PRESENTATION
THE BEGINNING
THE FIRST DEMO
CONECTA O REVIENTA
HUELLAS
ZULU 9.30 INVITA
REMIXES
LA GUERRILLA ZULÚ
TIEMPO AL TIEMPO
PRESENTATION
Zulú 9.30 is a band born in the streets of "la Barcelona Mestiza". After ten years distributing their music and joy by all Europe, they take a new step to the front to bring his third original work titled "Tiempo al tiempo". In this occasion they leave to a little side the purest styles and bet by a own sound. These are songs to listen to and music to dance.
In direct the band is composed by bred musicians in different corners from the globe. Seven heads and many ideas give form to an original sound influenced by styles like reggae, latin-american, mediterranean music, pop-rock and the rest of music of the world.
In its way they have had the luck to be able to make dance and laugh to much people; from the Festival Couleur Cafè of Brussels to the Festival Actual in Logroño. From Rock People in Czech Republic to the BAM of Barcelona. From the Tempo Latino in France to Amsterdam Roots Festival. Many scenes and many artists to whom they have had the taste to have close like Oscar de Leon, Macaco, Amparanoia, Ojos de Brujo, Delinqüentes, Alboroise, La Troba Kung-Fu, Sargento Garcia, Maraca, Los Van Van,etc.
Osk I Jah-Man Voice and guitar
Blas Guitar and choirs
Kodi Bass/Contrabass player and choirs
Nando Pico Tenor Sax
THE BEGINNING
Year 2001 ran and Barcelona was the center of the new current of music Mestiza that would change the conception of music in all the country. In that context and growing between bands like Macaco, Ojos de Brujo, Amparanoia, Dusminguet and Manu Chao, five lads called Blas, Kodi, Ruba, Pina and Charlie trained every Saturday in the unique public buck of test in Cerdanyola, where the young people of the town spent the hours between pipes, beers and table football.
Five lads that were joined to recreate rates and melodies outside the scene ska-punk from which they came and the saturated the musical panorama. Something happened in one of those training, suddenly a pair of boys called Chus and Miguel, Los Hermanos Llamas, nocked at the door. Apparently they had been surprised with the music they listened and decided to enter with its trumpet and his saxo to remain for a long time and to infect to them thus with its joy. Zulu 9.30 began to acquire the form that today we know but even it lacked something.
They realized that had forgotten the most important, the voice! Although to this date they were alternated to sing, they realized that its instrument and its letters needed solely somebody dedicated to: the charism and talent of a singer. Thus it was as they were entered in the Raval and in the schools of music of Barcelona putting posters "Afro/latin/regga group looking for singer".
The day of casting arrived and by the door a strange figure entered. Bell-mouth Texan trousers, necklaces stuck to the neck and a fit Texan jacket with a patch of BMW. This personage took the shaved head totally and was a loving end of reggae and its culture. He taught a reggae disc to them that he has had produced himself, "Babylon Bridges", and he explained to them that it had participated in several formations. The music began and suddenly an amazing voice with reggae soul flooded the space. They were watched among them and the reaction was instantaneous! "Do you remain?" Thus it was like the great Osk I Jah-Man, singer, composer and producer so styles like reggae-latin-jazz-funky-pop-rock-samba entered to comprise of the heart of Zulu 9.30, his dreadlocks began to grow with force and other already it is yet history…
In the stability that brought to the band the fact to have the complete formation, their walking began by the scenes between clubs, casales, celebrations and others. The first serious concert was Surialterna't 2002 where since today still they remember the great concert that they did. A concert recorded in the Zulú memory like the first time that really felt like true musicians.
The time taught the crudity to them of the life of a group, the game of dear members. It was as well as Los hermanos Llamas let the band to take step to the first "professional" musician of the band. Its instrument is the trumpet, its impressive abilities and its name occurred to later know years like Josué "el Ciclón" García, by those years also played with a rumbero stranger called Muchachito… Next to him Marc Antolí to saxo was gotten up, a friend of the band and great connoisseur of the recording systems.
THE FIRST DEMO
The moment for beginning had arrived and it was necessary to move in serious and so they decided to move to Barcelona to practise and to record his first demo "Probando (2003)". Recorded with the few knowledge of recording and production. Four songs that offered the opportunity to occur them to know a public who until the moment only knew the direct one.
As the group became the day to day for all, they needed to look for a person in charge to guide to them, to represent, to look for concerts, to defend its interests and speaking about music during hours. It is why they called to an old friend from Cerdanyola, a guy who mounted little performances in the town and that always had been playing with some productions. They asked German Quimasó who became manager of Zulú 9.30. At the outset it was scared because it was not dedicated professionally to do that, it was a hobby, but after considering seriously it decided it to carry out its dream. He begun with Oriol Carbonell and Juan Carlos Gonyalons a Music Producer between the World Music and black music called Son de 3.
