Photo credit: Jime Moresco
Izzi talks to Pablo Neptuno of Argentine homemade indie band about the B.A. scene, streams of consciousness and burgers.
Izzi: For your album – Lincenciado en Administraciün(Sept. 2015) – what was the concept behind this album? What was the mood that influenced this album and where did you guys produce it?
Pablo: Initially, I didn’t have any idea of what I wanted to do. I was just recording songs in my free time right after finishing college when I noticed that a bunch of tracks had some kind of laziness and melancholy feeling that was cohesive for an album.
I was feeling depressed for spending a lot of time studying something that wasn’t right for me and working at an office 9 hours a day without any motivations and putting everything down on the songs helped me overcome those feelings. The entire album was recorded in my room, mostly with just a classic guitar and a mic so that may explain the low-end sound.
Licenciado en Administraciün is so varied – almost every track feels like it fits a different genre and vibe. What was the meaning behind this artistic decision?
I was experimenting most of the time until I realized this was going to be an album. Most of the tracks were recorded in one take, and I never worked on them again. For example, “Los Hongos Que Me Dio Alex” is my attempt at stream of consciousness.
Also, I had recently started playing around with samples and was into the hip hop mixtape producing experience, which is basically recording everything you come up with and trying to put it together. My only rule was that I didn’t want any song to last longer than it should and that included the time between songs, which is basically zero.
The song “Bitch don’t eat my pie” – that’s a play on Kendrick, right? Or did someone actually try to eat your pie?
Haha yes, I was trying to recreate the song without listening to it, but I thought I could be funny to rename it. But no one stole my pie.
Photo credit: Cool Ghost Records
What is it like working with Cool Ghost records? How did you guys get in touch with each other to begin with?
I love it. I’m proud of being part of this beautiful group of people. For some time it was more like a collective than a label but now we have a bunch of releases! We mostly edit cassettes but also some CDs. The bands in it are amazing, I’m truly a fan of all them, and, every year, I think the quality of the records are getting better and the sounds are expanding.
I was the first artist to have a record released by the label aside from the record founders Agus and Nico with their band Santos Wussies and their personal side projects. I met them when I was writing for an online magazine and we ran into each other a couple times before they that proposed that “Pelis De Terror” (one of my first EPs) be released through the label. Then my bandOriginal Artyfacts joined in 2014 and so did The Octocats,Fat Dojo and Lobo De Lava and that is a wild, long and funny story.
Where have been your favorite places you’ve performed in Buenos Aires and why?
My favorite place is without a doubt Espacio Cultural Mi Casa, which is run by Nadia and is where the Fiesta Cool Ghost (Cool Ghost Records Monthly Party) takes place. I also like Naranja Verde which is also a common place for the Cool Ghosties to play in. There’s a bunch of cool venues to play but those two are the ones I feel more comfortable in. It’s something to do with the vibe which [makes it impossible for] me to feel uncomfortable.
Can you talk a bit about your experience being in a band in Buenos Aires, and being part of such an eclectic and unique music scene?
It’s weird because you say it’s eclectic and unique, but it’s also small and the public is difficult. You need to put together 3 or 4 bands in order to pack a venue. Maybe there’ll be 150 people in one show and 15 in the next one and sometimes it’s tedious to handle that situation. The bands get little to no radio airplay nor press, and the bands playing at big venues or parties that already have a good audience are almost exclusively the ones with money to pay for sponsorship, which ultimately leads the best and more original bands to lose enthusiasm and play fewer and fewer shows. Of course, there are exceptions but, ultimately, the best stuff does not come out of Bandcamp.
What’s a dream venue to perform at (In Buenos Aires and beyond)?
I think Niceto would be nice, since I saw some of my favorite bands there. We are playing at Music Wins Festival on November so that’s quite a dream coming true since we are sharing the bill with bands like Air and Primal Scream. Outside of Buenos Aires, I’d love to play at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City.
What’s your best memory of going to Burger Joint [best burger place in Buenos Aires, reached almost cult level]?
The time we went there after recording our first single with Original Artyfacts (check it out! our new EP is coming soon!). Also the first time I tried Le Bleu [editors note: best burger with blue cheese].
Pick 3 top albums that have influenced your music as a group?
I don’t know as a group since Pablo Neptuno’s band is a group of friends playing the songs I recorded as cool and lazy as we can, but for the recording purposes I would say Frank Ocean’s “Channel OrangeÛ, Lou Reed’s “Transformer” and “Night falls over Kortelada” [by] Jens Lekman
Name three of your favorite Buenos Aires-based fellow artists.
Asparagus, Nicolas Ferreiro and Gativideo.
Photo credit: Nacho Rebaudengo