{"id":26879,"date":"2020-11-30T14:58:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-30T13:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elgarajedefrank.es\/?p=26879"},"modified":"2024-01-24T19:06:48","modified_gmt":"2024-01-24T18:06:48","slug":"interview-paranormales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elgarajedefrank.es\/en\/interview-paranormales\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview: Paranormales"},"content":{"rendered":"

Contra, <\/span><\/em>the second album by Darkwave\/post-punk band Paranormales, has eclipsed most of the releases of this 2020 thanks to a great collection of songs. Today, we have David and Jc talking about the career of a band that has proved to be truly phenomenal.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"\u2014Paranormales started in 2016 as a trio, right? What bands had you played in before?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014David: <\/span><\/strong>We don\u2019t like to talk about previous projects, we had coincided in some project Ana, Jc and David, we decided to get together and do something different from before.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014The name Paranormales comes from your love for horror films. Is there a soundtrack that has influenced you? I guess you\u2019ll like John Carpenter\u2019s work as a composer too.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014Jc:<\/span><\/strong> Many of them, both horror and other genres. The list would be endless, from Tangerine Dream\u2019<\/span><\/strong>s Thief<\/span><\/em> OST to Klaus Shulze\u2019<\/span><\/strong>s Angst<\/span><\/em> to Paul Williams\u2019<\/span><\/strong> glam songs he did for The Phantom of Paradise<\/span><\/em> or the work George Delerue<\/span><\/strong> in Le Mepris<\/span><\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

John Carpenter<\/span><\/strong> reflects a whole philosophy, not only because of his way of filming and showing fear, but also because he does it very well trying to lower production costs by creating the music tracks himself. At the end he created some pieces that designed a whole sub-genre.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Your music is very visual, would you like to make a soundtrack? Any director you would like to work with?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014Jc:<\/span><\/strong> We have already done a few things, both individually and as a group. We don\u2019t rule it out, because the sequences of images inspire us to keep creating, so if an interesting opportunity came up, we would surely consider it.<\/span><\/p>\n

As working with Kubrick is impossible at the moment, we could work with any director specialized in fantasy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Your first album, entitled Belona<\/span><\/em>, was published by Buen D\u00eda Records, a Mexican record company. How did you get in touch with them? Do you have many Mexican fans? You plan to play there next year, right?\"\"<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014David: <\/span><\/strong>With Paranormales<\/span><\/strong> we have always looked for a label outside of Spain, the Indie scene here is depressing. Yes, we have a lot of fans in Mexico and if everything goes well, we\u2019ll go there in September to play.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014What\u2019s your opinion of that first album today?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014David: <\/span><\/strong>We still like it. It\u2019s what we wanted to do at that moment. Before composing we always worked a lot to find a certain sound, but finally we let ourselves go and flow to what comes out naturally, we don\u2019t care if it sounds more post-punk or more pop. It\u2019s what makes us feel at that moment.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014How do you compose the songs, all together?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014David: <\/span><\/strong>At the beginning, it\u2019s usually JC who works with all the synthesizer machinery, then we work between the three of us the vocals and lyrics and finally David adds the guitars.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Your two albums have been produced by Maurizio Baggio, what do you think he has contributed to the Paranormal sound?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014David: <\/span><\/strong>He brings us comfort and power. We understand each other perfectly, he is one more paranormal. We tell him where we want to go and he takes the sound of the album there, he\u2019s great.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014As we mentioned at the beginning, you were a trio, but Diogo Santos joined us for the concerts and became the fourth member. How do you think he has contributed to the sound?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014David: <\/span><\/strong>Diogo has brought a sense of security to the band. We know we can always count on him, he has been 100% committed to Paranormales<\/span><\/strong> and that\u2019s why we decided to have him be one more in the band, all 4 of us equally.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Among your influences you have mentioned Philip Glass. Wendy Carlos or Suso Saiz. How have these musicians influenced you? What part of Suso Saiz\u2019s musical career interests you most?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014Jc:<\/span><\/strong> These musicians are part of us in terms of sound memories. They are memories that come from childhood. The melody of the first act of The Photographer or the soundtrack of Tron<\/span><\/em> is something that takes you back to when you were a child and marks you forever. On the other hand, Suso Saiz is an example of a certain courage as an author not being afraid of experimentation in a country that is not so risky in the musical field. To be put in the same bag as Spanish new age was something predictable. We are interested in the sound achieved as a producer, with impeccable pieces of music such as the Drag\u00f3n Negro<\/span><\/em> by Esclarecidos<\/span><\/strong>. Now you can tell me that he also produced Los Piratas<\/span><\/strong>… all right, anyone can have a bad moment.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\u2014How was born the idea for the remix album, with remixes by Antoni Maiovvi, Maurizio Baggio, NRZ & SIM\u00d8NE and the Mexican Wolfside?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014David: <\/span><\/strong>One day while rehearsing we were thinking about how would sound \u201cPermanecer\u201d\u00a0in a more danceable way, so we talked to Wolfside<\/span><\/strong> and they loved the idea, from there we decided to tell some bands and DJs and that\u2019s how the Juno <\/span><\/em>EP came about.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014We previously asked you about the label that released your first album, but now we\u2019d like to know about Cleopatra Records. How did the contact come about? Do you think it has promoted the album quite a bit outside of Spain?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/span>David: <\/span><\/strong>We are very happy with Cleopatra Records\u2019 efforts, especially with Benny Cardenas, who signed us and is taking care of everything by himself.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Talking about Contra<\/span><\/em>, there is a great evolution in many aspects with respect to Belona where there is nothing as electronic as Doctrina. Have you become more interested in electronic music after the first album?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014David: <\/span><\/strong>Yes, we would say that we now have a clearer idea as to what kind of sounds we feel more comfortable with and what kinds of bands and audiences we want to connect, without a doubt.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Ana\u2019s voice sounds more pop in songs like \u201cGem\u201d, and even the chorus is very pop. Have you ever put a limit on how much electronic or melodic you want to sound or do you let the songs come out as they do?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014David: <\/span><\/strong>We let nature take its course, \u201cHarakiri\u201d and \u201cGem\u201d can live together very well, for example.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014A curiosity, where does the text in Elugelab come from?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014David: <\/span><\/strong>It is a nuclear bomb warning, we almost made a Covid warning hahaha, and this song is previous to this disgusting pandemic that is destroying almost everything around us.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014What can you tell us about your experience within the Girando Por Salas circuit?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014David: <\/span><\/strong>It has helped us to be able to present Belona<\/span><\/em> as it deserved and has given us strength to go on and record CONTRA<\/span><\/em>, so the experience has been good.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014What can you tell us about the ROOM SESSIONS?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014David: <\/span><\/strong>We are not friends with streaming. During these months we have been offered several opportunities and we have refused, but with all the concerts being postponed, one day we decided to record a rehearsal and show that we are alive and eager to play live.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014What plans do you have for the future that you see possible today? Is the March tour in Europe still on?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014David: <\/span><\/strong>I hope so, but it\u2019s getting more complicated and everything is being postponed, so we will post the info as soon as we know it, right now all of Europe is in the air.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014What can we expect from your next concert with Lebanon Hanover?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014David: <\/span><\/strong>A happy, energetic and at the same time angry band because of everything that\u2019s happening, in short, a band giving the best of itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

Translation: Joanne Gagnon<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n