Latinolife: you are still known as a Venezuelan dance band, is that label still relevant to the band?
Catire: Well we actually consider ourselves a ‘dance band’; it’s more disco and electronic. I think we call ourselves a ‘dance band’ as we play music that makes people want to dance! Be it salsa, merengue, disco, funky house…
LL: How did you come up with the band’s name?
C: Well actually it’s just a silly name! The host of a TV show in Venezuela, called Valores Humanos, used to introduce the show by greeting his invisible friends. The show was from the eighties. The host (Arturo Uslar Pietri) was an intellectual, he was a very important guy, and the show was very popular. When we got together other Venezuelan bands had very ‘intense’ sounding names, so we thought the name was very refreshing.
LL: Your songs are very sexually charged whilst also being very funny and tongue in cheek, not dissimilar to Isaac Hayes or Barry White in English. What sort of influences inspire you when you are writing?
C: Obviously we have heard those artists you mentioned but at the beginning the band’s influence was UK based acid jazz! Artists like Jamiroquai, The James Taylor Quartet… we started trying to influence that sound and then we realised that we are not British. Not even close!! We are from the Caribbean. So we tried to stay within our ‘context’, I mean in Venezuela even if you don’t want to listen to salsa music it’s everywhere! We used to try to ignore that music but I mean if you want to date a girl then you have to know how to dance salsa! Another aspect is the humor that comes naturally to us and is a very important part of the band.
LL: Under Philip Steir, the amigos released Arepa 3000: A Venezuelan Journey into Space, for which they won a Latin Grammy for ‘Best Rock Album’ in 2000. This then prompted a move to New York and the launch of the amigos own record label Gozadera Records. This move also saw the band disperse, with the members spread out across the globe – Catire lives in Mexico City.
LL: How do you manage to write and rehearse now that you all live in different countries?
C: Well we try and skype as often as possible, but when we want to compose and write it’s difficult. So when we are on tour we try and make time, for example this tour we will have three days off in Madrid… but when we are recording, we aren’t at the moment, then we try and get together and do that. It’s complicated, but we manage.
LL: You have a few spin off projects, such as Chulius and the Filármonicas (with lead singer Julio Briceño), do you have any other exciting plans lined up?
C: Well Chulius has the one you just mentioned and Cheo has one called ‘Los Crema Paraiso’… I have started DJing, a lot of funk and electrofunk, from the seventies.
LL: Los Amigos continue to be well followed in Latin America; with their 2009 album ‘Commercial’ a production between Gozadera Records and Nacional Records earning them another well deserved Latin Grammy. What is the key to their success?
C: I think people still follow us in Venezuela for what we represent as a band rather than the actual music. I think in the rest of Latin America we are known as a funk band, I mean with that and the lyrics… for example ‘Mentiras’ was huge in Mexico. I guess that they are good at lying in Mexico!
LL: Obviously Venezuela has been in the news a lot recently due to the political situation. Does that affect you as a band?
C: Well obviously we just try to ignore it. In Venezuela even if you don’t turn on the TV or read the newspapers then the news hits you in the face! Our social cause is to make people forget about the politics, we miss the country that we grew up in, that country doesn’t exist any more. I mean my family has already left. When you get to the point at which you can’t find toilet paper in the shop… no one should have to face that.
When we do go to Venezuela then I do appreciate the feeling of being home. I mean I don’t miss the beach or the food, I miss the people. I really admire that people are still laughing and making jokes, despite the terrible political situation. They are heroes for having such a great sense of humour!
LL: What do you enjoy about playing in the UK?
C: Well we would love to come over more often. Our previous tour in the UK we did a tour of about eight cities, in London obviously there was a big Hispanic audience who knew all the lyrics, but what I really loved was that wherever we played everyone loved to dance! It was amazing, you English are crazy!
LL: What other plans do you have for the rest of this year?
C: Well we are touring, and then we plan to release an Unplugged album at the end of the year.
Catch Los Amigos Invisibles this Friday 7th February at the Garage, London.For tickets: http://mamacolive.com/thegarage/listings/upcoming-events/14613/los-amig…
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