Ensaladilla Rusa “coleópteros” CD EP (2004)

(Català)

No ho sé com començar aquesta entrada, sé que pot ser excessivament llarga.
Aquest disc va sortir editat envoltat de problemes entre diferents persones, s’en podría escriure un llarg post explicant el perquè de tot plegat… Intentaré explicar-ho d’alguna manera una mica fàcil i no donar detalls excessius però no puc assegurar que ho aconsegueixi.

Començaré explicant com vaig coneixer a en Jose, qui va ser la raó per aquest disc sortís, i qui éren Ensaladilla Rusa i la importància que teníen per mi i per el que estava passant a aquest país. Vaig conèixer a en Jose per primera vegada a través d’una carta que em va enviar a l’apartat d’Ozonokids a Manresa a on hi afegia una cinta del seu projecte “Estética Polar”, recordo que em va sobtar i en el moment em va descol.locar. No el vaig ubicar fins més endavant quan em vaig asseventar que tocava al llavors conegut grup de post rock de Madrid “a room with a view”. Jo només coneixia la música d’a room… de veurel’s en directe però era conscient de que el grup tenia molt status en un cert cercle en aquell moment, cosa que personalment em causava certa empatía però que al mateix temps, descubrir que algú que tocava en un grup tant “fi”, tingués un projecte paral.lel com “Estética Polar” em semblava increible.

Mai l’hi vaig respondre a la carta (perdona’m Jose). El cas és que no vaig sentir-ne a parlar més fins que un día Omegacinco vam tocar amb Ensaladilla Rusa a Madrid. Per mi va ser tan xocant que un grup així existís a Espanya i que a més fos gent aparentment tant senzilla que des d’aquell moment vaig desitjar editar alguna cosa d’ells. La seva música era senzillament tant espasmòdica, dinàmica i compacta però també opiàcea i nuvolosa… tocàven a tant alt volum i a una velocitat que ho convertía tot plegat en un estil únic. A espanya no hi havien grups així, sobretot grups de gent jove. Crec que a arrel d’Ensaladilla Rusa han sorgit grups similars estilísticament, com a mínim de manera de pensar i de gustos. Però mai un grup igual. Eraa un grup important i penso que encara ho és. Les seves influencies eren tan diverses, la seva manera de tocar tant personal i teníen els paràmetres tant clars (s’autoprohibien les lletres, s’autoprohibien repetir estrofes, …) que d’alguna manera, per un segell com Ozonokids era un repte trencador. Suposava una DIFERÈNCIA, i en aquell moment ens sentíem còmodes formant part d’aquesta diferència.

El disc va ser gravat l’any 2002 a Madrid i no va sortir fins l’any 2004. El grup va haver d’esperar quasi dos anys perquè el disc veiés la llum. Va sortir en un moment molt difícil per a mi. Al mateix moment que Omegacinco es separava, i al mateix moment que Ozonokids es dividia. Quan es va decidir editar “coleópteros” Ozonokids érem dues persones, el disc es va atraçar degut a la mala comunicació en que en aquell moment ja teníem. Jo em vaig encarregar de fer la portada i la vaig tenir llesta bastant aviat.

Portada i contraportada originals de “Coleópteros”

Degut a la nostra deixadesa al moment, estudis, feina i problemes diversos el temps va anar passant fins arribar l’estiu del 2003 a on la cosa es va complicar. Per algunes diferències vam decidir dividir-nos, i no de molt bones maneres. Per sort tot allò ha quedat enrere i ha perdut importància. Però sigui com sigui, per aquelles raons, el disc va tardar a sortir molt de temps, us ho podeu imaginar, problemes de separació de diners, problemes d’organització i un moment emocionalment molt tens.
Recordo que tenía moltes ganes de que sortís el disc i recordo el que en aquell moment em costava poder encarregar-me’n sol i afrontar aquella situació complicada. Però vaig fer-ho, vaig enviar el master a fàbrica i m’en vaig anar a Filadèlfia. El grup degut a la (comprensible) frustració va decidir fer la portada a serigrafia a Madrid. Una tercera persona va fer una nova versió de la portada i fins hi tot en cert punt aquesta persona va arribar a dir-me que el disc no sortia al meu segell sino que sortiria al seu (!!!). Després d’un llarg cúmul de frustracions recordo perfectament que en Jose em va enviar un email, feliç, dient-me que tenia els discs a casa seva. Va ser un moment màgic.
Més endavant els membres del grup han creat altres grups i projectes diversos com Campamento Ñec, Ñec, Pulmón, Atomizador. En Jose ha esdevingut més actiu i productiu amb la seva plataforma Afeite al Perro. En Miguel ha escrit i dirigit una película titulada Carbón Elvis (amb molts membres d’una certa escena musical de Madrid de principis dels 2000) i ha format part durant una temporada del maravellós cercle d’improvització AU.
Que déu els beneeixi.

