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Q&A Interview: Roberto Lange aka Helado Negro

October 22, 2014 By Ivan Fernandez

Helado Negro
Roberto Lange is Helado Negro. See him at Empire Control Room & Garage on Sunday with SINKANE. Courtesy photo.

Roberto Carlos Lange is one busy guy. Years ago, Lange moved from his home in south Florida to New York where he turned the dial up on his artistic endeavors. However, it wasn’t until about four years ago when he put much of the painting and sculpture to the side and focused solely on his music. The result of that output is five albums, tours across the hemisphere, videos, and collaborations galore.

Lange, who performs as Helado Negro, will be in Austin this weekend to perform songs from his latest album, Double Youth, and others. I spoke with the prolific artist by phone who explained why he has no filter when it comes to releasing his unique type of electronic music (seriously, just try to pigeonhole it), why he considers each concert a unique experience beyond being in a different city with a new crowd, and how he composes songs in English and Spanish.

You’re a busy guy!

Lange: Well…you know, you gotta do something.

Is that your philosophy in life? Because you’ve published a lot of material in recent years.

Lange: Umm…yeah! I would say so. I make music because that’s what I enjoy to do. I’d rather spend time doing that than spend time not doing that.

Yeah, didn’t Invisible Life come out last year?

Lange: It did. It came out last March.

And now you have another full-length album released last month too.

Lange: It’s not like this is rare or anything. I would say, in reference to musical history like in the sixties and seventies, groups used to put out albums every year. That was a pretty common practice. I don’t think it’s that rare personally. I’m not trying to belittle the work that I do but it’s definitely…it’s just keeping up with my own ideas and I’m lucky to work with a label that wants to keep up with me. It’s a good back-and-forth between them and the people I work with.

It’s rare for a label to do that too, isn’t it? Usually they want an artist to release an album and follow it up with a lengthy tour before they even think about writing something new.

Lange: Yeah, there’s definitely that and I think there’s different philosophies behind that. There’s no good perspective on that in terms of what works and what doesn’t. Everyone sculpts their own path on how they make music, how they want to release it and how to share it. For us, it’s kind of like we’re always adapting or mutating to what the music is. That comes first and then deciding what I want to do show-wise and, for the label, they’ve been really supportive and they’re not pressuring me to feel or shape or do specific things.

It’s wonderful how open they were with your Island Universe EP-trilogy project.

Lange: Making that series is parallel to the albums. It’s as steeped in tradition as making an album is but…more experimental in the economies of what music is and sharing it and it’s really about what it is now. It’s a lot more prevalent to share a lot more stuff in abundance and, I think, we’re just finding different vehicles through that series and make a lot of music, so we’re just constantly exploring how to share it, more than anything, and give people access to music. The exciting thing is, for me, I’m giving people who want to listen to my music the option to plug in whenever they want to plug in. It’s nice to have context with what I’ve done in the past but you can just dive in at whatever point you want to. That’s what that series establishes for me.

You’re going to perform music from that series at a special event in Minneapolis next year. That sounds exciting!

Lange: Yeah, it’s not so much performing that series specifically. What it is is a part of that series. The idea of the series doesn’t mean it’s just the release. The part of sharing music is also extended into performance of the recorded music into however you can experience it. It’s just another extension of the idea than anything. That night in Minneapolis is going to be a series of reinterpretations of music I’ve created that are songs from that series but also of songs that are on different albums and a couple of newer things but it’s all reorganized and rearranged.

'Double Youth' is available now via Asthmatic Kitty.
‘Double Youth’ is available now via Asthmatic Kitty.

How are you interpreting Double Youth and other songs on this tour?

Lange: I tour and play on stage by myself so it’s not that I reinterpret it but I just try to figure out a way to make sure there’s enough of what I want people to hear musically. It’s just me, my laptop, and some electronics and I sing. It’s really straight-forward and I also work a lot with creating a stage atmosphere to have a visual representation of my songs.

I saw your performance at Vive Latino in Mexico City this year and your setup was very elaborate. It looked more like a play complete with actors in costume.

Lange: That’s awesome that you were there! I made those costumes specifically for that concert. That was a catalyst to keep moving forward and figure out how that can be elaborated on. I’m using this tour to better study what it means to be in a performance and better interaction with the crowd and working our these ideas. It’s interesting because people interpret it in different ways. It’s almost like a distraction for your eyes to disorient you and, as you’re bring disoriented, you’re listening, and as you’re listening you’re getting lost.

