A while back, Paris-based Cuarto Mundo was found via Instagram by the Music is Prana (MIP) “origination team”. It soon made its way into the editorial war room of our Europe office where it was deemed a precious gem. One of magical properties. But wait, MIP is not an international media conglomerate. Nor do we have a team of scouts tasked with finding the best and the finest. In this instance, this precious gem found us, somehow…
Hey there folks, now that the world has gradually gone back to “normal” after the Covid craze, and we embark on a bumpy road ahead where inflation has taken the form of a Macy’s parade float, I get to narrate the connection between this music blog and the set of songs released -or rather summoned- by Cuarto Mundo.
As a songwriter and massive music fan I’m always on the prowl for the latest, searching playlists, and embarking on conversations with revered music gurus for their insights on what the music universe has to offer.
In the case of Cuarto Mundo, the universe conspired and they made their way into my IG feed about a year ago. Time went by, and the free will restrictions imposed by “inverted totalitarianism” prevented me from ever writing a review. Nevertheless, now that I’ve faced the greedy capitalist beast, I get to stand for universal consciousness and its gift to us: the Cuarto Mundo singles.
As a a man of “wealth and taste” -*spiritual wealth-, I bestow upon you the messages of this musical séance.
Sirocco
It evokes Peru ‘s Denge Denge Denge and Los Mirlos Amazonian rhythms and enticing B3 respectively. This song could easily be featured in the soundtrack of a Wes Anderson film. I mean, although sonically in a different frequency, “Sirocco” is reminiscent of the Royal Tenenbaums array of characters purposely diverting into their own paths, yet their stories eventually intertwine to such a degree that it leaves the audience astounded and begging for more, asking themselves: “Will there be a sequel to this film?”. In “Sirocco”, the instruments -as the film’s characters- fight ferociously to assert their own identity, only to come together bonded by the overall mantra of the song. I personally ask, will there be a sequel to this song? Let’s hope so!!
La Psycho Cumbia del Tarot
This song is a shamanic “remix” of “La Cumbia del Tarot”. I write shamanic as this rendition of the song casts a spell on the listeners. A carefully curated potion of Andean beats, timbales, and a delayed synth, all acting in syncopation to invite the listener to move forward through the “party of life” -Richard Aschroft reference-…yes, I got “music is prana” from “music is power” by our prophet Richard. Thanks to this sacred digital potion, my senses entered a new dimension, where my ego was killed by the phrase “el tarot te enseñará a crear tu alma” (literally, “the tarot will create your soul), feeling compelled to transcend into pure awareness as well as ecstatic freedom. The healing experience was worth the trip.
Sabi Lulu
Music jewelry box “Sabi Lulu” is soon to be sampled by Timbaland, as it is an endless source for adornments for any production. Building on a vibraphone riff (*the band will have to confirm this is the instrument they are using in an interview), there are hints of Air’s seminal “Talkie Walkie” and the drum sounds of Thom Yorke’s “The Eraser”. The song reaches its climax in the coda where the synths exude happiness and joy, a friendly farewell to the audience and a nod to a future reunion.
Led by Thomas Lavernhe and Cosmo Gonik, Cuarto Mundo exists free of time and space, channeling those pure spirits who seek to protect us from the vain and evil. Are you looking forward to their new release? I am!
A while back I was looking for a new pla….Luego de tantos artículos en ingles, este blog ya parece proyecto final de fin de curso del ICPNA…Volviendo a este post, estaba contando sobre mi búsqueda de depa (piso) como le dicen acá en Madrid hace algún tiempo. Recuerdo que era algo temprano y tenía que hacer hora antes de llegar a la dirección pactada con el propietario, y fui en búsqueda de una dosis de cafeína. Recuerdo también que en mi exploración del barrio me cautivó el olor del café de un local ubicado en Calle del Doce de Octubre, 16 (muy cerca del central park madrileño, el Parque del Retiro), y decidí entrar al Oso y el Madroño y ponerle fin a la voz interior que me reclamaba no un café, sino un cafezaso.
Café solo con hielo + una galleta de vainilla, imperdible
Entré al local y sentí la atenta mirada de un ser superlativo, bajo el presagio de que había encontrado el tan añorado lugar ideal (vaya floraso, pisa tu pelota Vargas Llosa). En efecto, esa mirada era la de un Ekeko quien miraba sigilosamente a los comensales, y quien además canalizó espiritualmente al maestro César Miró autor del lacrimógeno vals criollo «Todos Vuelven«. Mencionó esta conjura de elementos, ya que al saludar y pedir mi cafezaso, obtuve como respuesta la pregunta: «Tenemos un nuevo café peruano, ¿te gustaría probarlo?».
