclaimed RIZZLA.
His latest release “Hombres y Mujeres” alongside Colombian superstar FEID and recent Latin America tour sees GORDO’s return to his Hispanic roots. The Nicaraguan DJ/producer honors his heritage beyond giving back with beats though, as he’s fully committed to helping build schools and education centers in Guatemala as well as his birth-country of Nicaragua.
Already having established his name among dance music enthusiasts, Diamante solidified his name as GORDO as he broke ground with 6 production on Drake’s latest dance-infused album ‘Honestly Nevermind’, got crowned #1 producer on Billboard’s Hot 100 producers, and #1 Hispanic DJ by DJ Mag. After years of self-discovery, GORDO is now Blackmon’s whole world. It has liberated him and given him the confidence to unleash the sounds that have been deep in his heart for years. From here it is all about making the music he wants to. No going back.
CONNECT W/ GORDO
Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Spotify | Soundcloud | YouTube