So you get to create a unique experience for each show you perform.

Lange: Yeah and I get volunteers in each city to come in, so that’s exciting, to meet some people and figure out ways to talk to people about it and it’s really cool.

You’ve collaborated with LOTS of artists. What is it about collaboration that you enjoy?

Lange: It’s always a challenge and I know that’s probably a cliché but it’s a challenge in that you have your own sonic expression when you want your sound to be arranged and other people hear things so much differently than you do so finding those bridges between yours and theirs ends up being the exciting adventure. Sometimes it’s a disaster, sometimes it’s amazing, sometimes it’s just really dull. When it’s extreme, it’s really exciting and that becomes a really interesting thing more than anything. A lot of my music isn’t written or performed in a traditional song format…it becomes like sonic architecture. You’re building parts, you’re building rooms in a building and you’re figuring out how everything is going to flow together.

Is there someone you really want to work with that you haven’t yet? Like, a dream collaboration?

Lange: A lot of people ask me that question and a lot of times I’ve answered that with my favorite is to collaborate with people that I know, and not just people that I’ve known but people that I’ve gotten to know. In a way, recently, I’ve wanted to get to know a few newer people and people that I’ve been interested in their music. There’s a Japanese musician named Harry Hosono who started that group Yellow Magic Orchestra. His trajectory is because in the sixties he was making the music of that time, then all that changed in the eighties when he was doing Yellow Magic Orchestra and now he just makes pretty bizarre music. It’s cool because you can tell he’s seeking it out. You can tell he’s looking for something. Those are the people I really want to collaborate with, the people who are trying to find something. That’s exciting.

This new album has a pretty even mix of lyrics in English and Spanish. I didn’t even notice it at first because it comes off so naturally. Did choosing which language to sing come naturally or did you have to work on it?

Lange: It’s very much a flow of words and sounds. A lot of times when I’m shaping the lyrics for the music, I’m mouthing words phonetically and when I do that, that shapes words in English or in Spanish. Then I start building words and I’ll record that and sometimes it doesn’t make any sense. Then I’ll start making more sense of the content I want it to be. There’s a song on the album that’s called “Our Game” and, the most literal example of what I just said, I say the words “blanco, negro, azul” and those were the words that built the melody. It didn’t have any context and I used that as a way to start building the song and build the lyrics. That created a really small, contextual underpinning, “blanco, negro, azul” as the color of bruising and the progress of it.

__________

Watch the official music video for “Invisible Heartbeat” from Helado Negro below.

*Helado Negro performs at the Empire Control Room this Sunday, Oct. 26. Buy tickets here.

Filed Under: Events, Features, Slider Tagged With: electronic, empire control room & garage, helado negro, indie, interview

Mexican Dubwiser releases new single, “Bad Behavior”

March 18, 2014 By Austin Vida Staff

Mexican DubwiserMarcelo Tijerina, better known as Mexican Dubwiser, released his new single “Bad Behavior” today. The single is from his upcoming album Electric City, set for a Apr. 29 release in Mexico, United States and Canada. “Bad Behavior” features special guests Myron Glasper, Ulises Lozano (Kinky), Billy Gould (Faith No More), Cesar Pliego and Omar Gongora. Electric City was produced by both Ulises Lozano and Tijerina. The record will be edited simultaneously in the United States and Canada by Kool Arrow Records and Kin Kon Records, and in Mexico by the Terricolas Imbéciles label.

Born in Monterrey, Mexico, and residing in Los Angeles, Marcelo Tijerina is one of the biggest names in the Latin electronic movement. More than just a DJ, Mexican Dubwiser is a “sound system.” Branded “post-futuristic,” Tijerina’s music fuses cumbia with rock, reggae, funk and dub music. His debut album Revolution Radio was released in May of 2013.

Listen to “Bad Behavior” from Mexican Dubwiser below.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: electronic, marcelo tijerina, mexican dubwiser, monterrey

Palenke Soultribe release new single “Move It” as free download

March 4, 2013 By Austin Vida Staff

Los Angeles-based Palenke Soul Tribe release new single before making their way to South By Southwest. (courtesy photo)

Los Angeles-based electro cumbia duo Palenke Soultribe released their first single “Move It” from their upcoming album Mar. “Move It” is an experiment with faster acid African-kuduro tempos, featuring Los Angeles singer Naada. A free download of “Move It” will be available only for a limited time. Their upcoming second full-length album Mar is set for release on Apr. 9 on their own label Soultribe Records.

