interview

Interview: QUITAPENAS made SXSW a little more tro-pi-cal

March 25, 2015 By Estefania de Leon

QUITAPENAS promo — QUITAPENAS Promo photo provided by Qvolé Collective.

The music of tropical Afro-Latin band QUITAPENAS is here to take all your worries away, which is exactly what their name means in Spanish – ‘Quita’ meaning taking away and ‘penas’ meaning embarrassments or worries.

“I feel like it’s very appropriate to what we are able to provide to people who come to our shows,” QUITAPENAS lead singer Hector Chavez said. “They come, they let loose, they dance, they meet new people and we just want them to leave our show feeling positive, feeling happy, feeling like things are going to be okay.”

The five-person band from Southern California formed in 2011. They’re Hector Chavez as lead vocals and on the sax, percussion and ukulele, Daniel Gomez on guitar, vocals and ukulele, Mark Villela on the guacharaca, backup vocals, David Quintero on tambora and campana, and Eduardo Valencia on the congas and percussion.

QUITAPENAS album cover — The self-titled release from QUITAPENAS is available now at https://quitapenas.bandcamp.com/.

QUITAPENAS released their first self-titled album in February. In 2013 they released an EP titled Más Tropical Vol 1.

Many of the band members are first-generation here in the United States and their parents are in the working class. Through their upbringing in California comes a message that focuses on the community and songs like “Valle Moreno” protest the social injustices.

“We see people in the community who work hard to try and win this for their kids,” Chavez said. “But it’s not in a negative way it’s in a positive way because we see people around us in a hustle, whatever they do, and that inspires us and motivates us to try and work as hard as our fans do.”

Chavez has also noticed that there are more people that are singing along to their songs when they perform.

“It’s given us more confidence,” Chavez said. “Not just confidence, but it was definitely a motivator. We weren’t too sure if we were going to keep going with it but we decided to work at it and we were able to do this album and we proved to ourselves that it is definitely possible to keep doing this.”

They are working on another album that they hope to finish by the end of the year to release early next year.
The style of music began mainly as cumbia but has since evolved to explore and incorporate other genres of music pulling inspiration from very parts of the world to create their interpretation of world dance music.

“For the rhythms and the beats we got inspiration from bowler music, music that was happening during the ’60s and ’70s,” Chavez said. “As far as the lyric content from our everyday lives and places we’ve lived in.”

For Chavez, the music QUITAPENAS is creating is bringing back a style that had been forgotten for a bit and is refreshing to the audience because it is a break from what is heard in the mainstream.

“We give them music that is different that people can enjoy with their entire family,” Chavez said. “There are kids dancing and older folks relate to the music because it reminds them of the music they were listening too in their youth.”

The upbeat rhythm and message that QUITAPENAS’ music has makes it easy to dance too and Chavez said that during performances he has seen how the music can change people’s moods.

“Eventually we’d like to take it to another country, another continent – that probably our end goal,” Chavez said. “Take the show on the road, share with as many people as possible and hopefully make a small difference in people’s everyday lives.”

Listen to the self-titled release from QUITAPENAS below.

<a href="http://quitapenas.bandcamp.com/album/quitapenas-2">QUITAPENAS by QUITAPENAS</a>

Interview: Buyepongo brought the ruckus from Los Angeles to SXSW

March 25, 2015 By Estefania de Leon

Buyepongo promo — Los Angeles-based Buyepongo was one of the many Latino acts to perform during this year’s SXSW. Promo photo by Edgar Robles.

Buyepongo’s aim is pretty simple – to cause a ruckus.

Their Latin American roots show in their music, a complex fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythms mixed with merengue, cumbia and punta.

“We started off with a cumbia-flavored sound, and cumbia is still a big part of our foundation, but we evolved to different sounds,” Modesto said. “We like to add our upbringing of music we add a little punk, jazz, you can hear a little bit of hip-hop in there and our musical compositions have become way more complex and our stories are more in the world-wide spectrum.”