El Ekeko, simbolo de prosperidad
Como peruano en el exilio había dado con un local que ofrecía café peruano, sentí la emoción de un televidente que conseguía que su llamada entrara a Aló Gisela…sí, lo digo con roche…Gisela nunca contestó mi llamada… Como era de esperarse, acepté el ofrecimiento del café peruano (brutalmente bueno para variar), y de igual forma me hipnotizó la música que se escuchaba en el local. Tenían una playlist variada, que conseguía que los distintos géneros y eras musicales fluyeran sin problema, una playlist de conocedor, sin duda. Mientras tarareaba «Lo mas grande que existe es el amor» de We All Together y me disponía a pedir otra galleta de vainilla, me dí cuenta que este arte del Oso y el Madroño de combinar canciones también lo traducen en su carta.
Una seleccion de cafes + tostas imperdible!!
«El resto es historia»…bueno antes de escribir en el blog soy músico (Binary Drift) y quería soltar una frase estoica, esas que solo pueden profesar aquellos escritores publicados por editorial Planeta jajaja. Digo «historia», porque el Oso y el Madroño ya es mi lugar oficial, un local que frecuento para disfrutar de sus cafés y para entablar conversaciones con los geniales Marquitos y Leo, quienes a su vez son un percusionista y un melómano respectivamente.
Marquitos y Leo, dos grandes amigos y grandes conocedores de la música
Como músico, estoy convencido que las canciones tienen el poder único de generar buena vibra, y siguiendo una nueva tradición donde este blog publica playlists de sus entrevistados/amigos (la primera fue de Octavio Pires), les pedí a Marquitos y a Leo que compartieran su excelente selección de canciones con nosotros.
Los invito a escuchar esta colección de temas (que seguramente no será el último) -que navega tranquilamente entre distintas décadas y emociones y que los contagiará de la buena vibra del Oso y el Madroño, el lugar que seguramente luego de visitarlo será su preferido!!!
* «Lo más grande que existe es el amor» de We All Together era parte de la playlist, pero no la pude encontrar en Spotify. Pero se las dejo en formato en vivo que tiene un feeling único, tan único como el Oso y el Madroño.
“Caminante no hay camino, se hace camino al andar”, sings Joan Manuel Serrat, whose 1969 hit “Cantares” incorporates that amazing phrase from Spanish poet Antonio Machado, an icon from the Generation of ’98. It translates into: “Traveller, there is no path / it will come about as you travel”, and I bring it up because it signifies (at least, it is my perception) freewill and the desire to let our journey unfold…as we go forward.
With that said, Music is Prana was born out of the desire to showcase independent thought, and even though the name itself has the word “music” in it, we are open to all art forms. Today we get to feature New York based photographer Octavio Pires, a dear friend -and a true Caminante- whose photography is a testament of his desire to venture out into every corner of the planet and to use his camera to capture emotion, colors, and daybreaks. Is Octavio using his lens to convey a message/ capture stills of a story? Or perhaps, he is letting us enter the privacy of his own memories? We are about to find that out and more!
Bairro Alto, Lisbon 2014 Baixa, Lisbon 2014
MY: As a musician myself, listening to Nirvana and the likes of Silverchair and Smashing Pumpkins made me want to pick up a guitar. More specifically, it was watching the video for the song “Tomorrow” by Silverchair what made me want to be in a band. Did you have such moment with photography? Tell us about the initial spark, and what did you want to capture with your camera? What were your early influences?
OP: Growing up my dad had a collection of old cameras lying around the house collecting dust with no film or batteries. I would use them to frame everything and everyone around me with nothing more then the view finder. Guess these were my first lessons in composition. Later in life I spent a good amount of time assisting a girlfiriend on some photo gigs quickly finding my addiction for capturing emotion in candids.
«Composition is key»
MY: The first two pictures in this feature were taken in Lisbon, Portugal. We see an empty street where you manage to integrate triangles against the ground and the sky, whilst in the other picture the city is in motion under a set frame (could be a bridge). In both instances, walk us through your technique to incorporate organic shapes.
OP: Composition is key. I incorporate movement into the still and with that hope to tell a story or bring out an emotion. Both these were shot farely quickly trying to capture the emotion I felt in that specific moment. The first one being that magical Lisbon light and the next the energy of city romance through a trolley window.
