Language,
or rather the hundreds of languages most English speaking denizens
dont know, should never get in the way of appreciating great
music. One way to transcend is to listen to only instrumental music
or the other way is just to appreciate great music for what it is,
as you can readily do on the 2013 CD release of Luz Interna
by Mexican prog-rockers Ekos. A band in love with the
1970's and specifically groups such as YES and Pink Floyd, (they double
as a Pink Floyd tribute band), Ekos captures all that goodness on
their 2012 CD. Commenting on naming their band after the title of
the Pink Floyd magnum opus and side long track from Meddle, Echoes,
group keyboardist / vocalist Ana Camelo told mwe3.com, Pink
Floyd is one of the greatest bands of all times, they achieved something
fundamental that characterizes them and makes a difference among other
bands. On this first Ekos CD theres plenty of progressive
rock inspired instrumental passages that blends in Spanish language
lyrics, but the vocals are so convincing and the whole CD meshes so
well, that the sound goes beyond words. Other musical influences on
the Luz Interna CD include the hard rock / metal sound of bands
such as Pantera, as noted in a recent review by a prestigious prog-rock
magazine, although according to Ana Camelo, 'Our influences in the
metal area comes directly from Dream Theater, Metallica or Iron Maiden,
even gothics from Lacrimosa, maybe jeje, that would be better choices
for us.' Guitarist / vocalist Jesus Torres sounds electrifying
and group keyboardist / vocalist Ana Camelo and fellow band mates
Victor Juárez (bass) and Ricardo Castro (drums)
have all the sonics down to a tee. For international loving progressive
rock disciples, Mexicos EKOS offers a sublime dose of prog-rock
nirvana. www.ekos-mx.com
/ www.subteraudiodigital.com
mwe3.com presents an interview with
EKOS
mwe3:
Where and when did Ekos start as a band? Who are the players in Ekos,
how did you meet and what is the chemistry like between the players?
What is the musical / cultural concept behind Ekos?
EKOS: Ekos started as a Pink Floyd cover band in Mexico City.
The first line up was in 2004. The idea was to play Floyds music
at a couple of parties, just for fun, but then the band evolved and
the lineup changed many times. The only survivors of the original
lineup of Ekos is Jesus Torres (guitar and vocals). Victor Juárez
(bass) came-in in 2005, Ana Camelo (keyboards and vocals) in 2008,
and Ricardo Castro (drums) in 2010.
So we met inside the band, and with this line up the chemistry is
excellent... we have become very good friends.
We make music just because we love doing it. Creating is always the
greatest expression of an artist; it is the final way to say many
things that reflect the inner being we all have and that is locked
up in ourselves by many things, mostly ideas that has something to
do with social adaptation. As musicians, creating music becomes a
need to overcome this situation and also it is simply something that
we enjoy doing very much. We love rock and we choose progressive because
it allows a lot of freedom when composing. Progressive bands allow
themselves to explore and to really express... we want that.
mwe3: What was it like growing up in Mexico for you and which
artists were among your earliest original musical inspirations? When
did you start studying music and do you still practice your instrument?
EKOS:
Growing up in Mexico for us has been great. We are really proud to
be Mexican. Mexico is a country full of tradition, music, art, spirituality,
mysticism... And even if Mexico has been drowned in economic crisis
since forever, we had the luck of having the choice of becoming musicians.
Just to make a small list of our very first musical inspirations we
would like to name: Caifanes, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, The Doors,
The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Richie Blackmore, Real de Catorce, AC/DC,
Molotov, Deep Purple, Metallica, jazz, Latin, blues, classics
etc.
We started studying music in very different ways each one; some of
us had the chance to have conservatory training, some of us playing
in other cover bands, taking lessons, etc. We still practice a lot...
practicing has to be a habit for any musician.
mwe3: Is Luz Interna the first Ekos CD and can you say
something about when and where the music was written and recorded?
What were some of the inspirations behind the music for the Luz
Interna CD? In an effort to widen the appeal for the international
market, was there any discussion about singing in English on a track
or two or adding in some purely instrumental songs in the Pink Floyd
spirit?
EKOS: Luz Interna is our first album. It took a lot
of effort to get there, we started composing seriously around
2008, and started recording in 2010 when we were complete as a band.
Some of the songs were written during the recording, which took two
full years.
