Hi there, here’s the cool page I was talking about in a previous post, you can buy my album Calidomusic for a reasonable price and directly from the source, that’s me again.
Now some stories about the album.
“I never had in mind the idea of an entirely instrumental album, just for practical reasons (where are you going to play instrumental music? who’s going play with you?. I’m more involved with the music and the instrument as a medium not as the end, and instrumental music falls very much into virtuosity and lack of ideas, plus a lot of extra technical work that only a 10% of the audience will notice. Of course, you can have a good balance between the instrument and the music as some many good artist have achieved, just like Jeff Beck and Eric Johnson for example.
“I saw a guitar contest in a Spanish magazine (not worth mentioning) for the best instrumental album, and apparently they were judging music instead of control of the instrument, so I decided to record 5 songs and give it a try. After the 3 fist songs I decided to include an acoustic, very soft piece that people around got to like. I noticed the interest of these non musicians in the soft songs and the interest of the guitar player in the virtuoso songs, so I ended recording 5 electric and 5 soft to please everyone. At the end the magazine forgot to mention that the contest was for Spanish people only, so I ended recording my fist instrumental album without knowing I was going to.
Astralophytekus was meant to be an album opener from day one due to the powerful riff in it. The song gravitates on this riff mostly, and the melody of the guitar is more like counterpart phrases rather than the theme, which is of course, the riff. The solo section is also the bridge of the song, just a change to refresh the listener from the riff.
Tocoyma is the name of the music academy where I was teaching in Lanzarote, Spain. So eventually I recorded a rhythm section for my students to solo over and I ended liking it. I recorded some melodies in octaves and the song just started asking for more. I was recorded in one day with bass included, then I added some keyboards, mixed it and left it there waiting months for the rest of the songs.
Pern Sugar is an old idea a had recorded in Medellin, Colombia, and was supposed to become and song with vocals and everything, an ode to my addiction: chocolate. But then I remembered that in Colombia, the most horrible sugar, full of chemicals and…..sugar, has a big label on the bag: XXX sugar, so that’s more like Pern sugar!!!.
La Hora Negra can be translated like the darkest hour and was the time to record a very guitarist-like song, full of tricks and chops. Started with the melody and a contrast melody with few changes here and there but keeping the main melody coming almost intact till the very end. The middle section is where the fast runs come, and I got my hands over a RP90 pedal (I wouldn’t recommend buying that thing if you ask me) which comes with a Wahmmy effect, that is a bender that makes the guitar sound in the very high octave and beyond just with a push of the pedal, so you can hear that effect squealing all aver the song.
Limbo is a more orchestrated song with many up and downs, a became a song after some improvisations with a church organ sample. Then came the hard riff very much as a tribute to Dimebag Darrell. The songs doesn’t have a melody with a lead guitar and it’s more based on riffs and ideas as a band playing together and the and orchestra making a counterpart. It is not the Limbo that everyone is afraid of, it is really a shortcut to what was my main source of energy during high school: cereal, cerealimbo or just limbo.
Natkey is the first song of the oft part of the album, is also a place in the Pacific coast of Colombia, a place in the heart full of good memories and friends of quality. Listen carefully for the oceanic guitar! A good opportunity to record a small solo with my nylon Spanish guitar and adding percussion hitting it’s back, as it should be.
Suenhos comes from a chord progression I used to play back in university during recession time between classes, and it used to calm me down, so I though it may do the same for others and tried to record it, but it happened to calm people to the point of sleeping, so I finally decided to add some contrast parts to keep them awake.
Adios is not forever, is for a while since I had just left my homeland for a long time and due to gear limitations I recorded this song in Czech Republic with headphones and the guitars connected via line which is not very orthodox , I tried to re-record the full song but at the end liked the sound and with some electrics recorded in Lanzarote, the song rised again.
Cumbiamber was meant to be the Colombian track, and it is!. Is based on the folkloric colombian music called Cumbia, very binary, very rhythmic, very african, I tried to record a version for one guitar but at the end it kept calling for more instruments, what can you do?
Mar was composed in Lanzarote watching the volcanoes and of course…the ocean!, Played on piano, was intended to be the incidental music for a video for the Island, but never did. Started fooling around guitar lines over it and then came the idea of the strings supporting the piano, it’s more atmospheric that melodic but I belonged in the album for sure.