«It’s all about framing a moment and it being a meaningful one«
Santa Fe, New Mexico 2015Mal Pais, Costa Rica 2017
MY: Contrast and movement come to mind right away in the pictures above. The sky can be an endless source for different tones as well as contrast, and you combined it with rough (abandoned train car) and soft (birds) elements. How important were the lenses to achieve this so called “extra punch” in the pictures? Also, what is the symbolism behind the birds? I get it this is a zine, not therapy…heheh
OP: Very, but just like a good tennis player can win tennis matches with a wooden raquet a good photographer can shoot wonders with very basic lenses. It’s all about framing a moment and it being a meaningful one. Regarding the birds… sometimes I capture birds and sometimes they just enter my frame. I am also convinced I was a bird in a previous life so might feel a pull to shoot them more often then someone who was not.
«B&W can surely set a mood that color sometimes can not«
LES NYC Film Screening 2016 Berlin 2016
MY: This is where we enter the true Freudian part of therapy the feature…which has since morphed into an interview or even better: a conversation. By removing color, I believe you want us to focus on particular subjects, which are the girl with her arms up in the theatre and the crown with a collective grin. Did you feel that film was boring too??? Kiiiidddddiinng…Would you say that you used black & white to direct viewers to specific targets? If so, can light and shadow have limitations? Or can they be as expressive (attention magnets) as colors?
OP: These two images in color just would not feel the same. I felt an attraction to that gal playing with her hair. Something about her movement in the mid depthness of the room drove me. She became the center of my attention and kinda felt like that is what she wanted. Having it black and white just feels a bit sexier to me. Yeah screw the film! Shooting the crowd in B&W ties the crowd together and creates a pattern like flow. In short B&W can surely set a mood that color sometimes can not.
«It’s all about being spontaneous»
Memphis, Tennessee 2014 Sunset Boulevard 2018
MY: Although quite different in nature, I find the pictures above to exemplify the concept of ‘unity’, where the reflection of the lady and the palm trees shrouded in the dark give both images a high degree of cohesion. So-called unified images usually come from a pre conceived idea. Did you take these two on the spot? Are there such things as spontaneous photos?
OP: If I were a photograper I would think of myself as a candid one. Most my photographs are shot on the spot, in manual, and without the use of artificial light. I find it sad when unable to capture that feeling which drives a photographer to want to shoot. But when you do it’s so satisfying. It’s all about spontaneous.
«Timing and yes balance is absolutely right when capturing the draw of the photograph«
Mediterranean 2015
MY: As I stare at this photo, I highlight ‘balance’. All asymmetrical elements (waves, sunset and boat) contrast with each other impeccably. In many ways, this photo incorporates elements from your previous work in terms of lines, colors, light and textures. Perfectioning balance and the elements of symmetry & asymmetry in photography can be worked on over the years? Or they are something that the universe shares with us once in a while and we need to capitalize on right away?
OP: I don’t know what is more difficult shooting on a boat or capturing an authentic expression at a wedding. Capturing movement while on water is very much as hard as capturing a persons true emotion without the pucker for example. Timing and yes balance is absolutely right when capturing the draw of the photograph.
«As in Fado, we find love in sadness«
Alfama, Lisbon 2015 Barra, Aveiro 2017
MY: Finally, let’s take on the mystic of these two photos. Taken in Portugal and intimate indeed. I take the liberty to also speak on behalf of the readers, please tell us what they mean to you. What feelings come about every time you’re there? Did you inadvertedly try to translate those while taking those pictures?
OP: Being portuguese, I’m tied to its history and in some sense have been in a relationship with this mystical place for most of my life. As in Fado, we find love in sadness and struggle but for some reason these two equate to romance. The pigeons add a second layer of romance to the pensive woman gazing out into the city streets and the retired women sit and chat on the seashore of Aveiro maybe pulled in by the pride of their rich fishing heritage in which there was much gain and loss.
Bonus!
A Brothel in Memphis 2014
Yes, there is a bonus!! Octavio has kindly shared with us a collection of songs that will be part of the first Music is Prana Spotify playlist. We’ve asked him to let us know what he is listening to at the moment with the hopes that these tracks will turn us into fearless Caminantes, just like him.
