For decades, the Argentinian rocker sang and composed his own songs, a real “songwriter” in the strictest sense of the term. unlike many great Anglo-Saxon artists, who never hesitated to collaborate with songwriters to create some songs.
In recent years, the game has been opened and Now in Argentina it is very common to collaborate. That’s where the names of Nico Landa Y Marcelo “Cuino” Scornikwho are known – among other things – to have been a sensitive part of the careers of Los Auténticos Decadentes and Andrés Calamaro.
Nico was a member and manager of Los Deca during its early years, and Cuino has co-written hits like El Salmon, Azteca Stadium Y A thousand hours.
Today their names appear in dozens of songs from rock, pop and punk, cumbia and folklore, tango and trap.
They have worked with Soledad, Los Palmeras, Coti, Ratones Paranoicos, Zoe Gotusso, Knowing Russia, Estelares, Bandalos Chinos, Ysy A, Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso, Juan Ingaramo, Los Tipitos, Feli Colina, Bestia Bebé, Rayos Láser, Chita, El Zar, Lola Membrillo (from Perotá Chingó), Celli, Los Caligaris, Lara 91k and David Byrne himself.
“We can work remotely”
In recent weeks, for example, Nico and Cuino have been working on the next albums by Ingaramo and Bandalos Chinos. “We’re also composing tangos for maestro Pugliese’s daughter, and cumbia for a Rosario group called La Esencia, who’s disbanding him,” adds Nico to give an idea of the breadth of genres and rhythms they manage.
“Before -Cuino notes- we were with Valdes and Rayos Láser”.
-Do you meet in the studio or in the rehearsal room?
Cooking: -No. Many times, even before the pandemic, we have worked remotely with the artist or with each other. We called it “The Telecom Method”, because we called each other on the landline and made songs like that. One exception was when we did Over therewhich was done at my house, then Coti recorded it and finally it was the curtain of Tinelli.
-The legendary composer couples of the 50s and 60s, such as Leiber-Stoller or King-Goffin, were like clerks on time. How is your working method?
Nico: -In principle, what we don’t want is to work. We became songwriters not to work! In fact, we have a song that says “I make songs because I didn’t want to study”.
Cooking: -We have as a leitmotiv a phrase that Andrés Calamaro once said to me: “Look, Marcelo, we managed to live quite well without committing crimes or working”.
Nico: -We talk all day long, more than with our partners and best friends. We also see and meet in our homes. We get up very early: I get up at 6:30-7 and Cuino gets up at 8, tweeting. We can get to do several songs in one day.
Cooking: -My contact with the song is only the moment to realize it, but then Nico takes it with him, records it with the viola or with some musician, and takes care of sending it.
-How did you meet?
Cooking: -We met Nico at Andrés Calamaro’s house doing a song called The dog. And the second time we met was in a studio called La Pachera, in 2000, when Nico had rented a small room upstairs and we did our first song together, which was With the football of the tucumanwhich talks about the penalties kicked by a San Lorenzo player named Albrecht.
Nico: -Once upon a time, if we had nothing to do, we would get together and make a song “at random”, because we needed to write. Then we will send it to friends.
“We are lazy but very efficient”
-How has the way of working changed, being a little more orderly and sober compared to that first period?
Nico: -A lot was changing, and that’s why things are going well for us now. We love each other and we can’t stand each other. And we have a permanent duel: we are Led Zeppelin against Marco Antonio Solís. But we work great.
Cooking: -The first thing that changed was that we thought we were professional writers.
Nico: -We started receiving orders and that changed the dynamics a bit. We are very lazy, but at the same time very efficient. We can do a lot of work because it comes out very fast.
Cooking: -And we never leave a song unfinished or half done, like many composers do. We leave nothing for the next day or next week. The song begins and ends.
the new stage
-What was the beginning of this new phase?
Nico: -For me the door was Juan Ingaramo. We were working with Los Tipitos for a new album, and at that moment they told me that Juan Ingaramo needed to meet a composer. Not because he needs to, because he writes very well, but I wanted to join other authors. We had a very good atmosphere and somehow was connecting with Santi Celli, Zoe Gotusso, Mateo Sujatovich and the Valdés, Rayos Láser and Francisca and Los Exploradores.
Cooking: -In one or two months we worked with all these guys of a new generation, the Córdoba-Wave.
Nico: -We also made songs with Los Caligaris and with a quartet group called Monada, who are breaking it.
-Do the phone calls always come directly from the artist or are they sometimes called by a producer or a music publisher?
Nico: -In general, we are called by artists who come with some recommendation and want to meet us. Zoe and Santi didn’t come to compose on the first day, but we got together to get to know each other and after a barbecue, the idea of making three songs was born. They also call producers, agencies and record companies.
cooking: -Through the producer Juan Blas Caballero, for example, we met with Vicky Bernardi and also with La Sole, who was like a update of professionalism. We did The music of my lifewith business from India Martinez.
Nico: -There are also crazy things or works that we don’t know where they are going, like the song that Bizarrap will release soon with Los Palmeras. I think we are in full swing. We’re not back, we’re going with this. We sent Ricky Martin a song the other day!
individual projects
Before putting this duo together with Nico, Cuino composed not only with Calamaro but also with Man Ray, Juanse and even Axel.
Also, in 2005 he released a solo album called enough cookingwhere Andrés Calamaro, Vicentico, Gustavo Cordera, Charly García, Palo Pandolfo, Pipo Cipolatti, Adrián Dárgelos, Juanse, Joaquín Levinton, Miguel Zavaleta, Daniel Melingo and Tito Losavio participate.
There was also a time when they played Los Animalitos together and toured around the country.
Now they join too Southern satellitesa project by Nico that already has an album released and several singles, as well as many concerts performed and the idea of an upcoming triple album.
“I put it together – says Nico – in the midst of the pandemic and today we are a team of 23 people who go on tour”. According to Cuino, “The first group was a small group to play boleros and today it’s like a Fania All Stars.”
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Source: Clarin