Los Angeles-based Buyepongo is currently on their Buyangú tour and came to Austin for this year’s SXSW. In January, Buyepongo released their well-received vinyl, Maestros.

The group formed in 2008. Edgar Modesto is lead vocals and the guacharaca, Larry Harvey on percussion, the palago, and vocal, Randy Modesto on bass, Angel Hernandez on the saxaphone, clarinet, and flutes, Jorge Vallejo on the clarinet and vocals, Richard Hererra on percussion and the bongo and Kris Castro on the keyboard.

Buyepongo album — ‘Maestros’ available now at https://buyepongo.bandcamp.com/

“It’s the classic story of kids growing up in an urban city trying to find a voice,” Buyepongo lead singer Edgar Modesto said.

“But at that time we were starting to get serious on the stuff we were doing so a couple of us had been drumming around the city with some other local rumberos and drummers [where] we started learning Afro-Cuban, Afro-Colombian rhythms.”

The name of the band itself shows the culture and inner-city roots of the Buyepongo. ‘Buye’ meaning something that is very loud and causing madness and ‘pongo’ which is Spanish for provide.

“We’re sometimes stuck between one place and another and we kind of create our own languages among the inner city,” Modesto said. “Like Buyangu is [what] we like to call the Buye Beat, it’s like how you call salsa, cumbia, Buyepongo is buyangu.”

Buyepongo is working on not confining itself to the idea that its music is just for a Latin American audience and does so by including the audience. They are currently in the middle of finishing up a full-length album titled Todo Mundo.

“We have the audience in our music,” Modesto said. “Without the audience we wouldn’t be Buyepongo. And when people ask us ‘are you guys Latin?’ we just say it’s world music and that’s the way we approach it.”

What really brings everything together for Buyepongo is knowing that they will able to represent where they come from which they consider the biggest inspiration.

“The Buye Beat is the sound of the future,” Modesto said. “It’s the sound of the now, it’s something you can also relate to the past.”

Buyepongo lives by one philosophy – life is too short so make the best of it. This translates into their shows and they hope to the audience.

“We want you to come to our show and leave with an extra skip,” Modesto said. “To find these rhythms and everyone else that you see in life – that’s what we want people to take away just. Be happy because life’s too short. We are guaranteed death and everything else just dies.”

Watch the music video for “Maestros” from Buyepongo below.

Q&A Interview: Los Rakas Speak On Why Oakland and Panama Are Central To Everything They Do

November 25, 2014 By Ivan Fernandez

Oakland-based "Pana-baynian" hip-hop duo Los Rakas. Courtesy photo. — Oakland-based “Pana-baynian” hip-hop duo Los Rakas. Courtesy photo.

It’s impossible to know Los Rakas and not respect, or at the very least appreciate, their hustle. Behind what many fans see as glitz, glamour, and the rockstar lifestyle lies a work ethic that’s taken them from the youth centers of Oakland to festivals worldwide in just eight years.

Los Rakas signed to Universal Latino earlier this year and marked the occasion with a double-album debut, something a group like Outkast was able to do only after they’d already cemented their careers. They also signed a partnership deal with Hennessy and have toured nearly non-stop this year with appearances in intimate venues as well as large festivals. As if that weren’t enough, the duo has kept up an incredible pace releasing something new every two or three months like clockwork for the past two or three years.

I caught up with Los Rakas last month at the afterparty for NCLR’s ALMA Awards. The duo was scheduled to perform a brief set that night as a warm-up for their set at the inaugural Supersonico Festival the following day. We spoke backstage where they spoke about their work ethic, how they’ve evolved as performers, and how growing up in Panama and Oakland shaped their music.

I noticed you’ve released A LOT of music in different formats regularly over the past couple of years.

