By José Gandue @Gandour
to my mother
A word of caution: This article was originally written on December 9, 2022, when we launched this compilation featuring 17 musical projects from across Latin America. Now, on the first anniversary of its release, the album *La luz no deja de pulsar: Músicxs latinxs recordando a Cerati* (The Light Never Stops Pulsating: Latin Musicians Remembering Cerati) has already garnered over eighty thousand streams across all digital platforms, a figure we believe is worth celebrating. We wanted to share this initiative with you all again, as we believe the sound achieved on this album remains as relevant as ever and pays a fitting tribute to an artist we will always admire.
2022 was a difficult year for us, particularly due to health issues we've now overcome and unexpected family deaths. Resuming work on Zonagirante.com was challenging., because sometimes the mood wasn't right for writing, listening to new music, doing interviews, in short... everything we do on this side. So, once we were back on the road, we considered the best way to end this year. We wanted to give you all a little something special before Christmas, something you could also enjoy over the coming months. We wanted to delight your ears and reaffirm our commitment to independent music from our continent.
If you remember, in the middle of the pandemic, we released a compilation of songs made at home by 15 bands and artists from this side of the world, called Castaways at home. It was a job that filled us with pride and satisfaction, and so far, It has registered one hundred thousand plays across all digital platforms. Some of the artists who participated in that album now occupy a higher rung in the artistic ladder and have begun to receive recognition from many media outlets and audiences. That's why we wanted to repeat the experience, but in the process, we wanted to pay tribute to a legend of music from the hemisphere. And, of course, the idea of remembering soon came up Gustavo Cerati, perhaps the most well-known rock musician on this continent.
From the beginning we thought it was much more interesting to approach his solo career. Many times cover collections have been released in remembrance of Soda Stereo, but we do not have at our disposal any collective tribute to the individual figure of Cerati. Personally (and please excuse me if I offend anyone), I find his later work more interesting. His solo work and the album he made with Daniel Melero, in my opinion, were less successful., More risk, less need to convince the record label, less commercial pressure, more experimentation. It was as if he were to say «"You already know me, I've made great songs that will forever resonate in the hearts of listeners, now I want to aim to go even further."». Likewise, he worked magic, creating memorable pieces of undeniable sensitivity that we will never forget.
One of my favorite songs from his career is Press, included on her album Yellow Love. That's where the title of the compilation came from. Say «"The light keeps pulsing"» It is to resort to a phrase that allows for one of the best metaphors. Despite not having the artist among the survivors of this planet, His art continues to illuminate the path for those who still make the best music in Latin America. Therefore, we suspect, we have managed to get 17 musical projects involved in this album.
This album was recorded in Mexico City, Talca, Santiago, San Felipe, Madrid, Panama, Miami, Buenos Aires, La Plata, Bogotá, Santa Fe, Lima, Caracas, Hamburg, in the middle of a complex tour of Europe and finished in Florianópolis, Austin (Texas) and even in Hong Kong. We have bands and solo artists from Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, the United States, Peru, Venezuela, and Argentina., with textures from pop, trip hop, techno, rock, cumbia, ska, funk, house, punk, jazz, hip hop and folk. This is a varied, exciting and, forgive my immodesty, beautiful work. We reiterate, this is the work of many musicians who poured their hearts and souls into it and who are increasingly happy with what they have achieved. Infinite thanks to all of them. Here are some comments from many of the participants:
Silveria (Peru) - I love leaving you like this:
«"You could say Cerati's music is in our DNA; we grew up listening to him. When Zonagirante.com contacted us, we went straight to listen to the..." Today is always today. We knew that our song would come from that album. We chose I love leaving you like this, The decision was unanimous and immediate. We were certain we could transform it into our own sound. The process was a bit long; reinterpreting Gustavo's work is complex. How do you do justice to such a beautiful song and give it that dark, electronic twist? Nothing was left untouched, only the spirit. Of course, guitars are always the main attraction…albeit in our own way.«.
