On June 22, Shaman Shaman appeared on the Murcian Sala Mamba stage! as one of the three groups that played in the CreaMurcia final that night (the other contenders, Ave Alcaparra and Martina Efedra). A short time later, they were declared the winners of a competition that was no stranger to them, like many other bands in the city’s musical fabric. After releasing an EP last year, they say Analog Waste will soon see the light of day, a long album in which the shamanic essence of this trio of “interdimensional explorers” will be trapped in their grooves. Alfredo (drums), Pascual (bass and backing vocals) and Pons (guitar and voice) respond to La Opinión.
First of all: congratulations on your first place in CreaMurcia. How would it live from the inside?
Thank you very much. The other finalists were very high quality, so we set out with the intention of giving a good concert and making the already difficult decision to choose the winner even more difficult for the jury. Coincidentally it coincided with the summer solstice the night before, so we sacrificed a human to ask the stars for victory, and it wasn’t bad for us… Kidding aside, the truth is we had a great time; Also, we have been introducing ourselves to CreaMurcia for many years and receiving the award made us feel like we did a good job.
In fact, they had reached the final before. How did you face this year’s competition? Because they sounded particularly good…
We approach with the same philosophy as the other concerts and competitions we attend: first we rehearse and do our best, then we dress the people watching us in beautiful shoes and distribute beautiful shoes to them during the concert. be two or two hundred. We’ve also been working on the album since October last year, so we hit the stage with more enthusiasm than ever before.
Speaking of their careers in the competition, there is even evidence that they performed in duo format in the 2017 edition…
Yes, and with other formations in previous years. Scientists often say that the Big Bang came first and we appeared in the ‘Crea’ semi-final a few seconds later. Back then, the band took their first steps with only guitar and drums; The third leg of the table, the bottom, was still missing, which would close the circle. The project has been stalled for a while and by 2019 we have gained more stability and solidified ourselves as a power trio. Some of the songs played that night in 2017 were original versions of songs currently on our set list.
Mandatory question: Do you already have plans for the first prize?
I wish we hadn’t spent so much bread on juicy potions that night… the money could have worked to pay off the debt incurred while recording and self-publishing our first LP. Another issue that we postponed more than necessary is professional photography.
going to the subject musicBring the rich garage punk scene of the Anglo-Saxon world to Murcia, with a balance between rage and musicality, concept and instinct. You don’t see much around here, do you?
We’re lucky to live in one of the best and most diverse cities in the country, but it’s true that our style is still in the minority. The language barrier doesn’t play in our favor either, but it does appear as a result of our Anglo-Saxon musical influences, particularly punk, garage-rock, psychedelia, grunge and alternative rock. When you grow up listening to that music and it becomes part of your DNA, you eventually digest it and vomit with your personal touch.
Looking back to 2017, there is a notable shift with Model City of Civilization, her first released song. What happened?
The starting point for Shaman Shaman today is the year 2019, when we are three members (Shaman Shaman Shaman?). The posts are still photos of a particular moment, but from what we understand, a band’s voice is more of a constant thing, so it’s only natural to change. We’ve kept quite a few songs since then, but continued to develop them as we learned and progressed as a group.
“Records are still photographs of a particular monument, but the sound of a band is something constant”
They paint a panorama of cyberpunk, sci-fi and dystopia. Where does this inspiration come from?
The three of us love sci-fi and the other subgenres you mentioned. From our point of view, the boundaries between reality and dystopia are increasingly blurred today, in societies very alienated by all kinds of constant transformations that change our environment. Science fiction is an idyllic framework to thrive in. We use it both in the metaphors of our words and to reflect a more reflective component in the aesthetic of the group. It should be noted that as shamans we are interdimensional explorers programmed to alter perception and shake bodies and consciousnesses through the consumption of entheogens.
Regarding this aesthetic of the band, they have come out to play like occultist monks, using lyrics and projections that oscillate between genetic and binary code… How do they complete your songs?
They are another component of the secret potion of the shamanic cauldron and are often associated with letters. Despite our borders, we try not to neglect any issues that concern the group. Thanks for pointing out.
The covers of the singles have a very graphic aesthetic, a lot of weight from illustration, but the EP has a more concise style.
We chose the band’s logo on the cover because we thought it summed up what Shaman Shaman had been up to now. The EP was the beginning and also had something like the end of the cycle. In the logo, we represent our human condition and the rejection of individuality through the masks of shamans, depriving ourselves of the face that characterizes ourselves as human.
“We are explorers programmed to alter perception, shake bodies and consciousnesses”
After touring the studio for the first EP, they referred to Raúl de Lara as the “fourth Shaman”. How was it working with him?
Raúl perfectly understood both the sound we were looking for and the philosophy of the group from the very first moment. It has the ability to get the best out of what we do. As a good cult leader, he knew how to trick us, using smoke, steam, and other tricks to record a long album. There are many great studios in the area and we are always committed to improving the local economy. It’s a pleasure working with him and we are so grateful for everything.
To be sure, they’ve also visited the studios of Pepe Ludeña (Loopers), Marco A. Velasco (El Miradoor), Mario G. Albeni (Kadiformia)… Shaman Is the essence of the Shaman an elixir of the best of each, or does it sound better? Are they looking for someone who understands?
We had the chance to work with Pepe and Marco, for whom we are extremely grateful for their time and contribution to the songs. We’ve mastered Metamorphosis (2020) and Exarcheia (2021), the first two singles we’ve only released on Kadifornia. What we are looking for is to surround ourselves with people who can contribute to the project. We highly value the good feelings we had earlier in Arde el Arte for the album and that’s why we re-recorded with Raúl. We consider ourselves lucky in this regard.
What can you expect from the LP that is about to drop?
We really want him to see the light. In the finale, we already predicted some new songs that will be heard shortly. We can say that the first singles will be released after the summer, the album consists of eight songs and will be called Analog Waste. It marks the next step for the group and we can’t wait to see where it takes us.