Podcast 272: Wará

TF: How did Wara come about? Where does this peculiar alias come from?

WR: Well, it arose from the need to express the music, rhythms, melodies that I currently make, especially dreams that were in me and that always called me.

I am from southern Spain, Andalusia, in this place everything has the peculiarity of being 50% Arab and 50% Christian, since the independent caliphate Al-Andalus was here almost 800 years and being the most advanced and important state in all of Europe. I leave a cultural richness and a mixture in our imprint that somehow comes out in my productions and that now with this alias I can freely develop my art.

TF: Sometimes it is difficult to talk about the music scene of a country, there are many divided opinions. What can you tell us about the Spanish techno / industrial scene? How much has it influenced the development of your musical career?

WR: My opinion is that there are very good local artists and Spanish labels with a great musical level that could contribute much more influence to techno-industrial music internationally, if they had the support of Spanish promoters and administrations since here we fall into the false idea that what comes from outside has more value.

It is difficult to develop projects with continuity but despite this, the perseverance of artists, small clubs and collectives continue to fight and bring their music to light. The underground scene becomes more and more interesting and attractive… it is perhaps in this scene that I find myself more comfortable and identified.

TF: What are the artists that inspire you today? That do not belong to the electronic music ecosystem. What nurtures your creativity day by day?

WR: Lately I'm listening to a lot of music from the 70-80s like Tuxedomoon, Psychic tv or Suicide but really the music that catches me in everything is flamenco in all its aspects and styles, references like Camarón de la Isla, Lole & Manuel or Enrique Morente among Others have always accompanied me, the melancholy that this genre transmits to me can be found in my musical productions.

I really enjoy experimenting in the studio, I love the feeling of not knowing what I'm doing, I am inspired by sensations and micro-second moments that are recorded in my memory from other concerts but that I couldn't say in particular.

TF: What do you do before entering the studio to produce or do a DJ set? Do you have some kind of ritual? How do you get to know that a track is finished?

WR: My perfect state to start working in the studio is at night while everyone is sleeping. I have a feeling of loneliness where I connect and enjoy myself much more and I feel that time stands still, I can't always do it but I regularly need it.

WR: As I know if a track or a project is finished or not in my case it is complex, I usually suffer from this and rather if I consider it finished I enter into a communion of self-conviction and let it go.

TF: Your Urban Legend label is a label that is becoming more and more renowned. How do you see its evolution after these years? How do you select the artists involved? Where is it headed?

WR: Urban legend was born like most labels with great enthusiasm in 2014, from the beginning it helped us to mark our own style that both the artists who produce for us and the public quickly recognize. It had a first phase with more diffusion but in recent years we have maintained an essence of the true underground where we only sold vinyl handmade by ourselves with our T-560 and these were distributed by our Bandcamp platform and some friendly stores.

We have been very surprised to have created an international network of truly style-loyal consumers. So far everything has emerged in Urban Legend in a natural way, producing all our works in an artisanal and analog way, both music and image, it is along this path that we want to continue.

Also after these years we have acquired a certain maturity and we feel ready to go one step further, expanding the platform with more music and in other formats.

TF: What's coming up from Wara and your label? Can you share us?

WR: We can already announce the next Urban Legend EP, it is called Cynara, it is produced by Reka & Beyond with the photography of Teresa Espadafor, you will have news soon.

About Wara, an album is being prepared that comes from an audio visual project that premiered at Mira Festival 2019 with the collaboration of the photographers Teresa Espadafor and Raul Hidalgo and the visual artist Unseen.

It deals with some trips and experiences through the central and southern areas of Morocco, we hope to have it ready before the end of the year.

TF: Some parting words? What creative process is behind the mix you prepared for The Forgotten?

WR: Thanks to The Forgotten for your interest, we feel your support and I tell you that we strongly believe in this platform.

This mix is made with vinyl, I have been carried away by the music, starting with music by Giant Swan and Nene H, I have a lot of affection for these albums because the artists gave them to me. You will find in the recording some Arabic samples of Society of Silence and Esplendor Geométrico. Then the recording will develop between broken rhythms such as electro and dubstep until it reaches the noisy and distorted techno that most characterizes Wará to finish with classics that most influenced me like From 242 or And One-Metalhamer.

TF: Thank you!

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