Interview=20
with Luis Massot, vocalist/bassist of=20
TAIFA
Interviewer: Amir =
Kourosh
We do not own ,or claim =
ownership,=20
of the photo above.
JZ: =
For=20
those who still don't know TAIFA, can you =
make an=20
introduction about the band's history, =
style and=20
influences?
LM: Well, TAIFA was =
born in=20
1997 after I left my London=E2=80=99s band =
Mr. Cheese.=20
Afterwards we had a deal with a record =
company of=20
Madrid and we recorded =E2=80=9CM=C3=A1s =
all=C3=A1 del sur=E2=80=9D Lp=20
["Beyond the South", editor]. Some years =
after we=20
change as a power trio with a new powerful =
sound.=20
New musicians came into the band (Antonio =
Medina=20
& Mart=C3=AD Riera) and we recorded =
=E2=80=9C Alhambra=E2=80=9D=20
(self-produced) between 2007 and 2008. Now =
we=E2=80=99re=20
just finishing the recording of our new =
album with=20
the new guitar player Victor Arco, and we =
are=20
playing often in Spain and in Morocco =
again this=20
month.
Our style mix Progressive =
Rock,=20
Flamenco and Andalus=C3=AD music. Our =
influences came=20
from the classical big bands of Rock ( Led =
Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep purple, =
=E2=80=A6..) to the=20
big artists of Flamenco (Camar=C3=B3n, =
Morente, Paco de=20
Lucia=E2=80=A6.), and from the classical =
ansalus=C3=AD music=20
too.
JZ: =
The=20
band blends different music genres, such =
as=20
Progressive Rock, Flamenco and =
Arabo-andalusian=20
music. Why did you decide to start such a =
project?=20
LM: Because we feel it =
in that=20
way. Mediterranean roots with the power of =
the=20
rock we=E2=80=98ve been playing always is =
what I feel when=20
I write songs.
JZ: =
You=20
will play in Morocco for the third time, =
this time=20
at the Metalkesh Festival. What do you =
expect=20
about this concert?
LM: We=E2=80=99re =
ready to do our best=20
and meet a lot of new friends there, =
we=E2=80=99re a band=20
where fans become friends, we like to talk =
and=20
hear the people that likes our music. The =
most=20
important for us is that our feelings fly =
with our=20
music to the heart of the people. Our two =
gigs in=20
the Al-Lama festival of Oued Laou =
(Tetouan) were=20
amazing for the power of the band in live =
and for=20
the answer of the people. We are sure that =
it will=20
be a good adventure to remember, hoping to =
start=20
playing in other places of Middle East and =
North=20
Africa.
JZ:=20
What do you think about the =
Moroccan Rock=20
and Metal scene? What would you highlight =
about=20
your concerts there?
LM: Rock comes to stay =
in=20
Morocco!! There=E2=80=99s young people =
that wants to do=20
something for his country, and the music =
is one=20
way. We feel that there=E2=80=99s a lot of =
future in these=20
new musicians that wants freedom of doing =
what=20
they feel. I hope they will never left the =
roots=20
of their rich culture, because in Morocco =
the=20
music is all over, you can be usually =
jamming with=20
different kinds of music, but the young =
people=20
wants Rock too.
JZ: =
In=20
2008 the band released its sophomore and =
latest=20
album, called "Alhambra". What could you =
tell us=20
about this album? Why did you decide to =
dedicate a=20
song and the album title to a such an =
important=20
place in the Spanish history?
LM: Was called =
"Alhambra"=20
because for me is second home, a magical =
place=20
with a lot of Baraka, where I use to go to =
find=20
inspiration for our songs. =
=E2=80=9CAlhambra=E2=80=9D was the=20
album of the beginning of a new era of =
TAIFA. I=20
spent two years writing songs until I =
found the=20
right people to record them. Good songs =
and a lot=20
of feeling in a new musical experience, =
because=20
never before any band mixed this three =
kinds of=20
music. Some people told me that we were =
mad, but=20
at the end the result was better than what =
we=20
thought. Other good musicians collaborated =
with=20
us, and finally the recording and =
production of=20
Antonio Fructuoso gave us our particular =
sound.=20
JZ:=20
Alhambra" was recorded between =
Majorca=20
(the band's birthplace), Andalusia and =
Morocco.=20
How was the experience of recording in =
such=20
different places, with musicians from so =
different=20
backgrounds?
LM: Wonderful and =
amazing!!!!=20
With Nourdine Chkara from Tetuan was the =
first=20
time that we worked with an andalus=C3=AD =
musician,=20
bringing us a new point of view of our =
style. Also=20
with the Flamenco musicians (Ricardo de la =
Concepci=C3=B3n, Andr=C3=A9s Manzano and =
Juan Delola) these=20
songs took a new direction. Music is =
something=20
magic, can break frontiers between =
different=20
races, cultures and musical styles. For us =
was=20
more than a musical or personal adventure. =
JZ: =
The=20
band's latest album was recorded 9 years =
later=20
than the first one, titled "M=C3=A1s =
all=C3=A1 del sur".=20
What was the reason of so much time =
between the=20
two albums? Which differences could you =
mention=20
between both releases?
