The mixing process is such a good time to really analyse each track and think, does it really need this? Does this part make us want to hear it again, or does it really give it lift? Alex was brilliant at this, as he could come in with fresh ears and made us really consider these questions. “There can be such a temptation to stick on layer after layer of percussion, more guitar licks, extra guitars, etc. How do you find a balance without it sounding like a ‘too-many-cooks’ situation? Image: Kika Rodriguez Your band has a plethora of influences, from Peruvian chicha to Tarantino-esque surf. It just made me think, I want to do this!” There are sparse vocals here and there, but the fact that the guitars are the focal point of the songs and carry the lead melodies in such an emotional way was so inspiring. The production and songwriting across that album is simple, sublime and so beautiful. The album Roots of Chicha, which is a compilation of Peruvian Cumbia, was what really kicked this project into gear. “It’s always been on my radar somewhat as my parents were big fans of The Shadows when I was growing up, and a lot of the Turkish music I would listen to as a teenager was instrumental. We just did what we did and had the best time doing it.” What first drew you to instrumental guitar music? We put as much of ourselves on to this record as we could. There were many moments of spontaneity that added to this as well, like strapping shakers to our friend Kika’s body and getting her to dance along to some tracks, recording some bum slaps for Las Panteras, doing our little yells here and there. Once we were set up and ready to go, we didn’t really give it a second thought. We were so lucky that Gallery Studios had the space to accommodate having all of us in the same room, including Alex and our engineer Javier Weyler, and some of our friends that would come to visit during the sessions. Tracking the album all together was a big part of that as we could feed off each other’s energy and really lock into each other’s groove. “That was one of the first things we mentioned when we were having our first meetings with Alex prior to recording. Was it difficult to ensure that came across on the LP? You’re a band that’s revered for your energetic and engaging live performances. It represents where we are now musically as a band, and we are so proud of how it turned out.” Making things sound fresh and as strong as they can be was so pivotal for us and we think Pista (Fresh Start) is a perfect example of that. “We started recording the album way back in 2020 and of course during the years so many of the songs have developed and morphed into what they are now. Why did you choose to reapproach this song for the album? Getting to use Phil Manzanera’s own custom pedal board was a fine example of this, there’s a really stand out moment in Pista (Fresh Start) where we put the guitar through this phaser-fuzz-distortion setting and it sounds absolutely amazing, one of my favourite moments on the album.” Pista (Fresh Start) is a song your fans will recognise and has been reimagined for your debut LP.
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Having all that amazing gear to work with allowed us to get the best sound we could get as well as being able to add a few twists here and there.
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It was actually our first time recording all together in the studio where we were tracking everything live, apart from a few percussion and guitar overdubs we completed later on in the year. “Recording at Gallery Studios was certainly a step up.