Sagan (Colombia) - Lake in the sky:
«"Cerati has a voice that captivates us. When we recorded our version, We try to connect with the depth of her voice, the enigma she possesses. We have always been great admirers of his singing style, his timbre, and his lyrics. The sonic atmosphere we created based on the Sàgan aesthetic gave another dimension to the enigma of Cerati's music., And from there, the magic and the journey of the new version begin.".
Deer Mx (Mexico/Hong Kong) – Ghost
«"The single was recorded at San Po Kong in Hong Kong. There's no need to discuss the relevance of Gustavo Cerati and his musical style, which combines elegant lyrics with the sonic collage of Argentina that shaped his growth as a musician. His style, of course, is the light and dark side of DEERMX.", so we took the song Ghost as an exercise to turn Cerati's interpretation of a romantic breakup on its head. We never talked about love and heartbreak in our music, so we deconstructed the overused feeling of loss in current songs and immersed ourselves in chaos. that truly entails grief, detachment, anxiety, and perhaps even resignation to a separation«.
Fede Kempff / Mauri Aguirre (Argentina) - Deja vu
Fede: "The recording and production of Deja vu It was Mauricio's doing. I went to him with the idea for that song, and I had in mind slowing it down and taking it to a darker place. Mauricio did the rest, and I think it turned out very well. For me, Cerati is undoubtedly an important beacon, personally because of his constant search for the new, for seeking new forms and sounds, always modern. It was great to be a part of this alongside a friend I consider very talented. That's the best part of it.".
Mauri: "I learned music practically by listening to and learning songs by Cerati from his first album with Soda Stereo. Also, his concept of audio on the instrument and the overall production of a song. Regarding the song, Fede chose it, and the idea was to completely change it and take it in a way that was more in line with his style. Looking for the sound of…»
Ana Barajas (Colombia/United States) – Verb Flesh
«Verb Flesh For me, it is one of Gustavo Cerati's most mystical songs. There is something about it that uniquely captures profound reflections that we have all had at some point regarding our personal loneliness and our faith. When I decided to do a cover of this song, I almost instinctively thought that what I should do was have a completely acoustic, almost raw version, since the original, which is beautiful, has many orchestral arrangements and beats, and trying to recreate the same thing seemed a bit pointless. So, as soon as Zonagirante.com invited me to choose a song, I immediately thought of this one, and of doing it with piano and vocals. I called my friend Dan Walton, who is a wonderful pianist, with whom I've played several times and who didn't know the song, so he could listen to it, and we got together to put together a version with just voice and piano. Then we went to the studio and the song was recorded in two takes. I think it's a special version because it captures that moment of connection we had in the studio with that song, which is so powerful both musically and lyrically.«.
The Mints (Venezuela) - Impossible things.
«"We Mentas are all around 45 to 50 years old, so we grew up musically in the era when Spanish rock exploded, And of course we consumed Soda Stereo obsessively. As teenagers, we eagerly awaited the new tour that would accompany the Argentinian band's new album. We especially remember Soda Stereo's performance at the Ibero-American Rock Festival in 1991 when they were promoting their album. Animal song. It was 6 in the morning and they were playing The sun rises While Gustavo greeted people stuck in traffic on their way to work, we then followed Cerati's solo career in detail. He is a great influence both as a composer and as a guitarist, a facet that is rarely highlighted.«.
Nobara Hayakawa (Colombia) - Root
«Root, which was going to be called Yagé, is from the album Puff (1999) and is part of Cerati's transition to electronic music, which in those years permeated all pop productions. In listening to the song, I discovered the dense and complex work that was done in the studio to achieve its particular sound. I replaced the guitar (whose riff comes from a Thomas Dolby song) and the wind instrumentation (the sample of the siku from Los Jaivas, the muted trumpet, and the shakuhachi) with synthesizers, closer to my own work. I reproduced the didgeridoo that Cerati took from Poor Skeleton Steps Out from XTC, And I was fascinated by Cerati's skill for sound collage as a producer, who went from paying tribute to new wave to directly sampling what interested him. Visiting Cerati's sonic universe was a great pleasure and at the same time revealed to me the greatness of his talent as a songwriter, his vision as a producer, his passionate love of music, and his legacy in the music of the region.".
