iTemas - Calle 13
Rive-time Latin Grammy Award winner, Calle 13, personally made the Academy Awards their playground this year, when the famed Boriqua Reggaetón band took home top honors at the 2008 Grammy’s, snagging the Best Latin Urban Album for their sophomore set Residente o Visitante. Since 2005, the group, comprised of lead singer “Residente,” instrumentalist “Visitante” and their sister-vocalist “PG-13”, have thrilled audiences with their unique and constantly evolving brand of music from the Yucatán to the Iberian Peninsulas.
On the heels of their third studio album, Los de Atras Vienen Conmigo, the critically acclaimed band’s front man, René Pérez (Residente), chatted with ULM on a call from Puerto Rico, to discuss the group’s latest project, their genre bending sound, and their fashion influences, since after all, ‘tis be the season.
- Raymundo Monell
You guys have had a great run thus far, and yet it seems like yesterday when you burst onto the scene. After taking on some political themes in the past as well as humorous ones, what prompted this latest effort?
What inspired this album was what we did throughout the year. Dependant on the location we visit, we’ll make certain type of music. [This time] we went to various locations; from Europe to Latin America to the United States, and [the album] is engenders a mix of those rhythms. We incorporated music from New Orleans, where I was performing at a Jazz festival, some Cumbia sounds derived from Argentina, and some Russian rhythms I’m [spitting] over. This album is faster than the last. The previous one was much darker and slower. This one moves quicker, calm [and] has a little bit of everything like I said, more variety. It’s not as dark as the last, but still has some dark humor.
Which producers did you guys collaborate with on the album?
I have a joint titled “La Perla” (The Pearl – referring to the subsection of Old San Juan, infamous for its high volume of crime) with salsero, Rubén Blades. The album contains tracks about social issues, like we always do. I have another song called, “Lo de Atras Vienen Conmigo,” that Nas was supposed to be a part of, but there was a scheduling conflict. He heard what the theme of the song was about and liked it, but nothing could be done. For the song, “No Hay Nadie Como Tú (There is Nobody Like You),” we worked with the Mexican rock band, Café Tacuba. So clearly it’s not only a Reggaeton album.
Where did this open mindedness, musically speaking, come from?
Eduardo “Visitante” and I used to listen to Salsa music artists like Rubén Blades and Hector Lavoe when we were [kids]. We’d also listen to Rock musicians like Janis Joplin and Led Zeppelin, so we have a variety of musical influences as we were also into rap. All of that got mixed up and ultimately helped us out when we were developing our style. We benefit from the fact that we have a band with us on stage when we perform, and our audience gets to see how [that] distinguishes us from the rest. When we compose our music in the studio, they are a part of that as well.
Now, that fall is upon us and every fashion designer is busy previewing their spring collections, how would you define your style of dress?
Well you know my style; I rock a tank top, sneakers and jeans. That’s what I’m wearing now. I don’t really dress too fashionably. However, I have people who help me depending on the occasion, whenever there’s a red carpet event or something like that. My style is like the Gitanos (Spanish gypsies), non-matching chic because nothing matches.
If you had the opportunity to dress a woman before a date exactly as you wished, what would she be wearing for that evening?
Anything that shows her legs! [laughs]. Since I’m not really too keen on fashion, it’s all the same to me as long as it looks good. What I don’t like is when women wear skimpy skirts where you see too much. I don’t really like skirts that are too short. Besides that, it’s all good, as long as I’m feeling her.
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