After the end of the world
 |
| Feel © The Soft Moon |
Luis Vasquez is a
music producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist born in Oakland,
California, from a Cuban family. But he is mainly known because of his music
project The Soft Moon which he founded in 2009 although the debut release was in
2010 with the singles Breathe the Fire
and Parallels previous to the release
of his first and self titled album the same year. The Soft Moon (Captured Tracks, 2010) was recorded during a year at
Luis Vasquez’ apartment featuring songs created in a very spontaneous process
with whispery vocals and a claustrophobic atmosphere in a very punk and
post-punk mood. In 2011 he released the EP Total
decay featuring four songs that went deeper into the scary airs and again
receiving excellent reviews. His second long length album titled Zeros (Captured Tracks, 2012) is a more
conceptual, thematic and even visual work and since then he’s been touring across
the USA and Europe with a supporting band formed by Damon Way (drum machines / synthesizer), Justin Anastasi (bass guitar) and Keven Tecon (drums).
His latest release is the self edited single Feel (2014). Meawhile, he’s been living in Berlin for a while and I’ve
had the chance to interview him via skype.
Why did you
decide to create music?
It’s a way to express myself to express emotions
through sounds, melodies, etc. It’s a kind a therapy, learn about my past. It
has definitely helped me realize certain things about me and my childhood which
for some reason has made me feel depressed sometimes. Finally, it has fucked me
up more because I am realizing things about my present, my past...you know,
creating can be helpful but also really hard. I’m a really happy person on
surface, especially when I’m cooking, hahaha. That’s better for my spirit than
writing songs.
What does the
music mean to you?
I guess a kind of happiness, it gives purposes in
life, I feel it’s something I can do, is a true existence, I can express my fears,
my nightmares, my dreams...
Your real name
sounds very Spanish...
Yeah, my family is Cuban but I was born in California
where I grew up, in Oakland.
Definitely, your
music has no Cuban influence.
Hahahaha. Who knows? Maybe it’s a hidden influence. In
fact, there is an important and very inspiring Afro-Cuban background in my life
and music as well as the Mojave Desert landscapes in California where I’ve
always lived. My family, my landscapes...
There was a band
in the late sixties called Soft Machine.
One of their songs was Moon in
June and one of yours is Machine…
Yes, they were really great…what a coincidence! But I
wasn’t thinking on them when I decided the name.
So where did you
find the soft moon?
It sounds pretty cool. There was a writer, Italo
Calvino, and he wrote a short story called like this…and no other band is
called this way.
Your latest
album is ZEROS. Could you tell us
about the creation process of the album?
When I recorded it I had a concept in mind. The idea
was to close the album with a reversal of the opening track. I wanted to
express a post- apocalyptic scenario as a hope of a rebirth. I use to dream
with the end of the world. Another thing I can tell you about writing songs is I
always intend to go as deep as possible.
Zeros, Machines, Remembering the future. That kind of concepts makes me think on the music of
Kraftwerk. Tell us about your musical influences?
Kraftwerk definitely are a big influence. But all I want to express in my songs is a
kind of new beginning after the end of the world. Kraftwerk’s music has not
this apocalyptic spirit and it is my case. More influences? I consider Trent
Reznor a pioneer. I respect him completely.
Your music is
very dark and intense. Is it a reflection of your personality?
Not really. I don’t see myself so dark and intense, in
fact I’m the opposite as I told you before, I’m very happy on surface in
general. Probably I’m creating from a
side of me I’m not conscious of...who knows.
But it seems you
have so many Phantoms in your life,
like the title of one of your tracks.
Of course we all have dark things behind…but I’m doing
what I really love.
About performing
live, what does it mean to you?
It has a cathartic effect. My music and feelings are
then really free, it all comes out. But it’s also a hard work to translate my
songs into a live show. But finally I let everything happen naturally because I
don’t believe in having too much control over it.
The art design
of your records is very interesting. Who is the artist? It reminds me the Bauhaus age.
The artist is me hahaha. I design all the art work of
my albums. Thank you so much for the Bauhaus reference,
it’s a big inspiration. Maybe it’s one of the reasons why I’m living in Berlin
right now, and I want to stay here for a long time. I love it.
Apart of Berlin,
another favourite places?
Barcelona, yeah. I could play there ten times a year,
easily. And Paris, they love us there and I don’t know why. But Berlin...
New creative
directions?
Being more me and combining my music with visual art,
like Daft Punk who would probably be at the forefront or DJ Shadow who tours with a massive sphere that
he performs inside of while it’s being projected on with amazing visuals.
An interview by Juan Carlos Romero
Image by Luis Vasquez (The Soft Moon)
The Soft Moon website www.thesoftmoon.com
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