The Colombian-born duo Palenke Soultribe combine Colombian styles with electronic beats to create their unique synth-based sound. The duo, which started out by dropping beats and sampling as DJs, now base their ensemble on drums and Colombian percussion, keyboards, bass guitar and vocals. In 2009, the duo released their critically acclaimed LP Oro. Oro is the first album from a trilogy that will include Mar as the second album, and a future third album called Rojo. The purpose behind this trilogy is to get three albums out that represent the colors of the Colombian flag: yellow, blue and red. The duo has worked with award-winning and nominated artists such as Cesar Pliego from band Kinky, Sr. Mendez, Locos Por Juana and mix engineer Mark Needham.

You can listen to Palenke Soultribe’s “Move it” below.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: electronic, palenke soul tribe, south by southwest

Watch: COSMOPOLiTAN’s “Just Give Me Bichola” music video

October 18, 2012 By Austin Vida Staff

Courtesy Photo

Their identity is irrelevant while music is the main focus for COSMOPOLiTAN, a trio in matching outfits who hides behind sunglasses and facemasks. The band has been spreading their electro-rock beats from Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico to the U.S., to Japan and they have even earned first place on Puerto Rico’s list of Top 10 en Radio Indi. COSMOPOLiTAN is composed of Edgar Lizárraga, Ramiro Iglesias and Abraham Bustamante or better known as their alter ego’s Mr. Vox, Mr. Lee and Mr. Doc, respectively, who can start a dance party with their energetic beats full of industrial sounds, rock and electro-punk.

Though the trio conceals their identity from their fans, they sure don’t hold anything else back in their music. The band is simply straightforward and the song “Just Give Me Bichola” off their EP Machine proves it. Besides the raunchy track name, the band recently released a music video that shows exactly what they mean. Partly shot at the Conga Room in Los Angeles and directed by Jordi Ortega, the trio transforms a boring accountant into a womanizer after an electrifying and intoxicating night out with them.

Watch the music video for “Just Give Me Bichola” below:

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: cosmopolitan, electronic, just give me bichola, rock, video

[7/28] Preview: Hola Indio at Red 7

July 28, 2012 By Austin Vida Staff

Tonight the Hola Indio, a cross collaboration tour between VICE and Indio Cerveza, comes to Red 7. The first of four parties to hit Austin, the tour will benefit the National Museum of Mexican Art (NMMA).

Each party will feature one Mexican headliner and one local band while showcasing two art pieces, both produced collaboratively by a Mexican artist and American artist. More Austin dates are already confirmed for August 25, September 29 and November 2. Upcoming performers include Mexicans With Guns and Toy Selectah to name a few.

Tonight’s event at Red 7 will feature music from Mexico City-based Bufi and art by Ines Estrada and Clarke Curtis. Local goodness by Peligrosa’s own DJ Orion. To RSVP for and for more details on the first leg of the tour, visit http://rsvp.vice.com/holaindio/.

Red 7 is located at 611 East 7th Street. Doors open at 9 p.m. 21+ are welcome. Donate at least $1 to the National Museum of Mexican Art to get in, and the drinks and music are on the promoters. Visit the event post on Do512 here.

Listen to Bufi’s Acid Spring EP below.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: electronic, preview, red 7

Festival Recap: Primavera Sound 2012

June 27, 2012 By Winston Rivas

Editor’s note: Earlier this month, Austin Vida contributor Winston Rivas was able to fulfill a long-time dream of traveling to Barcelona, Spain, for the international mega music festival Primavera Sound. The following is Rivas’ review of the festival.

Barcelona. Very few cities provoke such raw emotions. I’m not quite sure if it’s the Spanish wind or the fact that you know that all the vices—even the ones you just thought about for a split second—are just a fingertip away. A city which has been a nursery for the creative and social outcasts, always on the breaking point of the next trendy thing from gastronomy to photography. When it comes to the music scene Barcelona doesn’t play second fiddle to its European counterparts (London, Berlin). For the last decade, Primavera Sound has found a way to bring legions of music aficionados from all the European regions by combining bands of legendary status with your yearly buzz bands. A mind-boggling amount of people. Like a hipster Austin City Limits Fest times ten and next to the beach.

The list of bands in this year’s edition included more than 100 bands, among them the legendary The Cure and Pitchforkian faves Beach House. But as the festival took place in Spain there was no shortage of quality Spanish indie bands worth checking out.

