Meneo Interview: SXSW 2010

Rigo Pex is the Latino musical mastermind behind Meneo, making 8-bit music primarily on his Game Boy and utilizing other computers and synthesizers at times. He is often accompanied by VJ Raul Entter, who provides visual graphics to help invigorate Meneo shows. In 2009, Meneo played over 70 gigs, often in the buff, including venues across South America and Europe. Spinner recently interviewed Pex to find out about his plans for SXSW and to learn more about the enigma that is Meneo.

When did you form Meneo?

It was four years ago. It was always just a personal project, and in that it had three different stages. Four years ago, it was more sample bass, kind of like El Guincho. It was more Cumbia style, with samples, and really artsy in a way. I always had a VJ, a partner making the visuals for each song. The visuals were really like old school Latin cinema. And [the music] was really slow BPMs, like 80 or 100. It was really kind of bordello and romantic. Afterward, it became a little more like Miami bass -- more neon, you know, more booty. At that time, there was another guy playing synthesizer, and a bass player. This last part is more Game Boy, more electropical, really more hectic and flashy in a way. It's always been based on making people feel the Latin vibe, but also making fun of it, because Latin music is really cliche. So, basically, it's really about me laughing about myself.

How did you come up with the name Meneo?

Actually, Meneo means "booty sway." If somebody says "you've got Meneo," it means, "You dance pretty well."

How would you describe your sound, in your own words?

Basically, I take the frequency of drums, because that's what makes the body move, and then I use really high-pitched synthesizers, and that makes really rockin' melodies. So, at the end, it's like the best of both worlds. I would say electropical, in a style sense. And it's really made for having an epileptic booty seizure, you know?

Explain what 8-bit music is.

Remember Nintendo? It was an 8-bit video game [system], and then there was Nintendo 64 [with 64-bits], and before that there was Super Nintendo, which was like 16-bits. And what it means is the speed of the processor. How much information can the processor process? This means that you give certain values to the music chip. So, in the end, it's only going to reproduce a really lo-fi kind of sound. 8-bit is what people say about chip tune music, because it sounds like Nintendos, Commodores, Spectrums, Amigas, Game Boys. Basically, it's all about the resolution of the music chip. It's really kind of old school.

What are your musical influences?

I would say El General. 30 years ago, he was the founder of reggaeton music, but he was not like this sex-power-bling-bling kind of reggaeton. He was a storyteller, and he was more interested in making music that was fun and less ego trip. But after that, reggaeton music was changed all the way around. Then there's this guy Oliver Huntemann. He's from Germany, and he makes minimal pervasives. I'd also say Guincho. He was really cool. And, also, Super Mario Bros. and all those kind of geeky 8-bit games, 'cause that's where you pull the sounds from. I was playing Contra and Double Dragon, and those actually inspired me because there was no feedback, there was no history as to what you could do with those chips. And they actually told stories with that music -- so loads of video games like that. Like Donkey Kong.

What is in your SXSW survival kit?

Actually, my grandmother always said [to] trust the girl with the backpack. Find someone with a backpack. She always knew I was all over and that I never thought about where I was going. She was telling me to take care of myself by looking for someone who could take care of me.

What's the craziest thing you've seen on tour or playing at parties?

Being naked. Our managers are like, "Don't give up doing that, please." When we get naked, [other people] want to get naked, too. It's really relaxing.

Do you always get naked at your shows, or just sometimes?

Always.

Are you going to get naked at SXSW?

My managers have told me there's something called full-frontal nudity there, and it's not allowed. They told us the same thing in New York, and I remember I crowd-surfed naked.

What's your biggest vice?

It would be, oh my God, watching YouTube videos right now. I'd stop, but there's so much information -- everything from sweet cat videos to accident videos. Also, I'm a .gif collector. The animated .gif.

Who was your first celebrity crush?

Hmm. Sabrina. There's this track [that goes], "Boys, boys, boys ... Looking for a good time. Boys, boys, boys." Totally '80s. She's like Cyndi Lauper. The thing is, in her video, she shows her tits. And it was on the all the TV stations. It was not censored, so it was a big thing, in a way.

Beatles or Stones?

Beatles, of course, because I think the Beatles went through a lot of changes and the Rolling Stones always had the same kind of attitude -- like, this is rock, we're anti-system. I think the Beatles were more organic, more like normal persons. And I think the Rolling Stones were really fucking superstars.

What is your musical guilty pleasure?

It would be when I start playing at 130 BPM and, suddenly, I'm at like 170 BPM -- really fast and punky. I would say I tend to go to a punk side of things. I try to perform in a way that has no rules. My managers tell me to try and behave, but that's really just the way it happens sometimes.

[For listening], it would be Cumbia. Like '70s Cumbia or '60s Cumbia, which was really instrumental, kind of like reggae. I think hearing Cumbia is something that no one really enjoys but me.

Jaime Owen is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.