LM: Yes, too much =
time. We=20
felt no good with our old record company, =
so we=20
wait until we finish our contract to start =
writing=20
new material, meanwhile I learned to play =
bass, so=20
things keep in standby until everything =
was ready=20
for the new TAIFA. The first LP had a lot =
of=20
illusions and a Classical Rock sound; the =
second=20
one had a powerful sound and experience. =
Both of=20
them with good songs. |
JZ:=20
"M=C3=A1s all=C3=A1 del sur" was =
produced by Manuel=20
Mart=C3=ADnez, vocalist of the Spanish =
Hard Rock band=20
MEDINA AZAHARA. How was the experience of =
working=20
with such a veteran in the Spanish Rock =
scene?=20
LM: The songs were =
recorded=20
before he decided to produce the LP, so he =
works=20
more with the sound of the mixing. It was =
a good=20
experience that somebody like him wanted =
to=20
produce a new band like us, and was an =
honour that=20
he took our song =E2=80=9CCon el =
coraz=C3=B3n=E2=80=9D [With the heart,=20
editor] for his first solo album.
JZ:=20
Your music is influenced by the=20
Andalusian Rock. What made a band from =
Majorca=20
play a genre which very few bands outside=20
Andalusia had dared to play?
LM: It=E2=80=99s true =
that is not=20
usual, but it=E2=80=99s what we feel. In =
our place there=20
are Mediterranean roots similar to the =
Andalusia=20
ones, so in the deep of our essence we =
have got=20
similar musical culture. Also that in our=20
influences there are bands as Triana, =
Alameda from=20
the called =E2=80=9CAndalusian =
Rock=E2=80=9D of the 70s. For us is=20
important the personality and the =
creativity of=20
the music and we love our roots too, roots =
that=20
came and gone from the Maghreb long time =
ago.
JZ: =
As=20
you announced in your website, the band is =
working=20
in their third album. What could you tell =
us about=20
that?
LM: In this new work =
we=E2=80=99re=20
going beyond with our fusion, we went to =
Tanger=20
and Tetouan to record the Andalus=C3=AD =
orquestra Abnae=20
Ziryab and the Gnawa group Maalem =
Abdessalam Y=20
Guya, and we bring closer the more =
traditional=20
Flamenco in the key of Rock. After six =
years=20
playing together, our sound is now =
stronger and we=20
have got more experience with fusion. =
There are=20
really good songs from the stronger rock =
to=20
wonderful ballads. We=E2=80=99re sure that =
our fans will=20
love it.
JZ:=20
What are the band's future plans? =
LM: We=E2=80=99re =
going to promote=20
this new album and his new video clip, =
hoping that=20
more people can hear and see our band. We =
want to=20
do concerts, concerts and more concerts!!! =
It=E2=80=99s=20
what we really like, because the band =
sounds too=20
big on stage.
JZ:=20
Before starting TAIFA, you have =
played in=20
other bands such as ELIKAT, DRAKKAR, MR. =
CHEESE,=20
and even you released a solitary album. =
What could=20
you tell us about that bands? Considering =
that in=20
Spain there's a lot of interest on =
underground=20
bands from the 80s... is there any chance =
to see=20
ELIKAT back to the stages in a near =
future?
LM: With Drakkar we =
recorded=20
the first single of metal in the Balearic =
Islands=20
and Mr. Cheese gave me the opportunity to =
work=20
with some London=E2=80=99s musicians, =
learning a lot from=20
them. I suppose that the work =
we=E2=80=99re doing with=20
TAIFA is the result of being in these=20
bands.
About the return of Elikat, =
you=20
never know!! I=E2=80=99m proud to have =
been singing in=20
this band, and now there are a lot of =
people=20
interested in Elikat when before we =
haven=E2=80=99t got=20
any support.
JZ: =
Do=20
you know anything about Heavy Metal in the =
Middle=20
East and North Africa? Are there any Metal =
bands=20
from this region that you like?
LM: The truth is that =
we don=E2=80=99t=20
know much about these bands, because =
there=E2=80=99s not=20
much information in the usual media, but =
we can=20
hear in Facebook or MySpace some band from =
Turkey,=20
Egypt or Morocco that sound very good and =
can=20
bring a real new sound to the =
international Rock.=20
The Headbangers Association is trying to =
promote=20
the Moroccan bands with events like this=20
Metalkesh, and they have all our support. =
We=E2=80=99re=20
very pleased playing with these bands in =
the=20
festival.
JZ: =
We=20
finish here. Any final word for your fans =
in the=20
Middle East and North Africa?
LM: Many thanks to =
JorZine to=20
give us the possibility to take our music =
beyond.=20
See you all in Marrakesh; we=E2=80=99re =
going to do one of=20
our biggest concerts. To the people who =
couldn=E2=80=99t=20
come, we invite you to our web=20
www.reinodetaifa.com . Long live rock =
&=20
roll!!!!=20
=
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