So they began to become a hollow in the professional world and in a few months they played in the imposing Apolo Club in Barcelona. The band convinced, so Son de 3 bet by Zulú 9.30 and it decided to include them in the programming of his first festival called Etnival like openers of the great Carlinhos Brown to them! From that first encounter a deep friendship with Jaguar Andrade arose, guitarist of Carlinhos and at the present of great bands of Brazil like Ivette Sangalo.
In return the sadness occurred to see how the majority of members and friends left the band by different reasons to continue their way. The original band was reduced to four leaders who would lead the destiny of Zulú: Oscar, Kodi, Blas and Charlie. After the hard blow, new musicians and new friends with which they decided to remove forces from leanness and to surround themselves by to share a new trip. Thus he went like began Nando Picó on sax, Pedro Vera on trumpet, Felipe Tejera on drums, Roger Gaia on percussion, Pablo Selnik on flute and Oscar Machancoses on piano. Finally they had secured the longed for loudness, changing the rumbero and street sound by a sound more similar to the styles of which they drank.
CONECTA O REVIENTA
The band realised his first important reform and letting itself take by the emotion they decided that already the moment had arrived for making its first record. A disc that would mark the beginnings of its musical career. A self-produced disc which it bet new born seal called Kasba Music with Joni as lead and Stephane Carteaux on buttons.
Finally this firts work started, "Conecta o revienta (2006)", with subjects that nowadays even continue playing in their concerts like "1000 Tormentas", "María", "Carmelita" or "Waka-Waka" where one of its referring ones of the moment collaborated, Dani Macaco.
The collaboration arose in a joint concert in Manresa. They were not known personally and before the concert as soon as they had spoken. During the concert of Zulú, Paul de Swardt (integral of Macaco) went to look for Dani and he said to him: "You have to do these guys". So it was the effect that when finishing the concert Dani was waiting to them in the backstage to congratulate by the concert and to say to them: "I would like to sing something in your disc"
They were not possible to be thought that disc they had done it, was very well done for the knowledge whom they had, surpassed its own expectations fully. Thus his first son was born, leaving them with the open-mouthed.
After the recording of Conecta o Revienta and as a result of their friendship with Jaguar, Oscar made a trip to Salvador de Bahia (Brazil) next to his friend Dani Alba, road manager and merchandising seller of the band (at the moment producer in Son de 3). In that trip he felt in his skin the greatness of Brazilian music and the rate of his drums, his nights of samba-reggae in the streets and the smile of a proud town of his legacy. Oscar returned to Barcelona with a seed in his heart and infected to the band with his experiences like it happened in 2004 when Kodi traveled to Jamaica to discover the secrets of the reggae.
The disc even became a work recognized beyond the borders of Spain and Zulú 9.30 extended its horizons to Holland and Belgium of the hand of Rob van den Bosch (Earth Beat), attending nothing less than performances of reputation like Pole-Pole and Amsterdam Roots Festival. Alternating its concerts with great performances in Catalonia and some tour throughout Spanish geography, they became a hollow between the groups of the circle of music still denominated "Mestizaje".
After a year of tour by all Spain, the departure of some members took step to the reflection of the way that they wanted to follow in future. Thus it was as they bet by a Brazilian sound and gave rise the incorporation of Ed Moreira on drums and Ala de Sousa on percussion, two friends that had arrived together from Salvador de Bahia and that would teach the way to us towards the complexity of Brazilian music. Also Iñaki "el Tigre" Ezkurra was incorporated to the piano, to tumbaos latinos and to the good vibes that came off its passages dance. In order to reinforce the brass section also the chilean Sergio "El Reverendo" Contreras gets up itself with his Latin power. The sound of the formation becomes rich, and the quality in the arrangements happens to be present to be a distinguishing sign of the group.
HUELLAS
This way a cycle is closed and is born "Huellas (2008)", its second work published again with Kasba Music and recorded by Stephane Carteaux as a result of a friendship born in the recording of the first disc.
Huellas is a different disc from Conecta o Revienta. An agreed logical evolution to the band, to the quality of its musicians, its details and the styles in which they are entered. It is a cult second disc with taken care of letters. This one was produced from themselves with the elevated budget until the moment, with more economic support on the part of Son de 3 and Kasba Music but even and thus with certain economic difficulties.
In this occasion they counted on the collaboration of Amparanoia, a friend of the band with which they had agreed in the scenes and that fast acceded to put their sweet voice in the track "Tú te vas".
There are subjects "Huellas" in which reggaefeelin' floats in the atmosphere with a total spiritual message. They branches of Ojos de Brujo and counted on Max Moya and Sergio Ramos for the song "A Veces", a song with a gentleness in the fusion between rumba and the rock very difficult to repeat themselves in a group of their circle.
Also they recover "Ali no mar", a song composed with Jaguar Andrade a few years ago in the room of an hotel and that returns to the memory these nights in Brasil.
Its work receives a great critic and it begins one of the best tours with which they are devoted like a quality band. They participate in numerous Spanish performances like Actual, Espantapitas, Cruïlla de Cultures, Etnival, BAM, Festín Canibal... the international walking is increased and the band already attends the most recognized performances of average Europe, visiting Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Czech Rep, Poland, the Croatia, Hungary, Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, France and Greece.