Mechu Leezard – Nuclear Child (Venezuela/Chile) – The Exception
«"The first time I heard Cerati was through Soda Stereo. Back when there was a channel in Venezuela called The Box, they always placed Light music. I also learned about it through my dad, who was in a cover band and played it. One day he told me,«Never learn that song«"," in a sarcastic tone, referring to how clichéd the song is. I listened to Soda Stereo albums that never quite won me over. It wasn't until I heard Cerati's solo songs that I started to like his music. When we recorded The exception, Only two members of the band knew the song: the drummer and the guitarist who had recently joined. We recorded everything in one afternoon, discovering, experimenting, and sharing their music. It was a very rewarding moment when we finished recording and heard the final result.".
Maiguai (Colombia) - Taboo
«"When we received the proposal to do a Gustavo Cerati song, We have no doubt in agreeing that our favorite album of his is Puff. From there, as a game, and perhaps challenging ourselves to see if we shared the same tastes, each of us suggested two songs we'd like to reinterpret, and among them was... Taboo as a common denominator. And perhaps at first it might have seemed obvious, since this song has the particularity on the album of showcasing tribal and very percussive sound journeys, starting from the same jungle rhythm and mixing it with electronic sounds and psychedelic guitar—basically the same process of sound fusion that we do with Maiguai. At first, we imagined doing a version very close to the original since we had the elements, But in the process it was transformed into a slow, southern cumbia, altering the song's original rhythm and taking it on another musical journey. It was a risky decision, but in the end we were very happy with the result.".
Chino Mansutti/ Juli Gervasoni – I am not myself today.
Chinese: "«Holy Colors It came out during my musical awakening, and in so many other things, in the early nineties. The new CD player that arrived at home, the afternoons spent watching MTV, and all the music that was playing in the air were a revolution for my 11-year-old mind. Cerati had been a travel companion throughout our adolescence, an inspiration and a reference point when it came to composing, And an older brother who never met us, but unknowingly told us everything we needed to do to achieve Excellence. When ZonaGirante.com approached us for this wonderful project, Juli and I decided to explore a part of Gustavo's discography that might not be as widely known, with the aim of introducing those who are just discovering him to something they might not hear as often. Today I am no longer myself, was the first cut of that side project between Gustavo Cerati and Daniel Melero during the most well-known stage of Soda Stereo. A song originally written by a duo and now covered by another duo. Juli Gervasoni neurotically assembled the synthesizers and the drum machine. He recorded some electric guitars and any other noise you can hear. I played both acoustic and electric guitars. We recorded the vocals at Rodrigo Carlanchiani's studio in Santa Fe, one lovely afternoon over mate and croissants. Leo Costa mixed it at Estudio Luna in Buenos Aires, and finally, the song returned to Santa Fe to be mastered by Ramiro Genevois at Estudios El Pote. Thanks to Zonagirante.com for this wonderful opportunity. I hope you like it.
Juli: «The album Holy colors It came into my life very late. Discovering this hidden gem feels like finding something you weren't looking for, and it brightens the rest of your day. I am not myself today. It has that "Ceratian" magic, which turns two chords into an immersive loop, with Gustavo's sensuality in every word, in every phrase. This version offers a blend of styles that flirt with electronics, machines, synthesizers, and the raw reality of an acoustic guitar. In short, an irresistible and magical album and song, Cerati at his best.
Natural Killer Sound System (Venezuela) - Cactus
«Cactus This is the track we selected from the album Natural force, Published in 2009. The task was done by Yoe, who is passionate about Cerati and knew all his solo projects. We wanted a song that wasn't too popular, and that was slow so we could transform it into the NKSS style, and the surprise after selecting it was that it was very difficult to adapt, but this gem came out with an incredible fusion of ideas. We hope you like it Cactus done our way.".
Title: The light never stops pulsing (Latinx musicians remembering Cerati)
Duration: 65 minutes
Executive Production: José Gandue
Design: Zonagirante.com
You can listen to it on all major digital platforms by clicking here.