PREMIÈRE: Mañaneros’ “Karol Romanoff” (+ Interview)
28 October, 2014We are big fans of Mañaneros and especially their debut full-length Hexágono Final from last year. A dark, sometimes chaotic, mix of 80s synths and distorted vocals driven by tribal guarachero and cumbia rhythms. While some similarities could be made with the demonic cumbia of Colombia’s La MiniTK del Miedo and Chúpame El Dedo or the psych-trance of Perú’s Dengue Dengue Dengue!, the sound of Mañaneros comes from a different place entirely, which could be due to their geographic location in Santiago, Chile, far from the Mexican and Colombian styles that often inspired them.
Mañaneros will be releasing their second full-length (and third record overall), Entra, in just a few weeks, and we are very happy to present this première of one of its tracks, “Karol Romanoff”, a taster of how the new album may see the group experiment even further in their unique vision.
Listen/download the track here and read our interview with Mañaneros’ Matto below:
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When did Mañaneros begin? Can you tell us a little about its history?
Mañaneros started in late 2010 when we heard tribal guarachero. We liked it, we went over to our machines and we began to improvise. Gradually we liked the sound that came out of our practices, and we released our first EP in 2011. That year Nicholas started to contribute his guitar sound to the project and we began to prepare our second release, an album called Hexágono Final that was released in mid-2012. We are currently mastering our third album Entra that in a few weeks will be uploaded to the entire planet.
What other bands or styles influenced the sound of Mañaneros?
We listen to all types of music. There are five of us, and each member brings their own influences to the practices. This could be cumbia, tribal, electronic music or many other styles. We love all kinds of music. In a Mañaneros song you can find a merengue with dubstep and krautrock.
When did you first hear cumbia? What effect did it have on you?
In Chile cumbia is very popular in the 90s when we were kids, hit strong: Peru and Argentina, sounded at every party.
Do you see Mañaneros as part of a particular scene in Santiago?
No, we do not have a label and have never claimed to be a reference point in Chile, mainly because the music that you hear in Chile is very similar across many styles. We try to experiment. Our sound is deep, demonic, constantly looking to innovate in what we do, looking to the future with respect.
What kind of spaces play in Chile? Are there many opportunities for a project like yours?
Currently the country is in a musical recession. There are some good artists, but very few new artists. The laws in the country have destroyed the music and entertainment industry in Chile. In Santiago there are no places to play and people don’t pay to see Chilean bands. At the same time, everything looks amateur and the only thing that seems to work is the “big shows”, but then the rest of the year people do’nt want to see bands or support Chilean music.
Listen to more Mañaneros at soundcloud.com/mananeros
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