Descarrega’t el disc sencer aqui

(English)

I don’t know how to start this post, it might get too long.
This record was born surrounded by many problems between different people, i could write a reeeaal long post on how everything happened… But i wouldn’t be able to do it without getting too personal and boring so i’ll try to explain it so i don’t have to give excessive gossip material even though i can’t assure i will be successful doing so.
I’ll start of explaining how i met Jose and which was the reason why this record came out and how. Also i’ll try to explain who Ensaladilla Rusa were and the importance they had in a little scene in this country. I know about Jose thru a letter he send me accompanied by a cassette of this solo project he had called “Estética Polar ” (Polar Aesthetics), i remember i was surprised and impacted at the time. I didn’t really know who he was until i realized he was one of the dudes in the well known post-rock band from Madrid “a room with a view”.
I only knew their music from seeing them live but i was aware of what kind of status they had in some certain circle of musicians at that point, something that somehow caused some sort of empathy in me towards it but at the same time, finding out that someone who played in such a classy band had a side project like “Estética Polar” seemed incredibly good to me.
I never responded to that letter (i am sorry Jose). But the thing is that i never heard of him before until Omegacinco played a show with Ensaladila Rusa in Madrid. To me that was very shocking and refreshing cause i wasn’t ever or expected that a band of that kind exsited in Spain and i was also excited about how of a nice and simple people they were (meaning they were not snotty or hip). That second i wished i could put out something by them. Their music was simply so spazztic, dynamic and compact but tripy and dreamy at the same time on the top of that they played so loud and fast that made it all become and incredible unique style. There were no bandds in Spain alike them, specially young people making music like that. I think that provably after Ensaladilla Rusa some bands have come out influenced by them, or at least their musical taste or the way how they decide to make music. But there’s never been a band like them. I think Ensaladilla Rusa was important and it still is. Their influences were so diverse, the way they played so personal and the parameters they followed were real clear in their mind (following rules like they couldn’t have lyrics, never repeated any phrase or structure in their songs, …) that somehow, for a label like Ozonokids was a breaking point. It made a difference, and at that point we felt very comfortable being part of that diference.
The record was record year 2002 in Madrid and it didn’t see the light up until year 2004. The band had to wait almost two years until the record came out. The record came out in a very difficult moment for mi. Meanwhile Omegacinco was breaking up after a long tour, and at the sametime Ozonokids was splitting in two. When we decided to release “coleópteros” the label was two people, the record was delayed due to the horrible comunication that we already had between us during that time. I designed the cover and got it ready pretty quick.
Due to our disappointment and flakiness at the time, plus many different problems time kept passing by, until summer of 2003 arrived and things got real complicated. But for whatever reasons, and because the record took so long to come out, (you can imagine, problems with splitting goods, management problems and a super tense emotional period) things started getting real edgy.
I remember i wanted real bad to put this record out and i remember how at that point it was so hard to face such complicated situations in my life. But i still did and send the master to the pressing plant and went to Philadelpia for a month. The band due to an understandable frustration decided to make the covers in Madrid. A third person made a second design of the cover and at some point this person even told me that he was going to put the record out himself in his own label (!!!). After a long stack of frustrations i remember perfectly how Jose sent me an email one day saying that he got the CD’s delivered at home. It waas a magical moment.
After all that the group disbanded and the members went onto another groups such as Campamento Ñec, Ñec, Pulmón, Atomizador. Jose has become super active and productive with his platform Afeite al Perro. Miguel wrote a book and directed a movie called Carbón Elvis (with a bunch of members of this one scene in Madrid) and for a short ammount of time has taken part in the wonderful super improv group AU.
God bless them.

Download the whole record here

Tags: Ensaladilla Rusa Afeite Al Perro Ozonokids 2004 Free