A few months ago, here in Downtuned we were introduced to the music of a Mexican band with the name "Los Importantes de la Noche". Being retro, psychedelic and with a particular and distinctive style we found their music to be quite interesting. The band was kind enough to send us all the music they've released so far (2 EPs & 1 single).
Also we had a chat with them and we are presenting you this interview so that you get to know them better.
1.-Hello and welcome to Downtuned. First of all, give us some info about the band's background just to let people know you better.
Hello. We Started this more like a song workshop. The three of us used to play in another band called “Thelmo Castello” which worked around a very specific concept, so it was very difficult to make new music within those boundaries.
2.-Did the members of the band participate in other projects or bands in the past and what kind of music did they play?
We played in the band we just mentioned, it was like a weird mixture of many things, but basically it was latin-flavored, country-lounge music… or something.
3.-How did you come up with the name "Los Importantes de la Noche" and what does it really mean?
It means “the most important band of the night” and comes from playing very frequent support slots and never headlining with our previous band, so we said “we might play first but we will be important at least by name”.
4.-How big or active is the underground music scene at your place of living? How easy or difficult was for you to make your first steps as a band? Was it easy to find an audience for your music at your place?
It’s very difficult everywhere, and that’s the way it should be. Rock and all counter culture expressions are bound to live sort of in the fringe. We, all the bands, big and small, good and bad, represent a point of view that questions the way things are just by our very existence. If it was easy and a way of getting financial security, it would be quite boring I think.
5.-Almost five years have passed since your first EP "iluso". What stayed the same and what is different today in the band and in the way you work?
We started to be very busy with other things and left the band in pause for a while. We sort of knew we could go back to it anytime we wanted. We approach songs in the same way we did five years ago but we don’t have an specific way of working.
6.-What were the biggest difficulties that you encountered in producing and releasing your music so far? Are those difficulties going to affect the way you'll handle a full album release in the future?
Producing we found it to be very easy, releasing it is far more difficult because it implies spending money in manufacture and promotion. One thing that we learned is that you can start a project and work on it at a pace that is both convenient and relaxed. We already went through the process of having bands and thinking that playing too often is the answer to all problems or releasing an album immediately, so we are taking our time for everything.
7.-Do you have plans for a full album release soon?
It is definitely in our plans maybe a compilation of our singles for starters, but meanwhile we will release singles and try to promote them as much as possible.
8.-How would you describe your music to someone who doesn't know you yet? Is that the style that defines "Los Importantes de la Noche" or there's room for experimentation in the future?
We tried a few different paths when we started, but we think this retro-latin-scifi-rock blend is what suit us best and we will try to focus on what that may be.
9.-What were the main reasons and influences that made you adopt this music style?
It was more a matter of circumstances, for example, there was this old organ that nobody wanted lying around and we started to use it to write songs. So the sound of that thing sort of invoked the rest of the elements.
10.-How does the whole songwriting process work for you? What are the emotions you want people to receive when they hear your music?
We want it to be fun and somewhat interesting, without going into art-rock terrain. Simple but not too simple, with “interesting chords”.
11.-During a gig, is the communication with the crowd important for you? Does the positive feedback from the crowd motivate you to perform with more passion?
It’s always a good thing when you have positive feedback, but no feedback can also be a good thing, you only need more time to realize it.
12.-Are there any "special" bands that you dream to share the stage with?
Well, not really, just bands that we feel that have some common ground with us.
13.-How do you imagine "Los Importantes de la Noche" in 2027?
A band with lots of songs to choose from, it might get nightmarish.
14.-What are your plans for this year? Is it a priority for you to try and participate in gigs outside your country?
Yes, it is a priority to play outside our country. México is a very important place for music in Latin America but we’ve so much fun playing in Europe with other projects that we would like to try it with this band.