Ricardo: We write a lot of music. We stay in the studio all the time. One thing I say to a lot of people, and I don’t mean to sound conceited or anything, but our work is seven years strong and probably 10, 7 years ahead of the game. Plus we stay trying different things, experimenting with other producers and it sets us apart from what everybody else is doing. It’s not like we can’t do what everybody else is doing in the same genres and styles of music but we really love what we do. When we get in the studio, we’re not thinking about what everybody else is doing. We’re just going in and taking it a step at a time. Sometimes these songs don’t happen as fast as people think. Sometimes it takes six months or two years to finish one song.

Dun Dun: We got songs stacked up. Some songs that we put out maybe even tomorrow, they’ve been in the vault like six months ago.

R: Or longer, let’s be honest. We had songs we just released that we’ve had since 2009.

D: With the last album, a lot of them, like, four or five of those songs are like five year’s old. We also wait for perfect timing. Probably, if we had dropped some of the songs that we dropped when we did them, people probably wouldn’t have understood it. We’re letting our fans grow with us. When we feel it’s the right time to drop it, we drop it.

Was signing with Universal Latino part of that philosophy of waiting for the right moment?

D: Yeah, and it wasn’t like that was the first time a label approached us. Many labels approached us before that but it wasn’t the right time or the right label. With Universal, we felt comfortable and they understood our vision. They want to help make that vision bigger. It wasn’t like the other labels that would come like “I like you guys but I think you should start wearing this or start singing this.”

Or “it’s too experimental” or whatever. They wanted something more Top 40-ish like, say, Pitbull.

R: Yeah, not that there’s anything wrong with Pitbull, but why limit yourself to just one genre of music when you have so many others to experience? Really, we do it organically because that’s how we grew up listening to music. We listen to all genres of music and we don’t do it to try to be cool…that’s how we grew up in our household. Even if I didn’t want to listen to that style of music, that’s what I’m going to listen to because that’s what our tia’s playing.

D: In the beginning, we didn’t even think of it. A lot of people would tell us “you guys are different.” On one of my verses, I say we’re “original por accidente (original by accident).” It’s not like when we started writing we were like “ah, we’re going to make something original and we’re going to have our own sound.” It just happened naturally.

R: The people were the ones that brought it to our attention. Like, “you guys are different” and we got to thinking “you know, maybe we are.” Sometimes you do gotta give yourself some props because, sometimes, you need to in order to keep getting better and better.

Yeah, you gotta step back for a second and see your work for what it is. Thankfully, your musical experiments worked out fine in your case.

D: Exactly! Thank God our whole experiment sounded good because it could’ve been bad too! There’s a bunch of experimental out there that is like…uuugghhhhh!

R: Yeah but our stuff might not be for you too and there’s nothing wrong with that. I guarantee you this though: out of all of the songs you might not like, there will be one that you will like even if you don’t listen to this style of music or that style of music.

How long have you been together?

D: Eight years ago. In 2006, we put out our first mixtape out of the youth centers over there in Oakland. That’s really who helped us become Los Rakas.

R: For those who don’t know who we are, we are from Panama originally. Our ethnicity is Panamanian and we started doing music in the Bay Area, in Oakland, in San Francisco. That’s where our music comes from. It wasn’t born in Panama. It was born in the Bay Area and that’s why we stick out from anybody else because there’s never been nothing like that. Usually Caribbeans that come from these places usually go to New York. When we ended up in Oakland, we stuck out because when you think about Panama, nobody knew where Panama was until we were like “yo, we’re from Panama” and everybody’s like “where’s that?” Now when you know or meet somebody from Panama, they go to Los Rakas.

Keeping your home country on a map is a nice side-effect of your music.

R: Putting Panama on the map and the Bay Area to Panama because a lot of people, when they think of California, they think about L.A. Even people in the United States do that! Now, we be wearin’ the Raiders’ stuff, representing the Bay Area and now if you go to Panama, you see people wearing the Raiders’ outfit.

How does it feel to see that with your own eyes?

R: It feels good because it’s something that we never expected and it just shows how much influence we have in what we do and our craft. People like what we do and it’s a good feeling. We were just doing music but now it became a fashion thing too. It becomes so many other things that you never thought of.

