Banda de Turistas Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Mar 11th 2010 6:44PM by Wendy Gould
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Banda de Turistas are an Argentina based band that was born when two separate groups shared the same rehearsal space. After joining forces, the new band -- now comprised of five talented members -- set out on a mission to conquer the world of music. Their debut album, 'Magico Corazón Radiofónica' (Magical Radiophonic Heart), was released in 2008 and grabbed the attention from the likes of New York Times, Rolling Stone and several Latin publications. The group was even nominated in the Best New Artist Debut Album category for the Premios Carlos Gardel in 2009, one of the biggest awards in the Argentinean music industry. Now the group will be touching down on American soil, including some in Austin, Texas, during the 2010 SXSW festival. Collectively, they talked to Spinner about their plan for Stateside domination.

When and how did your group form?

Banda de Turistas was formed back in 2006 when we shared a rehearsal space. We were two different bands who had mutual musical admiration then ended up just fusing the two. One band's main focus was "the song" as a genre and the other had more of a psychedelic feel. Once we fused bands, it was the beginning of our musical experimentation, spontaneous cocktail, a instrumental EP that traveled to different genres like easy listening, primitive heavy metal and krautrock.

What is your favorite part about performing?

Playing was always a different experience for us, but what all these moments have in common is the level of energy that our songs have on the audience. It is most gratifying that one person is able to feel connected to one of our songs and make it their own.

What types of music, etc. inspire your music?

We're inspired by different types of music. We're quite unpredictable, we rely on the concept of synthesis, as we are from a generation who has access to every culture, thanks to technology. This made it possible to find our own taste at a very early age. We'd spend our weekends at record swaps, where we would not only nourish ourselves with music but literature and film, as well.

Do you have any current influences?

We're currently inspired by '50s film music, early German electronica, Chicago house music and, more than anything – rock music from our country. This includes: Sus Genesis con Manal, or Color Humano, Los Abuelos de la Nada, Virus and all the way to Babasonicos or Victoria Mil. We're inspired by popular psychedelic music, Leonardo Fabio movies and Leopoldo Lugones literature.

Have you traveled in the USA?

We went to New York last year. We were part of the Latin Alternative Music Conference, where we won the Discovery Artist Award and had a piece in the New York Times. This year, the stakes are high and we'll be in Austin, Houston and Chicago. We're happy to be back!

What are you looking forward to most about SXSW?

Being able to make a strong connection with the audience. It is such an important event for our generation and it is an honor for us to be able to share the stage with bands we respect and admire.

What's your bands biggest accomplishment thus far? Notable awards?

We've released two albums, which were well received by the public and press. Most recently, we released 'Magical Radiophonic Heart' via Nacional Records here in the US. We've performed in some of the largest emerging festivals in Argentina, Mexico and Peru. We've worked with admirable engineers, like Mario Caldato Jr., who was the producer for the Beastie Boys. We've also worked with Peter Mew, who was the engineer for Abbey Road and has worked with artists such as David Bowie and Syd Barrett. We've been the opening band for Depeche Mode, Jarvis Cocker and Coldplay. We've been honored with several awards from the press and industry.

Where do you see your band in five years?

We're hoping to be mentally in tune with our music. Our goal is to take these songs to their maximum expression level. It's a long road, but we have the will to make this all possible.

Wendy Gould is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.