15.-We wish you good luck to whatever you do in the future, the epilogue is yours…
Thank you and support music around you, we unfortunately live in an era where music is almost totally free and that is not a good thing. Streaming is killing the independent musician, it is not bad to actually pay for the music you listen.
2.-Did the members of the band participate in other projects or bands in the past and what kind of music did they play?
We played in the band we just mentioned, it was like a weird mixture of many things, but basically it was latin-flavored, country-lounge music… or something.
3.-How did you come up with the name "Los Importantes de la Noche" and what does it really mean?
It means “the most important band of the night” and comes from playing very frequent support slots and never headlining with our previous band, so we said “we might play first but we will be important at least by name”.
4.-How big or active is the underground music scene at your place of living? How easy or difficult was for you to make your first steps as a band? Was it easy to find an audience for your music at your place?
It’s very difficult everywhere, and that’s the way it should be. Rock and all counter culture expressions are bound to live sort of in the fringe. We, all the bands, big and small, good and bad, represent a point of view that questions the way things are just by our very existence. If it was easy and a way of getting financial security, it would be quite boring I think.
5.-Almost five years have passed since your first EP "iluso". What stayed the same and what is different today in the band and in the way you work?
We started to be very busy with other things and left the band in pause for a while. We sort of knew we could go back to it anytime we wanted. We approach songs in the same way we did five years ago but we don’t have an specific way of working.
6.-What were the biggest difficulties that you encountered in producing and releasing your music so far? Are those difficulties going to affect the way you'll handle a full album release in the future?
Producing we found it to be very easy, releasing it is far more difficult because it implies spending money in manufacture and promotion. One thing that we learned is that you can start a project and work on it at a pace that is both convenient and relaxed. We already went through the process of having bands and thinking that playing too often is the answer to all problems or releasing an album immediately, so we are taking our time for everything.
7.-Do you have plans for a full album release soon?
It is definitely in our plans maybe a compilation of our singles for starters, but meanwhile we will release singles and try to promote them as much as possible.
8.-How would you describe your music to someone who doesn't know you yet? Is that the style that defines "Los Importantes de la Noche" or there's room for experimentation in the future?
We tried a few different paths when we started, but we think this retro-latin-scifi-rock blend is what suit us best and we will try to focus on what that may be.
9.-What were the main reasons and influences that made you adopt this music style?
It was more a matter of circumstances, for example, there was this old organ that nobody wanted lying around and we started to use it to write songs. So the sound of that thing sort of invoked the rest of the elements.
10.-How does the whole songwriting process work for you? What are the emotions you want people to receive when they hear your music?
We want it to be fun and somewhat interesting, without going into art-rock terrain. Simple but not too simple, with “interesting chords”.
11.-During a gig, is the communication with the crowd important for you? Does the positive feedback from the crowd motivate you to perform with more passion?
It’s always a good thing when you have positive feedback, but no feedback can also be a good thing, you only need more time to realize it.
12.-Are there any "special" bands that you dream to share the stage with?
Well, not really, just bands that we feel that have some common ground with us.
13.-How do you imagine "Los Importantes de la Noche" in 2027?
A band with lots of songs to choose from, it might get nightmarish.
14.-What are your plans for this year? Is it a priority for you to try and participate in gigs outside your country?
Yes, it is a priority to play outside our country. México is a very important place for music in Latin America but we’ve so much fun playing in Europe with other projects that we would like to try it with this band.
15.-We wish you good luck to whatever you do in the future, the epilogue is yours…
Thank you and support music around you, we unfortunately live in an era where music is almost totally free and that is not a good thing. Streaming is killing the independent musician, it is not bad to actually pay for the music you listen.
Downtuned Magazine's comment:
As
Downtuned Magazine we have openly disagree with the statement the band
made in the last answer. We believe that streaming is not killing
anything, in the contrary it helps a band's music reach to people (like
us) allover the world that otherwise would be unreachable. Streaming
gives a band the ability to reach a far bigger audience and increases
the possibility that someone will eventually buy your music :-)
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