D: Even with the word “Raka.” In Panama, it was to describe somebody from the ‘hood in a negative way. Ever since we started using the word and telling people that just because you’re from the ghetto doesn’t mean you’re a negative person. If you’re a raka, be proud of being a raka. Since then, a lot of people in Panama have been saying “I’m a raka” like Raka Felipe or whatever.

Going back to what you said about putting the Bay Area on the map, your work has also put a positive spin on Oakland.

D: There’s a lot of good things that come out of Oakland and we’re the perfect example of that. There were like three youth centers in Oakland that helped us become who we are. There’s a lot of positive things going on in Oakland.

R: We want to inspire the people from Oakland and that come from Oakland. We’re from Panama and we came to Oakland and we saw opportunity and took advantage of it. Look where we’re at now. That’s why we always rep where we’re from.

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Austin: Los Rakas will perform at the Sahara Lounge on Wednesday, Nov. 26 with Orion & Pagame of Peligrosa and Benzo of Dub Academy. RSVP on Facebook here. Hear more music from Los Rakas on bandcamp here.

Q&A Interview: Roberto Lange aka Helado Negro

October 22, 2014 By Ivan Fernandez

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.

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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.

Profile: Monterrey’s Newest Urban Music Wonder MC Davo

September 15, 2014 By Ivan Fernandez

MC Davo promo — MC Davo. Photo courtesy of Digital Girl Inc.

I have no idea what so-called Hip-Hop purists have to say about MC Davo’s work but they shouldn’t scoff at his work ethic and hustle. The phrase “started from the bottom, now we here” may be a cliché nowadays but it still holds true for guys like Davo.

Davo, with longtime producer Meny Mendez by his side, can easily be considered a king of Facebook and Youtube where he has over 2 million followers and over 100 million video views. It’s this popularity that lead to a record deal with Warner Music.

Davo’s hometown of Monterrey, Mexico was long known as a hotbed for Hip-Hop and Rap in the nation thanks to groups such as Control Machete who ruled the charts during the late 1990s. The turn of the century brought a shift in the area’s music scene with the birth of tribal guarachero (3Ball MTY, etc.) at the hands of numerous DJs including Machete’s own Toy Selectah.

The Hip-Hop and Rap scene, however, never truly went away and young guys like MC Davo are now leading a resurgence in the genre thanks to his popularity on Youtube. Unlike the previous generation of harder and politically-inclined artists, Davo’s music is much more Urban (mixing in as much R&B and Pop as Rap) along the lines of the cats in Young Money/Cash Money than Death Row.

That much is immediately evident on his new single, “Andamos De Parranda.” The song and video live up to its title with Davo celebrating the glasses-up-shots-everywhere nightlife with loads of sexy chicas as far as the eye can see and sweet, expensive rides galore. There’s also a shout-out to that drunk guy at every party who cries about his ex-girlfriend before puking his guts out.

The single is the first off his major label debut, El Dominio. “It’s got a lot of variety,” says Davo of the album. “It has party anthems, it has corridos, it has love songs, and songs that’ll make you think of a lost love.”

It’s a far cry from the Gangsta Rap work of Eminem, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg, three artists who fomented his love of Rap music when he was

just 12 years old. However, their influence on him was never about emulating a specific lifestyle.

“I learned different things from all of them,” he explains, “like how to create a style of flow. I loved their work and their production style.”

At age 16, Davo took the first steps in his Rap career by recording and releasing two songs with the help of friends. Soon after, he met the Dr. Dre to his Snoop Dogg in producer Mendez, who is all over El Dominio.

“We actually talked about that the other day,” he says of the comparison with a chuckle. “He’s also a fan of Eminem and we clicked immediately.”