Is procrastination a side effect of Covid-19? Weeeeeellllll, for some of us that may be the case. Music is Prana had to be put on hold for a minute as the world was getting back to normal, and what better way to proceed in the zine’s duty of promoting independent thought than to tell you a bit about the ethereal Shangril-Lah Fest that took place in Madrid a few weeks back on August 29th.
The last days of August are a throwback to my early days where I’d get the angst of getting back to school and would try to do one last awesome thing before hitting the classroom. This year’s edition of Shangri-Lah did feel like that. But in this instance, that last awesome thing outdid everything I had enjoyed in the first half of the year. You’ll find out later in this article.
Impressive line-up
´Shangri-Lah’ itself stands for “mythical Himalayan utopia – a permanently happy land, isolated from the world”, which indeed matches the mantra of the festival. With an eclectic line up, attendees (including Carlota and Ade of indie heroes Hinds) were enchanted by the very awesome performances that were able to takes us away from the rigid post-Covid world into a different universe were the power of live music crushed the invading virus without any mercy.
Taking place at Madrid’s drive-in cinema, a carefully organized set up that broke the crowd into groups (see first picture) allowed for the spirit of rock to make its way as protector of light (insane blue skies) and as an enabler of cool (killer sunsets). I dusted out my camera in an effort to emulate photographer Octavio Pires (stay tuned for his feature in the zine!) and ventured into the party to snap a few pics.
Frantic punk quartet, drawing from the MC5 and Living Things, they came onstage with swagger of seasoned festival vets. I wonder if they’d still be rocking their shades if they’d be playing indoors??? They answer is yes!!! They are that cool….cool enough to play a Weezer like ballad that sung “nuestro amor”…if not a Spanish speaker, you should pick up on this lyric.
As a hip hop fan myself, I’m always on the lookout for the mighty 808 drum kick, which these guys used with precision + style. Their laid back rap deliveries blended perfectly with the break of sunset, and their honest energy managed to drive the hints of the menacing rain away. As an artist myself (Binary Drift) who has dabbled in bossa nova, I had yet to listen to a beat based on this music genre…Craneo & Lasser nailed it with “Pijama”! Props to producers Juan RIOS & Made in M.
With Hints of Annie and her seminal album “Anniemal”, this gal took to the stage as the day was dawning and the spirt of rock wanted to make her sound -and of course look- even more beautiful.
dreamier, yes!
Dreamy pop that made you want to dance and also pay attention to the words. She’s got a special way of singing, almost as if she was whispering the words to the listeners in a dream.
A power trio of dudes, yes their name is Mujeres (I’ll also spare the translation here). These guys were definitely raised on Green Day’s “Dookie” and Suede. They got the crowd to dance with their contagious melodies and beats…a total sign-along band. The night fell indeed, but their energy and the crowd’s only went up.
Now you can see two
Is there a there a magic trick to step on a distortion pedal and get the crowd rowdy? Not sure myself, ask these guys who have mastered it.
French trio who cleverly mix world music with electronica. Unique? Mmmmmm….oui. As their set went on I could sense dance music and Italo disco. I hadn’t encounter this level of mastery when blending styles since Chop Suey by System of a Down blasted through my car’s speakers in a New Jersey highway.
These guys sure tear it up in their own way
Other elements of their music included spoken word and the use of Georgian (later confirmed by the los Nastys’ bass player and fellow Peruvian Omar Montalvo), and unapologetic breakdowns that showcased the band’s ability to mix synth textures with melodies and guitar riffs – all working in consonance….that’s an SAT word ; )
Finally a DJ that can scratch and is not dancing to a pre made track
Every party needs a DJ, and Joris took to the stage with the perfect set to welcome the night and the stars that viewed over the magical fest and kept us all permanently happy, isolated from the world – at least for that fairylike last Saturday of August 2020, a date those in attendance won’t forget.
The perfect location for the festival
On a personal note I want to thank the organizers, particularly the great Rosa López, who kindly accredited this medium and who I look forward to interview soon to find out more of the behind the scenes and the motive behind the fest.
Shangri-Lah Fest was a much needed outlet for independent artists, who have shown that when the right forces come together there are no hurdles that can keep the everlasting light of hope, love and MUSIC away from the masses.
As I mentioned the day of the Festival and I’ll say it now, “May the power of live music live forever!!!”
We are looking forward to the mighty Shangri-Lah fest taking place this Sat at the Autocine Madrid RACE, hosting a crazy talented lineup including: Penny Necklace, Naked Family, Ley DJ, Murman Tsuladze, Los Nastys, Lasser, Joris Delacroix, + more!
