By José Gandue @Gandour
Photo by Valeria Sain
Many people easily dismiss the art of remixing songs. This jealousy is what some fans and journalists feel towards electronic music artists when they remix and rework other artists' tracks. They reside in themselves on an overly cautious and prejudiced basis, without understanding that it is a practice that can be encouraging and even fun.
I once read a local columnist who said that the intervention of these kinds of "reinterpreters" was eerily similar to what Dr. Frankenstein sought to achieve with his particular monster. The same columnist, who still writes for a well-known publication in Colombia, He already disdained digital recordings because he felt there was cheating involved, wishing to return to the analog system., since in it there was no possible manipulation in the correction and it ended up giving a more honest result, worthy of being heard by the public without prejudice. Luckily, not many people paid attention to this character. Digital technology not only allows musicians creating original material to more easily correct and perfect their work, but also, once their recording is released, may this be available to others for reworking, seeking new sounds and arrangements. As with any artistic endeavor, in many cases the exercise will fail, and in others it will bring new joys. That's life, isn't it?
The Colombian project Brina Quoya, led by Ana González, has made its first two singles available to Latin American DJs and producers, What you see is not me y Stay, so that these tracks could be remixed and made available to the public on major digital platforms. The result has been radiant, as A variety of intelligent and surprising sound effects have been achieved, bringing their own auditory richness. The following have participated in this laboratory Humberto Polar (Peruvian resident in Mexico, owner and leader of the Pantamuzik label), Ana Magdalena Camargo (Magdalena Solo Project, DJ and producer based in Medellín, constantly touring Europe and Latin America), Camilo Daza (Muxe, artist from the Bogota electronic music scene), José Gallo (Peruvian, leader of the project Theremyn 4, with a recognized track record of more than a decade on stages across the continent) and Diego Maldonado (aka Romboi, from Bogotá, formerly known for his work in Dejuepuchas). The remixes, very different from each other, They navigate between a respect clinging to what was presented in the initial themes, with additional elements that particularly spice up the reversals, up to the restructuring, like a puzzle with infinite solutions, of the basic elements and their risky deconstruction.
In short, what Brina Quoya has done with these artists is a highly recommended exercise., worthy of being imitated by other contemporary musical groups in Latin America who aim to reach an audience among other publics, with the help of intrepid and adventurous musical minds, with a spirit considerate enough not to always believe in established orders.
