On Saturday 1st December to conmemorate the band’s first year, the event «one year later: songs, remixes and rarities» was held. CAMPO played and they had as special guests Bajofondo’s musicians. Flur Magazine attended to the event held at El Galpon Theatre, on a stage that was named as the father of Juan Campodonico, the creator of this subtropical band. It was surprising the staging that was done that day… when CAMPO played an orchestral version with perfect sound and amazing costumes created exclusively for the event by the designer Marcelo Roggia. Veronica Loza’s female voice, along with the singer’s distinctive voice Martin Rivero and Juan Campodónico took us to another dimension and another time, as their song 1987, in one of December’s warmest nights. From the back we could apreciate the visuals created by Vero Loza, with great play of lights which made us realize CAMPO has nothing to envy to many European bands. The atmosphere was full of excitement, some nostalgia when Bajofondo played two songs at the end of the show, and much love from all of us to this Uruguayan band, mixing ingredients of indie pop, electro and rock with neo-tango, the neo -cumbia and Latin music, in a context of sophisticated and modern pop.
We had an exclusive interview with Juan Campodonico and he tells us a little more about his beginnings as a producer and musician, and his new creation, the project CAMPO.
Para los que no lo conocen, Juan Campodónico es productor, músico, compositor, creador y miembro de Bajofondo, Campo, Peyote Asesino y productor de unos tantos más discos entre los que se encuentran los del cantante y artista Uruguayo radicado en España, Jorge Drexler, La vela Puerca, No te va a Gustar y El Cuarteto De Nos, ganador de dos grammy Mejor álbum Pop/Rock y Mejor Tema de Rock en el 2012. Por su trabajo como productor ha sido galardonado en el Grammy Latino, los Premios Gardel y los Premios Graffiti.
For those who do not know him, Juan Campodonico is a producer, musician, composer, creator and member of Bajofondo and CAMPO, producer for Peyote Asesino and many more albums as the one of the Uruguayan singer and artist living in Spain, Jorge Drexler, La Vela Puerca, No te va a gustar and El Cuarteto de Nos, winner of two Grammy «Best Album Pop / Rock» and «Best Rock Theme» in 2012.
For his work as a producer he has been awarded the Latin Grammy Awards, The Premios Gardeland Premios Graffiti. «One of the projects that I felt most comfortable was in El Cuarteto de Nos, with which I produced their two albums,»Raro»and «Bipolar». For the disk of «No te va a Gustar», they already had many things clear so the work was easier. With Jorge Drexler we explore more in terms of the creative process and add remixes to the album »
Among the many artists with whom he shared the stage is Gustavo Santaolalla, Argentinian composer, musician and music producer winner of the Academy Award twice, which met Juan in 1995 when Gustavo had planned to merge several segments from the Rio de la Plata. The result of this mixture was the album they recorded in Los Angeles with Peyote Asesino, the band that was formed in 1990 by Juan Campodónico, which fused hip hop with Uruguayan’s funk and rock .
Through that experience was that Juan Campodónico at the early age of 25 years began to produce albums for musicans like No te va a Gustar and with Drexler who won international approval very quickly. When we asked Juan how it was that the project Bajofondo was born tells us that «When I went to study music they teached me Bossanova and Tango, but at that time the radio was playing something else.» So it was while he was in Madrid producing Jorge Drexler’s album, Juan had lunch with Gustavo Santaolalla and through the pursuit and fusion of different sounds. And then Bajofondo was born, with which they played in all the countries of America, Asia and Europe. «The places where I felt more confortable was playing in Koko’s Club. Asia was also one of the continents on which we liked to have shows because they respect the tango, it makes you revalue your roots, there is a lot of culture there.»
Texto y fotos por: Gabriella Rouiller