The two have hustled together in Monterrey’s Rap scene for years beginning with Davo’s debut EP, Haciendo Lo Imposible, where Davo began making the impossible possible. Mendez helped him write a track and the album led to invitations to rap battles in the Barrio Antiguo. His victories on stage led to studio time at Howse Records where he recorded his second album, Lo Dejo A Tu Criteria. Later, in 2009, Davo conquered Myspace in Mexico with a #1 slot thanks to his large fanbase and song streams.

MC Davo’s album El Dominio is currently available in Mexico & iTunes and should be available in the U.S. next year.

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Watch MC Davo’s music video for “Andamos De Parranda” below.

Feature: Chicano Batman on what inspires their sound, touring Japan and returning to Austin

October 10, 2013 By Jessica Ramirez

Last year Chicano Batman had a brief encounter with the city of Austin. They enjoyed the city’s culture, vibe and of course the tacos! Now they are on a quest to bring their groovy-funky-psychedelic sounds to next year’s South By Southwest Festival (SXSW). I talked with Chicano Batman’s—bassist and songwriter—Eduardo Arenas to get the scoop on what influences their music, what’s in store for them and their upcoming tour in Japan.

Chicano Batman came together when members of the band met each other and bonded through their love of 1960s and 1970s music from the tropicalismo movement—much of where their sound comes from. The band’s name credit goes to Bardo Martinez—vocalist and guitarist—who also happens to be the artist of the bunch.

“He was drawing a Batman and then he added a little Latino mustache on him, you know, not a full mustache but the Latino whiskers we all get,” says Arenas. “He put a little cape on him with a muscle shirt and cutoff Dickies to make him look like a ’90s gangster. He was like ‘Hey check it out Chicano Batman’.”

ChicanoBatmanLogo — Chicano Batman logo.

Then came the band’s iconic logo, which is a combination of the Batman logo and the United Farm Workers logo.

“Some people think it’s cute, powerful or inspiring. Others think it’s an Aztec Batman because the blocks look like an Aztec pyramid,” says Arenas. “Whatever it is, we love all interpretations.”

Chicano Batman’s music is inspired by the older cumbias from the ’60s and ’70s. They try to emulate the nostalgic sound of vinyl with warm and fat tones. Through their music they try to recreate the aesthetic that inspires them.

“The way we fall in love with the music is through the way it sounds. Not a lot of people pay attention to the aesthetic of the sound nowadays,” says Arenas. “When we write our songs and when we play live we want a fat bass and a lot of reverb. Just like it was standard back in the day. We use instruments and techniques that we’ve inherited from that era to get the real sound.”

That being said Chicano Batman’s sound has evolved from the way it was when they first started out. According to Arenas, their first album was more free and open and “jammy”, whereas now they are more meticulous with their arrangements.

“Just like with every band and every relationship, we’re growing and we’re evolving,” says Arenas. “We’ll pick up gear along the way and we’ll use it on a song or two and experiment with it. We might even decide to not use it. It’s natural for us to go in the direction of ’70s sound because that is where our heart is but we try our best to sound modern and find what pleases the ear.”

The band recently applied to perform at SXSW so keep your fingers crossed. They are ready to share their music with a new audience that is ready for some culture and Austin might just be the place for them.

“We are excited about the possibility of getting to play in Austin because it is a crucial stepping stone for us,” says Arenas. “Some friends went out there last year and saw a lot of electronic music. It’s good to know that we’re not competing with any of that since we are bringing the original thing. I know there are people just waiting to hear and experience something different, something real.”

Interestingly enough the band has a following in Japan, which ultimately led to a tour there next month. It all began when Shin Miyata—founder

Chicano Batman photo by Jessica Augustine.

of Barrio Gold Records—saw them perform in Los Angeles. He enjoyed their music so much he offered to sell their albums at his store in Japan.

Believe it or not Japan has a niche Chicano scene complete with the soul, vibe and aesthetics of the culture. It could possibly be that Miyata’s passion for the Chicano culture and his mission to share it with everyone launched this scene in Japan. Thanks to Miyata, Chicano Batman was invited to tour in Japan on Nov. 6 through 13.