All the music was written and recorded in México city, and
we were very lucky to find the engineer Pablo Nuñez Álvarez
and Javier Hernández Meijueiro from Subteraudio Digital (www.subteraudiodigital.com).
Both did wonderful work, and helped us a lot during the process.
There are a lot of musical inspirations behind Luz Interna.
Of course Pink Floyd, Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Rush, Caifanes,
Radiohead, Moby, Victor Wooten, Genesis, Il Balletto di Bronzo, just
to name some of the most important.
Indeed, at first we had the idea to write in English, with the thought
to be understood everywhere in the world, and two of the tracks on
Luz Interna were actually in English, but this didnt
feel right to us, we couldnt express, it felt unnatural and
weird. So we decided to do it all in Spanish and we are actually very
happy with the result. Spanish is our language, we grew up with it
and we live it every day, so it is the best way to express ourselves
through lyrics.
mwe3:
Ekos also performs as a Pink Floyd tribute band. Is the band name
Ekos named after the Pink Floyd epic track Echoes from
their historic Meddle album? What is it about Pink Floyd that
the band admires so much and what era of Pink Floyd seems to be the
most popular one among the band members?
EKOS: Yes, we named the band after Echoes, one
of our favorite songs of all times, it was the perfect name for a
tribute, and then we became so identified with it that we decided
to keep it when we started our own project. It is very special for
us that our name is inspired in a song that qualifies as masterpiece
in music history.
Pink Floyd is one of the greatest bands of all times, they achieved
something fundamental that characterizes them and makes a difference
among other bands. The extraordinary conduction of energy, the perfect
chord in the right moment, the exact note in the precise instant destined
to untie a point of tension and catharsis in the audience. The lyrics
are timeless due to the reflection of the self in the mirror of life,
no doubt it is pure inspiration. We love all Pink Floyd eras, this
is a band that was always different, always evolving.
We enjoyed
a lot playing Pink Floyd covers, and we learned a lot from this experience,
but our main objective now is to play our own music. But we are still
receiving a lot of invitations to play Floyd and every time we play
also our music. We do not cover any other band right now and probably
we wont. Or maybe we will play some Steven Wilson just to feel
that joy... (lol)
mwe3: How popular is progressive rock in Mexico and what other
bands are popular in Mexico in 2013? What has the response been to
the Ekos CD in Mexico and do you have fans in other countries in North
America, South America and other parts of the world? Will Ekos spark
a new interest in progressive rock in Mexico?
EKOS: You will never or very rarely will hear prog-rock on
radio or TV in México, but there is definitely an important
scene of progressive Mexican rock, and thanks to internet it seems
to be growing up. There are a few very good and important bands, like
Cast, Iconoclasta, Chac Mool, Luz de Riada, Cabezas de Cera, Watercolor
Butterfly, Carphatya, Umpalumpas trio, among many more.
A few festivals of prog music are winning over audiences. Of course
the most important of those is the Baja Prog Fest, in Mexicali, Baja
California, where we hope to play one day.
Our
Luz Interna is getting a good response here in Mexico. Audiences
are still small, but we are really happy because we have been receiving
good commentaries from a lot of countries like Canada, USA, Chile,
Colombia, Argentina, Japan, Germany, Spain, UK...
Will Ekos spark a new interest in progressive rock in Mexico? We certainly
hope so.
mwe3: Can you tell us what gear you use in EKOS including keyboards,
guitars and other effects that are featured on the CD as well as live
when you perform?
EKOS: Sure, Yamaha TRB6PII & Yamaha TRB 1005F (fretless)
bass, Hartke LH500 and Hartke VX115 amplifier. BOSS effects. Pearl
vision and Masters Custom drums, Zildjian cymbals, hardware Gibraltar
and DW, Vic Firth sticks. M-Audio keystation pro controller, Nord
Stage EX, and Kurzweill piano, keyboards. Omnisphere Spectrasonics
plug-in. Music Man signature John Petrucci 6 Mystic Dream, Ibanez
s-prestige Taylor acoustic guitars. Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, Fender
Blues Junior, amplifiers. BOSS effects.
mwe3: What are the plans you have for EKOS in 2013 and 2014
and beyond? Are you writing new music and if so what directions would
you like to go in the future?
EKOS: We are writing new music, and we will like to start recording
our second album in 2014, and of course we will keep promoting our
music by any means available. We really hope we can start appearing
in prog festivals next year.
Thanks
to Ekos @ www.ekos-mx.com