Name: BROLORIZO
Members: Estefani Brolo (producer, vocalist), Ana Rizo (guitarist)
Interviewee: Estefani
Nationality: Mexican
Current release: BROLORIZO's Agua Bendita is out via Toucan Sounds.
Recommendations:
BOOKS: The Music of the Spheres by Jamie James; A Music Lesson by Victor Wooten  
MUSIC: Mabbe Fratti’s Pies Sobre La Tierra album

[Read our Mabe Fratti interview]

If you enjoyed this BROLORIZO interview and would like to stay up to date with the project, visit them on Instagram.



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

The first time we'll listen to a piece of music or while improvising, will most likely be with our eyes closed to be able to focus on the sound as much as possible and in order to get the feeling of it.  

What were your very first steps in music like and how would you rate the gains made through experience - can one train/learn being an artist?

Our first approach to music was very organic for both of us. We were mostly being curios and exploring at first.

Studies and the practice came later.

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music mean to you at that age and what’s changed since then?

We started when we were around 8 and 10 years old.

The most important thing about approaching an instrument around that age is that there’s no fear of making mistakes. So your brain captures this experience as something playful and relaxing.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and what motivates you to create?

We both love dance music, so we’re often inspired by the chance to literally move people.

In order to do so, we have fun exploring different dance genres.

To quote a question by the great Bruce Duffie: When you come up with a musical idea, have you created the idea or have you discovered the idea?

This is often under debate with composers. Bob Dylan once said in an interview that he had no idea where the lyrics for his first songs came from. For us, the best music we have come up with is the one that comes out through jamming.

We believe we become some kind of frequency receptors and therefore we get to channel ideas that otherwise we would have never come up with.

Paul Simon said “the way that I listen to my own records is not for the chords or the lyrics - my first impression is of the overall sound.” What's your own take on that and how would you define your personal sound?

It is true that when you are producing a piece of music you have to work with separate tracks. So often, you get to focus on one instrument in particular. Which makes it hard to take a step back and listen to the overall impression. It’s important to let the song breath in order for you to really see the whole picture.

We define our sound as groovy. We love sexy bass lines; smooth guitar sounds and vocals.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

In the jungles of Mexico and Guatemala you get to hear sounds from so many different animals. Some are sweet sounds from wild birds other deep and discorded sounds from monkeys like the “howler monkey” and jaguars in the area. It is definitely a life changing experience to witness the potency of these sounds.

It’s also precisely the potency we want to achieve in our music - especially when we are faced with so many amazing analog synths and guitar pedals.

Do we believe nature sounds are music? Yes!

From very deep/high/loud/quiet sounds to very long/short/simple/complex compositions - are there extremes in music you feel drawn to and what response do they elicit?

We don’t draw a line here. We just tend to explore.

Ana tends to go for more complex chords and progressions and I tend to keep it simple. We believe it’s a great balance to have and move around both.  

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of one of your pieces, live performances or albums that's particularly dear to you, please?

We just released or first EP Agua Bendita. For this EP we knew we wanted to explore our latin music influences.

So we started playing different percussive grooves over a simple drum line just to be able to get a solid groove going. Once we started dancing with these two elements we just jammed away and suddenly we could hear some “Carlos Santana” vibes with Ana’s guitar solos and then I started playing some deep bass lines; and vocals just popped out and suddenly they sounded like the old salsa “pregón” …



... and after that it was just playing with some aggressive arpeggios and jazzy keys.  

Do you conduct “experiments” or make use of scientific insights when you're making music?

Music is about numbers and formulas. If you look at it from this perspective, then, yes, we believe we have.

How does the way you make music reflect the way you live your life? Can we learn lessons about life by understanding music on a deeper level?

For us the process of making and understanding music allows us to experience deeper levels of life.

Meaning that we can understand the laws of rhythm, vibration, correspondence, unity, action and reaction; polarity and harmony which all co-exist in the reality we live in.

Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

To be able to perform music the way it should be performed one needs daily practice and patience – which is the same as to make the perfect meal or to serve the perfect coffee. They all become daily rituals.

Every daily task can become a work of art, therefore an opportunity to express one's self. Most importanly, they are an opportunity to share.   

Every time I listen to "Albedo 0.39" by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values. Do you, too, have a song or piece of music that affects you in a way that you can't explain?

We had the opportunity of going to a Sigur Rós concert and ended up having the most esoteric and sensorial experience even though we don’t speak Icelandic. The overall sound managed to get through every fiber of your body.

If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you would like to see and hear?

We would like music to come back to basics.