More than musicians they are sounds artisans. They brag about not being formal musicians. Their sound resembles everything and nothing, the familiar and the strange. They classify their music as post-pop, a category they invented. They are Superaquello and they are one of the great musical surprises of the 21st century.
Superaquello is the most recent incarnation of a musical project that Eduardo Alegría and Francis Perez began at the end of the eighties, and which through the years, has been known by multiple personalities, among them: ALPACA, Mataril el Bótico, Infamia All Stars and Mupsiquita. As original as the monikers that they use, so are the ways in which they describe what they do: "Tecnotaquijibaraqui " and " Terequetech" are two of the terms that Alegría and Perez have used to describe the music that today arrives to us under the name of Superaquello.
Superaquello is essentially a pop proposal in the best sense of the word: intelligent, sophisticated, audacious pop. The post-pop part points to their experimental nature, their impulse of renovation. The term fulfills the function of distancing them from the most disposable pop that is listened to on the radio. At a musical level, Superaquello exhibits guitar textures and timbres, electronically generated sounds, ingenious and refreshing vocal arrangements, sweet and gracious melodies and exquisite harmonies, in the best pop tradition.
It's about transparent music, a spacious sound. There is certain minimalism, a certain taste for small sounds (the so called "mupsiquita ") that gives a hypnotic and sleepy character to their music. There is also a "retro" element in Superaquello, evocative of the more classic and outlandish pop. Among their influences: Stereolab, Cocteau Twins, Talking Heads, Brian Eno, Serge Gainsbourg, Burt Bacharach, Cortijo y su Combo and the Trio Matamoros.
Eduardo Alegría and Francis Pérez, are the co-authors of the music and lyrics. Their lyrics are tied to daily life, to life's simple things. The songs evoke a traumatized world that is terribly near. They are simple songs that request to be listened to, understood and enjoyed.
Like every good pair of composers, each one is the opposite of the other. Eduardo is folkloric (in a more kitsch sense), infantile, ironic, and prosaic. Francis is esoteric, ethereal, tormented, and heartbreaking. Alegría and Patricia Dávila are Superaquello's innocent and playful voices. Francis Perez and Jorge Castro are responsible for the guitars, which give that atmospheric and mantric quality to the music, with almost robotic interaction between them. Pablo Santiago, on the other hand, is responsible of the practically artisan assembly of all electronic elements: rhythmic sequences, samples and modulated sounds.
During live performances, Superaquello is also a scenic proposal that knows how to take advantage of the talent and the experience of Eduardo Alegría and Patricia Dávila, who in addition to being singers, are outstanding performers, recognized in the experimental dance scene.
In 2003, Superaquello was featured as the opening act for Café Tacuba in San Juan, Puerto Rico and were also invited to perform for two nights at Chicago's Columbia College “FOCO” festival, sharing the stage with Juana Molina, Ely Guerra and The Aluminum Group.
Superaquello's first release, "Mu Psiqui Ta", (titled honoring the previous band), was released by a local indie label. The label had intended to launch Superaquello in the mainstream, but local radio stations and promoters were not ready to take a chance on the band, considering them too experimental. Still, thanks to their fans' enthusiasm, a snowballing word of mouth effect and the band's self produced weekly gig cycles, "Mu Psiqui Ta", helped Superaquello reach a much wider audience.
Their second album, "Bien Gorgeous", was released independently in 2004 (on the band's own Tereque Tech imprint) and showcased an almost seamless collection of exploratory, psychedelic pop music, with witty Spanish lyrics influenced by the group's urban-Caribbean environment.
In 2005, they released their third album (again on their own), titled "La Emergencia". A departure for the band, “La Emergencia” deals with loss, with absence... it is a sonic representation of mourning in lyrics and music. Based on material which guitarist Francis Perez created while the band was on a brief recess. Perez's songs exhibit a darker and more somber approach to his usual compositions for Superaquello
Later in 2005, the band composed and released the Original Motion Picture Score for “Ladrones y Mentirososâ€. Haunted by the dark shadow of “La Emergenciaâ€, this score was Superaquello's last release before fragmenting in the summer of 2005. Currently the members are spread between Puerto Rico, Los Angeles and New York, meeting occasionally for performances in the island and abroad.
In the summer of 2006 the band performed sold out shows on their first reunion in Puerto Rico and traveled to New York to perform at the Mercury Lounge as part of the Latin Alternative Music Conference.
Eduardo and Francis along with Jorge (the 3 members living in the island) are currently working on a side project called "LATARDE", whose first album will be ready by early 2008 and which features long distance collaborations from Pablo in Los Angeles and Patricia in New York.
Discography:
"Mu Psiqui Ta"
2002 Luar Music (Puerto Rico).
2004 Brilliante Records (Chicago)
"Bien Gorgeous"
2004 Tereque-Tech Records
“La Emergencia”
2005 Tereque-Tech Records
“Ladrones y Mentirosos”
Original Motion Picture Score
2006 Tereque-Tech Records
“Tres Reyes”
track on V/A "Mujer en la Luna"
(Woman on the Moon)
1999 WEA Latina