“It’ll be very fun for us to be a part of that experience because we’re hoping Chicano Batman can be the soundtrack to the scene over there,” says Arenas. “It’ll be like a warped reality on the other side of the world but as a band you can only hope to connect like that with fans in other places through your music.”

Before leaving to tour Japan, Chicano Batman took some time off from performing to work on a new full-length album. It’s been about five years since their debut album and Arenas says the albums in between have been more of appetizers to keep their fans from starving. The new long-play album—in the mixing stages right now—is expected to have 14 tracks inspired by soul, cumbia, funk, rancheras, salsa and Brazilian music.

The album will include music that was written as far as six years ago. It has taken a lot of time, work and sacrifice to cultivate the sound but musically they’ve only begun to scratch the surface. Arenas says the new music is very meaningful, honest and passionate.

“We’re paying homage to the same musical era that we grew up listening to—including the ruffled tuxedo shirts and bow ties,” says Arenas. “If we’re together 20 years from now, we’re going to be making absolutely beautiful music if we continue to commit to keeping old musical traditions alive.”

When asked what his favorite part about creating music was, Arenas simply answered:

“The beautiful thing about writing and creating music is the way in which the lyrics, the melody and the rhythm that you put together speaks to people. Music moves people in an emotional and psychological way that sometimes words alone can’t.”

Chicano Batman’s most recent extended-play album Magma is out now. Their second full-length album will release internationally this fall and domestically next spring—hopefully around the same time they perform at SXSW. In the meantime take a little time to listen to their EP, Magma.

Interview: Irene Díaz, from Kickstarter to Latina indie darling on the rise

August 26, 2013 By Jessica Ramirez

When you look at singer-songwriter Irene Díaz you would never guess that such a big and soulful voice comes out of that petite figure, but trust me it does. We met up at the Downtown Rehearsal studio—east of downtown Los Angeles—where she told me all about the whirlwind of a life she’s had in the last three years and what is in store for her music career.

Díaz grew up performing at church and learning the piano. Yet, it wasn’t until she picked up her dad’s guitar at 16 years old that she started writing songs. For the songstress the songwriting goes hand-in-hand with the music and the instruments. Anytime she’s playing an instrument she’s thinking of songs to write.

“I love all of it, but what I wrote back then was really depressing,” the singer says as she laughs. “My writing has changed over time. I’ve found people that inspire me. The music I have right now is inspired by friends or experiences that I’ve had as a young adult.”

She admits that when she first started writing she would hide in her room and not share her music publicly. Even though music was a major part of her life, Díaz decided to pursue a higher education in an effort to find the career path for her.

“In school I was always trying to figure out what to do. Deep down I always wanted to do music but the music classes just weren’t as fulfilling for me,” says Díaz. “I realized then that I just really wanted to do music full time so I stopped going to school. It actually felt really good to make that decision. I didn’t know what I wanted to do when it came to school but I knew for certain that I wanted to do music.”

Since 2010 Díaz has tried to establish her career as a singer-songwriter and initially she had no clue where to begin.

“A big part of my collaborating and networking process was learning how to play, write, be creative and be free with the music and I couldn’t have done that without the help of the friends I’ve made along the way,” says Díaz. “In the beginning I would just go and be inspired and creative with them during their jam sessions. It helped me get out of my comfort zone.”

It took some time but she eventually broke out of that shell. In 2011 she met Carolyn Cardoza—her now ukuleleist and booking coordinator—who helped her alleviate some of the work involved in establishing a music career.

“When I met Carolyn a lot of things just started unfolding for me, since then a lot of doors have opened because I had someone to help me work everything out” says Díaz. “She introduced me to many people who helped me book shows, produce and do other creative things.”

Irene Diaz EP — 'I Love You Madly' is available now on Itunes and CD Baby.