In 2009 it happened a sad event, Charlie Caves leaves the band and the responsibility of the band happens to fall only to its three original members, Osk I Jah, Blas and Kodi that manage to stabilize the situation. In his place a great musician enters to comprise of the band, Bernat Guard, who delights to us with his personality and by its impeccable technique to the low one.
ZULU 9.30 INVITA
During the year they begin to see the first signs of world-wide economic crisis and how this affects seriously to music beyond the industry. Barcelona has become a sad and gray city. The government denies permissions for activities in clubs and rooms and people begin to stop going to see music in direct. A devastating panorama than once was the capital of music in Spain.
Against this background, Zulu 9.30 takes the determination to do something on the matter, a platform of live music. Thus it is as "Zulu 9.30 Invita" is born. It is an event that happens all the Tuesdays in Sidecar Club next to the Brazelona Sessions of DJ AndyLoop and Wagner Pa. A celebration of the music was created in which Zulú 9.30 invited every week to a band to play next to them.
It was a disinterested project since the musical ones as soon as they received by action, nevertheless arose a great friendship between the bands that way happened. One remembers like one magical night on the week where people repeated in a celebration that happened besides the sad scene that was in the city.
REMIXES
As a result of the passage by clubs of all Europe and the continuous contact with electronic music and remixes of club, the idea arises to be present between music that are played in clubs. Thus it is as they are put in contact with DJ's from all Europe to which they admired and at the beginning of year they pubished "Remixes (2010)". This work is made up of 15 tracks with the more sounded remixes set, versioned by DJ's of the level of Mad Proffessor, DJ Tillo, Selector Matanzas, DJ Click, DJ Gaetano Fabri, DJ Floro & Ale Costa…
From the appearance of this work it arises the necessity and the new challenge to adapt the sound of "Remixes" to the live show. After his recent collaboration, it is gotten up to his rows DJ Tillo in the programming, samplers and scratches, one of the most recognized in his land after his passage by formation like Macaco or Orishas.
Before the challenge that tolerated to take the new sound to the scene they decided to look for a person with experience and wisdom to coach in live show. Thus they knew Gambeat, musician of Bemba Radio, producer, coach and a new friend. They were in a bar of the Gothic one and while they spoke and they shared ideas were finding in him a full person of good advice and great experience.
LA GUERRILLA ZULÚ
Unfortunately the things were not clear in the band. The crisis and the ominous panorama in the country let grow the difficulty to take a band of the caliber of Zulú 9.30 with ten musicians in the Remixes tour. The situation was tightened and the position of the musicians in the band was not clear. They began to appear problems of identity and the energy no longer flowed like before. The purity of the band had corrupted during the last months and the way became uncertain for all. They decided then that the best was to stop the booking that year and to make a parenthesis.
Here it is where one of the new more important stages in its career begins. Oscar, Kodi and Blas decided to undertake a trip besides Zulú 9.30 crossing the streets of Spain to reflect and to find the identity and freshness that had been decreasing. In order to form the trio and to make the street set they retake the contact with Gambeat and is then when the alternative acoustic formation is created, "La Guerrilla Zulú". It was a project created to return to the street, the reality of the people and the authentic experiences of three friends that has always have been united by music. It is here where they begin to glide the future of Zulú 9.30 and to prove the chords of the new songs.
Osk I Jah played the guitar, Blas continued with its inseparable guitar and Kodi changed the electrical guitar by a contrabass (of the own Gambeat at first). To this the company of the inseparable "Loro Mario" was added already, a radio cassette of the 80 years where they sounded the bases of his songs.
The years had not happened in vain, and the relation with Son de 3 had undergone a state of cooling and mutual falling out of love, so they left his company and they trusted the booking to Bola 9.
The trip was mystical, the force ran again by its veins and with the clearest ideas that never, they began to compose the new songs that would form their last published disc. To the three leaders, was added the incalculable company of Nando and Ed, and in this way returned to be a group of five friendly had to arrive together at the world end with its music and its ideas by flag.
TIEMPO AL TIEMPO
"Tiempo al Tiempo (2011)" is the result of a search. It is an album in which Zulú 9.30 is eager again and that remembers that the things require time to put themselves in their site. The sound is definitive and its overwhelming identity. A disc with direct letters and nearly music. During the past few years Osk I Jah had made great advances in the musical production and was the moment to create its own disc. With the aid of Toti Arimany, technician of the La Troba Kung-Fú, they could make it reality, without rules or guidelines. Totally self produced and with a budget very fit. Without a doubt, the best work to this date.
In direct the band is formed by seven musicians including trombone and keyboards. As last component is "El Loro Mario", a radio cassette that complements the loudness with sequences approach that us the sound of the disc.
The tour of presentation is in his beginnings with the formation of the five leaders and it will take to them by all the corners until their songs sound in the entire globe. The lads' dream that wanted to eat the world.
Time to the time…