On Thursday, the first band to take the stage was Pegasvs, the heralded synth connoisseurs composed of Luciana y Sergio recently debuted there first LP to high praise within the Ibero-american indie circles. With dueling Moog synths,  the duo provided a set that was as visual appealing as their glossy brand of synth-pop. Every song had sweeping progression that never failed to move the crowd, the duo worked their Moog machines like mad scientists, adjusting every knob possible. Luciana’s voice is as tender live as on record, providing the early and unfortunately smallish crowd with a reason to dance and be optimistic for the rest of the festival. A smashing set that was reaffirmation that Pegasvs is Spain’s finest export and Iberoamericas breakout band of 2012.

Friday showcased three of Iberoamerica’s prominent indie artists. First it was Bigott, the indie-folk singer-songwriter with enough charisma to spare. Perhaps it is the long beard and awkward dancing but there is incredible charm to Bigott . Not to mention the lovely brand of indie-folk pop that is even more engaging and playful live. The most sincere moment was during his song “Cool Single eeding” which had spanish couples swaying and embracing each other. Accompanied by a talented group of musicians, the set left the crowd on high spirits and everyone dancing (even to a song titled “Cannibal Dinner”). Bigott, who sings in English, is an artist well capable of making a crossover to American audiences.

Later that evening it was Joe Crepúsculo in a Rayban Unplugged session, plagued with sound problems for a good 20 minutes the avant-pop artist struggled to find a groove early on, but once he began to settle the small tent came to life with brimming techno-pop that had his legion of Barcelona hipsters packing in close and closer to his keyboard. Usually when I think “unplugged,” I think “lazy dude in chair with guitar” but this was more of an intimate house party full of pretty Barcelona indie girls dancing away. At times his music is diffcult to devulge yourself into but once the cerebral part is taken out and you simply swim in the flourishing rythums its easy to fall for Joe’s Music, his lyrics put it best “Despierta el robot que llevas dentro.”

One of the more anticipated sets on a Latin American level was Rebolledo and Matias Aguayo, part of the mipster and European-approved Comeme Crew. Rebolledo, the Mexican from the Beaches of Cancun who plays a dark, menacing “Oh shit, this beat is so heavy” brand of dance music that can be heard in any industrial German nightclub or in Cancun, Matias Aguayo is the tropical guru who provides the psychedelic trip though the amazons. As Rebolledo made his way up with a couple beats of his mipster anthem “Guerreo” playing, the crowd was already screaming “Soy un guerrero” but of course it was just a tease (a one-and-a-half-hour tease). Rebolledo set was a tale of two halves. The first half was difficult to swallow, songs that played too long and lacked any real cohesion and dance-ability. After 40 minutes, Matias Aguayo came to provide a spark of tropical rhythms and tribal vocals (some awsome bird chirps). Matias Aguayo was more commanding on stage and his music was generally more well received. Rebolledo made a return to a better second half playing hits from his album Super Vato. Rebolledo looked more settled and finally played Guerrero at 5:20 am, but the crowd didn’t wane and screamed “Soy un guerrero, visto de cuero!” Even still, Rebolledo’s set left much to be desired.

Saturday had the recently signed Nacional Records artist Astro playing at the Adidas stage in an early set at 5 p.m. Part of the Chilean music renaissance, the group had its share of bright moments. Playing in front of a responsive crowd who knew their songs. The group’s set was bumpy at times but overall enjoyable. The transition from hearing them on CD to finally seeing them live was better than expected. The group ended their set on a high note with their Latin indie hit “Maestro Distrocion” which is even more epic live. It was easy to see why Nacional Records signed the group. Side Note: After the set, a girl asked me if I was Chilean. Yeah, I know.

Mujeres made there way to the Vice stage to a very large crowd. The fuzzy brand of garage rock was extremely impressive. It was great change of pace from the more subdued indie-rock outfits throughout the day.  The band who is no stranger to big festivals in Spain and looked like the polished outfit  that being said, they never shy to exude aggression and power. The  band is a throwback to Spain’s  history of  aggressive rock bands.