Among those things was the planning and launch of a successful Kickstarter campaign in November 2012. When Irene Díaz started recording her extended play album “I Love You Madly” she decided it was a good time to start a campaign to help fund her project. After two months of pre-planning and some blood, sweat and tears, their Kickstarter was successful and they were on their way to having a finished product for supporters and fans to enjoy.

“Luckily we had friends who had already done their own Kickstarter campaigns,” says Cardoza. “We talked to them about what worked and didn’t work for them in order to get as much information beforehand.”

“There’s a ton of work and effort that goes into a campaign like this. Sometimes we were just like, ‘We’re never doing this again!’,” says Díaz laughing. “But it was all worth it in the end because I don’t see how this EP could’ve happened without the support of this campaign. This was great because people not only helped with funds but also because they believed in the project and to have people like that backing me showed me I was doing something right and that this is what I was meant to do.”

With the outpour of support Díaz successfully reached her goal of $8,000 in just two weeks. She surpassed it by raising $10,209 at the end of the campaign. Díaz has worked hard since December to make sure the content promised went out to the fans in a timely manner.

With “I Love You Madly”, Díaz says she wanted it to be a listening experience that flowed nicely.

“I like to transition from one song to the other,” says Díaz. “That way people don’t get taken out of the moment and they can let the musical experience take over.”

Complete with interludes this album is one in which you can just relax and listen to from beginning to end.

“You can just get wrapped up in Irene’s songs, even playing with her, you don’t want the music to stop,” says Cardoza. “You want to stay in that moment in time. It’s a musical experience that just leads you somewhere else. You get wrapped up in the performance and you’re not interrupted.”

This summer she performed in Philadelphia and at the Latin Alternative Music Conference, where she stunned concertgoers with her soulful voice. As a result of her talent, she was featured on National Public Radio’s “Alt Latino” and “All Things Considered” and on Mucho Music. Up until now, the success Irene Díaz has achieved was earned through diligence and as part of a natural development.

“We haven’t had a PR person, we don’t have someone funding everything and as of right now I kind of like that,” says Díaz. “It’s very much about the people who enjoy and share my music with others. I feel happy with the way things are just happening organically right now.”

Díaz is currently working on getting her music to more college radio stations, performing on the road, writing more music and of course building her fan base.

“We are planning a West Coast tour for the near future,” says Díaz. “We’re also looking into booking some dates during South By Southwest 2014. Ultimately, I want to perform in showcases in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas as part of a Southwest tour so that is all in the works.”

In the last three years Díaz has accomplished great things in her musical career. Still, she knows there is a ton left to do and is facing the future with excitement and passion.

“I really want to influence people to do things that they love. If you’ve specified or realized what you want to do then by all means go for it,” says Díaz. “Music is what I love to do because I’m always learning by doing but mostly because I get to create an enjoyable experience for me and my audience.”

Keep an eye out for Irene Díaz because this little lady will be coming to Austin in the near future. In the meantime, enjoy her soothing and soulful sounds in this official music video for “Crazy Love”.

Q&A Interview: Nortec Collective’s Bostich + Fussible on Tijuana micorbreweries, Pilobolus and ‘Motel Baja’

August 20, 2013 By Isabela Raygoza

It’s been known that no other group fuses the soundtrack of their own city the way Nortec Collective does. Hailing at the start of the millennium, the luminary iPad-prone duo not only keeps reinventing the sonic melds that describes the noise of their beloved Tijuana, but their sound continues to inspire generations of new border fusions like today’s ruidosón. Here, Fussible (née Pepe Mogt) elaborates more on the evolution of these hybrid music sounds, and where they see Tijuana’s music scene heading.

We met up with both Bostich (née Ramón Amezcua) and Fussible just hours before they prepared for their Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC) Celebrate Brooklyn performance at Prospect Park. In this interview we talked about their anticipated and upcoming album Motel Baja, their recent collaboration with dance group Pilobolus, and about the microbrewery revolution that’s taking over Tijuana’s nightlife scene.

