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Rating: We have already talked on Debaser about this ensemble from Mexico City. I'm talking about the Sonido Gallo Negro, a collective of nine members that started with a garage rock and roll and surf-psychedelic formation and landed on an original formula by contaminating their sound with musical and cultural influences from Central America as well as all of Latin America. They mention as their latest influences the great Pérez Prado and his orchestras, and they also highlight their devotion to spaghetti westerns and their great admiration for cinema in general. Their second LP on Glitterbeat Records (already released in Mexico last September) is called "Mambo Cosmico" and will be published on April 16th.
Thanks to Ira from Glitterbeat Records and his availability, I managed to get in touch with Gabriel Lopez, one of the founders of the project, and propose to him the mythical "five questions" to which he responded with great enthusiasm and in a way rich in topics that go beyond just the musical field and open our eyes to a reality that is geographically very far from our country.
A nice chat that I consider full of interesting insights and where, in the limited space at our disposal, we also try to talk about the theme of immigration, which now constitutes an international trend and in which Mexico has been cited several times by the chronicles (and not only) among the main parties involved.
Let's say that this time no wall was able to stop us, and in fact, in our own small way, we ideally tore one down.
Happy reading.
1. Hi Gabriel. Thank you very much for this interview. It is a great opportunity for me and the entire Debaser community to get to know you and learn a little more about the Sonido Gallo Negro project. Let's start by talking about your latest album: "Mambo Cosmico". I find that the album sounds different from the previous one: in particular, I would say that the sound is much more acid and noisy. I would indeed say that the album is definitely one of the most "noisy" things I've listened to recently: it literally blows your mind! Was this a deliberate choice? You also introduced a greater variety of sounds and instruments: did you want to experiment with new sounds? Was it, in any case, a piece of your culture (including musical culture) that you had not shown us before?
SGN. The pleasure is all mine. Thank you for the interview.
Well, in truth the Sonido Gallo Negro comes from a fundamentally garage rock'n'roll and surf-psychedelic musical tradition. So we do not exactly define ourselves as musicians dedicated to "tropical" sounds in the strict sense. As far as the sound is concerned, one must consider that Mexico City is a gigantic city where people are accustomed to frenetic rhythms and everything is very noisy. There are a lot of sounds: engines, factories, and there are lots of people, so if you want their attention, you need to play even louder.
Apart from this, I would say that arriving at this sound dimension was a choice made following the example of Pérez Prado and his orchestras. He wrote his music in a way where the sum of the instruments created impressive influences in the sound and volumes: what we tried to do was reproduce that type of sound and "orchestra" with a rock approach and instrumentation.
2. "Mambo Cosmico" is fundamentally an instrumental album. Was that also a precise choice? I think this gives the album a particularly hypnotic and obsessive character. In this sense, it was inevitable for me to think about some philosophical writings by Aldous Huxley and his experiences with mescaline. He also referred to the use of drugs in rituals by the native populations of Central America in these writings. I don't want to talk about drug use obviously, but I wonder if a certain hypnotic and hallucinogenic character in your sound is something that can be linked to, let's say, traditional aspects of this centuries-old culture. How much of this is in the sound of the album and how much of all this is still present in the culture of your country today?
SGN. We began as an instrumental band even before we began to play under the name Sonido Gallo Negro. In our past, we played a lot in that derivative musical style from the sounds of spaghetti western movie soundtracks, following in the footsteps of bands like Twin Tones, Telekrimen, Los Calambres....
At first, we thought this was a limitation. In other words, I mean, the other bands proposed "hits" and people knew and sang their lyrics, but when we started playing around the world outside of Mexico we realized that not having lyrics helped our listeners cross every linguistic and cultural barrier and understand our music in a deeper way. Just like you considered.
With reference to what you say about the psychedelic culture (Note "In the way of the TRIP"), we can say that this has always been a fundamental part of our music. In the first two albums, we were much more linked to the ayahuasca culture and the sound of groups coming from the Peruvian Amazon, now we are closer to the peyote culture.
During our live performances, we also show real-time films and animations that are the work of Jorge Alederete, who is one of the members of the band and plays the theremin: this allows the viewer to enjoy a complete experience, a real kaleidoscopic improvised jam made of music and images. A nice experience.
3. The album renews your partnership with Glitterbeat. How did you get in contact with the label? Can we say that your work and your music have found their right dimension in the world of this label?
SGN. We got in touch with Glitterbeat through a friend with whom we had made a record with our previous band. Dan Stuart. It was he who introduced us, and that's how we released our previous record.
We really like the proposals of Glitterbeat. We had the opportunity to meet in person at the last Womex festival in Katowiche. We talked in person, got to know each other, and they showed a lot of appreciation for our work.
I think it’s a wonderful idea for a label to dedicate itself to a type of sound in which so-called traditional music is interpreted in an unconventional way and according to a multitude of incredible combinations.
They listened to our album after we finished it and they liked it, so they decided to publish it as well. We are working very hard, so I think the album is doing well.
4. In 2012 you played at the Kustendorf Film and Music Festival. Perhaps I am saying something foolish, but how far am I from the truth if I say that there is something of Emir Kusturica or Goran Bregovic in your music? And how is it possible that there are these similarities if we consider that both their music and yours are somehow connected to the cultural traditions of the place you come from? I mean, we are talking about two apparently distant cultures not just geographically. What elements are there in common? What magic connection exists between these two "worlds"?
SGN. We would very much like in the future for our music to be considered as a soundtrack for a film. Cinema in general is one of our main influences.
I have never personally listened to much Balkan music, but in any case, I think I can consider the same similarities you mentioned. When we were in Serbia we noticed something in common with the culture of Mexico City. In the air, you perceive a festive atmosphere, but you understand that deep down there is something wrong.
Perhaps the difficult and conflicting situation in the two countries is somehow similar, and this is reflected in our music, which is very powerful and "noisy" and at the same time fast. The reality that surrounds us does not give us much time to reflect calmly... At least this is what happens particularly in regions dominated by narcos. Your music must be the most powerful possible, it is a way to measure and demonstrate one's strength.
5. Inevitably talking today about Mexico puts us in front of the issue of immigration from every possible point of view. On the other hand, it is also true that the issue is particularly felt in Europe (these days there are political elections in Italy and the issue of immigration is at the center of the debate). What do you think about Donald Trump's anti-immigration policies? His attitude has clearly conditioned the global political situation on this issue, which has taken on conservative tones and an openly racist attitude. How is all this perceived in Mexico? Your music is also contamination, the expression of an encounter between different cultures and sounds. Can we say that your music also contains political and social content?
SGN. As you say, immigration is a global issue, and I think it's somehow inevitable that those who are richer take measures to maintain their status quo and power. Unfortunately, in Mexico, many people do not understand how much all this will affect us in the future. The situation is changing greatly, and everything we see in front of us is dark.
Our music has social contents and is inserted in a political context. Certainly, this is not expressed explicitly, but that's the way it is.
We are entering a very negative phase of our history, and we hope that somehow our music can somehow shake people and give them a positive boost to face adversity.
We released the album in Mexico last September, and this coincided with the terrible earthquake that devastated our country (Note An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1. Over 200 dead and an incredible series of all kinds of hardships...). Our song "Cumbia de sanacion" (Note "Healing Cumbia") was very listened to in Mexico during those days and was considered as a kind of anthem of rebirth. Nothing mystical, but the song contained a message. Everything started by chance, it doesn't depend on the lyrics, but that song helped in its small way. The message was perceived in a physical way. This was for us a great demonstration and the realization of being able to do something important for people.
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