It was finally Saturday or Sunday (time has no concept in Barcelona), 3 a.m. hovered and the moon still as potent as ever, hoards of fans scrambled to what became the default headliner for Saturday, Neon Indian. Alan Palomo the hometown hero of Austin Texas (sorry Denton, he’s ours). As Neon Indian prepared, there where whispers among the crowd as Alan Palomo spoke Castellano to his sound guy “Habla Castellano” fans asked rhetorically. As I stood front row I turned around and simply said “vale, es mexicano”. Which seemed to bamboozle them. This was no doubt Alan’s biggest moment, from filling up the Emo’s small stage with Vega to Mohawk, Fun Fun Fest to this closing Europe’s premier music fest. The lights dimmed and Alan slowly turned the nobs on his Moog and the first beats of local joke blasted, Alan swiveled back with his mipster dance move, there as no doubt he was ready. Sweeeping though a mix from his first to albums,occasionally stopping in-between songs to get a swig of tequilla (Jose Cuervo, of course). Alan Palomo commanded the stage with more vigour and sensuality then previously seen, Alan didn’t use vocal synthesizer rather used his more natural voice which brought even more heart to his set. After 45 minutes which seemed to pinch his set the fans were left salivating another song(terminally chill, a VEGA SONG?!?) which never came. If Neon Indian needed another “hey where a super legit indie band” stamp the fully received it in Barcelona. The crowd dispersed with a collective sigh and made there way out to the other stages where it was dubstep hour.

As the fans slowly made there way out of el Parc Del Forum, It was another sucessful edition of Primavera Sound. I made my way to metro stop (after declining coke and beer from street-peddlers)around 5:30 to the most packed subway you will ever see. The fatigue seemed to finally be setting in on these European hipsters. It was similar feeling you get at SXSW you know after that final final set at Mohawks and you walk your swollen feet down east 6th and turn right on chicon when you know your house is on ceaser chavez and you make a big ass circle. Yea well, it was just like that except i got off at Passeig de Gracia when my stop was Jaume I and Barcelona isn’t really that inviting at 6:30 am(Yet prostitutes still working did provide me with some comfort level). Needless to say i got to my hotel as the sun was starting to reach full blast. Regardless, Primavera Sound is bethomth of a festival a bucket List type of festival for any Music Junkie, perhaps not as big as SXSW but just as potent. The Beach, the Bands, the fact your thousands miles away from home just provides to the adrenaline rush that is this once in life experience.  So if you plan to make any festival roadtrip. Skip the Coachella Polo club and head to Catalonia.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: electronic, festival, indie rock, review

The Pinker Tones support “Life In Stereo” with Texas tour dates

May 16, 2012 By Austin Vida Staff

Photo provided by Nacional Records.

The Barcelona-based duo The Pinker Tones, created by Profesor Manso and Mister Furia, mix an eclectic range of sounds that can stand alone as pure electronic music or can be fused with indie, dance and rock. Either way, it’s hard to resist tracks with names like “S.E.X.Y. R.O.B.O.T.”  The band now has their own record label called Pinkerland Records and has collaborated with Kinky, Nortec Collective and Torpedo Boyz among others.

After much anticipation, an instagram photo movement of fans taking pictures with the words “We want to live in stereo” and hashtagging it with #lifeinstereo, the Pinker Tones released their latest album Life in Stereo on May 15  just as their 10-year anniversary rolls around. In the celebration of a decade’s worth of work, the band kicks off their U.S. tour today in Los Angeles and will head to Austin on May 25 where they will perform at the Beauty Ballroom. Their tour will come to an end the next day at the Neon Desert Festival in El Paso.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: electronic

New ZZK/Waxplotation project, “Future Sounds of Buenos Aires”

April 15, 2012 By Elizabeth Blancas

The Future Sounds of Buenos Aires

The soothing folkloric rhythms of the Andes get revamped as the past meets the present with Waxplotation Records and Argentinean ZZK Records’ new project, Future Sounds of Buenos Aires.

The unlikely record labels team up to uncover the underground electronic scene in Argentina with their album featuring Chancha Via Circuito, Mati Zundel, Frikstailers, Super Guachin, La Yegros, El Remolon and King Coya among others.

With each artist’s unique style, the album gives a taste of the diverse sounds that have emerged from the villas, all creating a futuristic experimental dance party that has emerged in recent years in Buenos Aires.

Even with the differences in sound that each artist brings to the collaboration, from Super Guachin’s video game tunes turned 8-bit cumbia bass to Chancha Via Circuito’s percussion style and even the futuristic Andean folk from Tremor, the thread that holds it all together is the influence from the rural traditional folkloric roots that have been mixed with present-day street injected sounds that have made Buenos Aires the new hot-spot for electronic beats.

Listen to the teaser below and see what the craze is all about down there:

Future Sounds of Buenos Aires (Teaser) by zzkrecords

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: electronic

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