I hear that you are about to launch this new collaboration/party with a dance group called Pilobolus. Can you talk about that?

Fussible: Pilobolus is a New York-based dance group originally from Connecticut. It’s a company that has been together for about 2 years now. The group premiered a performance [July 11], which is a piece that they are going to dance with our music that is nearly 25 minutes long. We saw the rehearsals together and played the music for them, but July 11th was the first time we’ll be seeing the whole show collectively with all the costumes, lighting, etc., at the theater.

You guys have remained untouchable in the sense that Nortec never had direct competition musically, or even a Nortec spurt of clones since your emergence. Why do you think that is?

Bostich: One of those reasons is because Nortec reflects the lifestyle of a Tijuana citizen. It’s about collecting all the pieces from the roots of Tijuana. I think it will be very difficult for others to do ‘Nortec’ music because it’s a mixture of techno roots, and the other side is banda and norteña music.

In recent years, the media has called ruidosón the post-Nortec sound. Do you see any similarities to your music and ruidosón?

Fussible: In the beginning in 1999, when we started Nortec, we were one of the first to fuse norteño and banda with techno. We were also putting out a certain type of cumbia with [electronic music] during this time, but we did that only for one year.

Later years, cumbia exploded, and with that, lots of ruidosón bands emerged, including Macuanos, María y José, and other bands from Tijuana. I don’t care who did what first. It’s not a competition, or if they are copying us. If they are doing that, it’s fine with me. It’s not like I have to be requesting some kind of permit or whatever.

Not even Ramón or I invented norteño, or the fusion of norteño with electronica. Maybe the difference between them and us in the end is the music. You can do cumbia right now, but if you’re a good musician and your music is good, it really doesn’t matter if you’re mixing [techno] with norteño, salsa, or whatever kind of music.

So for us it’s good that we continue mixing. I’m not in a position to say, “They are copying what we did 10 years ago.” We really don’t care. What we really care is wishing them to keep doing well with music, and if they want to mix cumbia it’s fine with us. We hope they’re doing well and that they can be successful.

Because I consider you guys like music anthropologists, I want to ask you about where you see the music of Tijuana heading in about five to seven years, given that it changes so rapidly.

Fussible performing live at Club De Ville in 2011. Photo by Kristie Bocanegra.

Fussible: It’s now like a new scene in Tijuana, not only music and nightlife, but in food and breweries. Beer and microbreweries are a big movement right now, and that makes nightlife much more interesting. Nightlife is new in Tijuana right now.

People are also more concentrated in DJs than bands. There are a lot more DJs than bands. It’s been like two or three years now. Maybe there will be more bands in the next couple of years. What I see a lot now is a lot of fusion of jazz and rock, and improvisation of jazz music with young people, not to be mistaken with hotel jazz. It’s very experimental and very psychedelic. It’s really good.

I have been to a couple of events like that in Tijuana with local bands where they were playing jazz with really weird keyboards and distortions. I think there will be a movement heading that direction, and that there will be new things.

On the topic of the rise of microbreweries, what sparked this growth of new promoters in Calle Sexta?

Bostich: From 2004 to 2007, we lived very hard times in Tijuana. It was a very violent city. The people there constantly worried that they would be kidnapped. Those were terrible times.

In 2008, problems reduced. The people began looking for places to hang out. One of our friends at Calle Sexta opened up a bar called La Mezcalera. That was the beginning of Calle Sexta. People started to visit La Revo [Tijuanense slang for Avenida Revolución that crosses with Calle Sexta], and people started to open more bars at Calle Sexta.

Dive bars that serve beers sparked a movement of DJs, and now it’s crazy. From one bar in Calle Sexta now grew to become 60 bars! It’s a good thing. For one because now these bars [economically] help the streets of our city, and two Calle Sexta is now a cultural street where people want to go and grab a beer.

So what else is underway for you guys?

Bostich: We are working on our new album called Motel Baja. We’re currently full time working on it. It’ll be coming out early next year.