Hector Buitrago and the Colombian Connection

Posted Saturday, November 24, 2007

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As Aterciopelados, Héctor Buitrago and Andrea Echeverri revolutionized the music scene in Bogota, Colombia in the '90s, blowing Anglo wannabes out of the water by mixing their rock with indigenous rhythms and writing relevant lyrics strictly en español. Having established that Latin American rock is not a derivation but an authentic expression of their culture, Buitrago and Echeverri then brought electronic music into the mix. Their once and future attitude has made for a sound that is simultaneously personal and universal, making them cultural activists in Colombia and Latin alternative stars, but also landing them on the "Tonight Show" in 2001. That same year, Time called Aterciopelados one of the 10 best bands on planet Earth.

Conector is Buitrago's first solo project, exploring Andean traditions and the spiritual power of music more deeply. The bassist and producer spoke to URGE from his home in Bogota about Conector, the rediscovery of folkloric music in Colombia and the upcoming Aterciopelados album, which is slated for release in the fall of 2006.

URGE: Andrea Echeverri took a break from Aterciopelados and recorded a self-titled album that came out in 2005. What inspired you to do your own solo project?

Héctor Buitrago: [It] came out of a desire I had to work with some ideas that I wasn't able to explore with Aterciopelados. I started to look at those again to see which I liked and which could work. That was maybe 30 percent, and the other 70 percent were songs I wrote expressly for this album. I think that all of the musical influences that have nurtured me as a musician came together on this record: rock, electronic music and also folkloric Latin American music, Andean music.

URGE: The album has a spiritual feeling, expressed by the ritualistic tones of the rhythms as well as the inspirational sentiments of songs like "Musica Somos" ("We Are Music"). While your experiments with indigenous rhythms, rock and electronic effects are familiar to any fan of Aterciopelados, this album has a more tribal, trance sound. Was this an opportunity to delve more into roots music than you had before?

Buitrago: The experience that I've had with indigenous music ceremonies definitely influenced the feeling of the album. I've been in some cleansing ceremonies where the drum is a very important element, and I've also heard other types of music that have this ambience, this feeling of music that is cleansing or healing. Part of the idea behind the album was to try to recuperate music's role as something spiritual, [which is] something that's been lost lately.

URGE: What music specifically inspired you to make this album?

Buitrago: Andean music is the most influential for me. It's the music from Colombia's interior, music fed by the mountains, the cold land of the Andes. The African-based music from the north -- cumbia, vallenato -- is dance music that's more associated with fiesta. Andean music is tied to the earth, the lyrics have to do with the mountains, an offering to the sun and the other elements. It's also music that's being rediscovered, because although it's always been present, I think that now people are seeking it out more.

URGE: Why now?

Buitrago: Being Colombian, and Latin American in general, we've had many cycles of questioning our identity because of the mestizaje [a mix of races and cultures] we've had here since the conquest. There have been moments in our history, including now, where we're questioning who are, where do we come from, what are our roots, our influences? This is because we've always been very influenced by what comes from outside -- first because of the conquest, then colonialism and now with the cultural invasion from the United States and Europe. All of this confusion provoked by el mestizaje has spurred in [Colombian] artists and young people a process of self-discovery that really began back the '70s: the discovery of our music, our culture, our folklore, our art, the indigenous cultures.

URGE: Aterciopleados has been key in the creation of what's now widely known as Latin alternative music, in which traditional rhythms, rock, hip-hop and electronica come together in various ways. Do you think that Aterciopelados has fueled this current interest in Colombia's musical roots?

Buitrago>: Definitely. When we started playing rock [in 1990], even singing in Spanish was difficult in Colombia. A lot of groups sang in English; it didn't really work to sing in Spanish at the time. We had to adopt what you could call a nationalist posture to help young people realize -- and convince ourselves -- that [in Colombia] there are very strong roots and that we have an incredible musical tradition. That was one of the things that Aterciopelados developed from the beginning. One thing that we've always done as Aterciopelados is to connect, to make bridges between musicians and music. We're experimenting with fusions in a daring way. We've done it very intuitively, and it's worked. This connection of music, of journeys, of thoughts, of cultures, is what I'm proposing with Conector.

URGE: Why did you decide to present Conector as an autonomous project, rather than put out a more obviously labeled Héctor Buitrago solo album?

Buitrago: It's not the typical album of a singer-songwriter who sings all the songs. It's a project by a producer who brings together a lot of artists. I compose the music and write the lyrics, but it involved different people. But don't forget that the title itself does have my name in it -- it's a play on words, a record made "with Héctor."

URGE: Andrea Echeverri, Julieta Venegas and Spanish pop singer Alex Ubago make appearances on Conector. Who are some of the lesser-known artists who joined you in the studio?

Buitrago: There were a lot of musicians who contributed to the project -- some singers who are well known; others are friends who aren't professional singers.
Ever Suarez is a bullerengue musician. It's a genre that has a long tradition, that people outside of Colombia probably know best from listening to Toto La Momposina's albums. It's a kind of music in which women are, for the most part, the protagonists. But men participate too, and Ever Suarez is one of them. He came down from the mountains to Bogota and sang, improvising on the track "Damaquiel." Martina Camargo is also from northern Colombia, and she sings on the same track. Bullerengue is part of this rediscovery. It's been there always, but now the young people want to learn about it; they're traveling to the source, into the mountains, to find it.

URGE: Now you're back in the studio working with Andrea on the next Aterciopelados album. What can we expect?

Buitrago: The priority is still the group, and the new album should be released in the United States in November. Andrea's solo project and mine have really enriched the music we make with Aterciopelados. This new album is more organic than the last two -- Gozo Poderoso and Caribe Atomico -- in the sense that we're going to have live drums. As always, it has a lot of different influences: rock, folkloric, electronic, and probably [will be] a little more ethnic sounding, not only Latin American, but more global. We have a percussionist who plays tabla, that's going to make the sound a little more "world," although it will still be rock and electronic. Creatively speaking, the doors are open.