Hilda Lizarazu: “You have to demystify that the song of a suicide or a busted is better for that”

From the cover of his new album, baptized AncientHilda Lizarazu is shown in an old photo of you taken by Alfie Baldo when he was about 18 years old. In her clothes, she even looks like a photograph of the turn of the century.

But despite the image and title, Hilda is not old. Conversely: he publishes his albums independently of Díscola Discos, albeit in this case only on digital platforms, without CD or vinyl editions. In addition, he manages alone and without a manager, without any structure. Independent, modern and self-managed.

“It’s the first album -he explains- that doesn’t come out on physical support, because making something like that is quite an issue for self-management, but people ask for it. At first it’s a bit painful, but you have to accept it. That’s why I made some things that would physically sell on shows, like a refrigerator magnet with an album cover.

The recording and the videos

Six months ago, Hilda Lizarazu showed the first preview of Antigua: a theme called Laugh, which was released along with a stunning video made by directors Dany Bohm and Robert Bonomo, with twenty dancers accompanying the song and a choreo suitable for TikTok. Again, zero old.

Later, two months ago, almost coinciding with the release of the album, he presented Song to be sung by the two along with a “video lyric” with photos taken by Hilda herself, who is a well -known photographer.

As for the album, it has eight songs of its own that reflect his growth as a composer, all of which were successful. There are also two covers: the cumbia The fisherman of Baru Y passenger in trance by Charlie Garcia.

In addition, it includes guests such as Leon Gieco, Julieta Rada, Lito Vitale, Mario Perkins and an Italian rocker named Davide Toffolo, from the group Tre Allegri Ragazzi Morti and also from the Istituto Italiano Di Cumbia.

The idea was to officially show it in September in Niceto, but this weekend it has a show because it wants to celebrate 18 years of work with Federico Melioli. It’s on Saturday 14th at Bebop.

A coffee and a beret

One autumn morning, he went out early in a Palermo café and the companion showed the photographer a beret purchased in the Basque Country, knowing that it was a perfect accessory for taking photos later.

“Ancient It’s an album with a view of the sky – he defined it from information he wrote for his label Díscola Discos – and it’s part of what subdues me in this moment of my life, like nature, that has always a trigger in that sense. ”.

-There is a letter where you say “My whole life is like so many lives and so many memories”. Why?

-It’s like that. They are like chapters. I have been traveling the world of music for a long time and I have a lot of anecdotes and experiences, all of which are implied by what has happened to me and continues to happen to me. Very good. I value time so much so I think it’s important that we don’t waste it like sand in our hands.

-You appreciate the experience and the reality of leaving the job.

-There is a trend in our country or a trend among young people, as if you are more of an artist the more you suffer. That seems more important to leave suicide, or the most busted is the best. And you have to demystify that, because it may or may not. That doesn’t mean his song is better. The same thing happens with poetry, and it makes it more enjoyable to read, but I don’t want to go through those moments. I am grateful to Argentina, to our land, for everything that has happened to me and for what has happened to me.

Your independent label

-Discola, are you wearing it with pride or are you too tired?

-I wear it with pride and sometimes I get tired. I am in control of Ancient. I didn’t put up posters of my shows, but I made brochures and now I have flyers on Instagram. This is another world, different, with pros and cons. Musical conception is far from there, but for me it all serves to promote a new album or show.

-But you don’t know social networks.

-These are the things I need to look at from Díscola Discos, because it’s important, but it’s not all. As old as I am, I like to work and put together songs first, take the time, and if I’m good at “likes” is another matter. You can see how many followers you have, but don’t let it affect your soul. It’s zero poetic, because the analysis you give to a number has nothing to do with a song.

-The passage of time is a value and experience. And it’s okay to play “I’m old”.

-I think the concept of the constant present emerged in the pandemic. The amount of time has also changed. I’m not saying it like the American phrase “Time is money”, but as you go through time you realize that at some point it will end. And you need to check the time that has passed.

– Is it okay to say you’ve been in a good moment for shows, repercussions and calls for a few years?

-I would like more calls (laughs), because I always paddle it. That’s why I wanted to promote the show on Saturday the 14th on Bebop, where I celebrated my 18th birthday playing with Federico Melioli. The first time was at La Vaca Profana, with Black Amaya, Juan del Barrio and myself on electric viola. I want to play rocker, PJ Harvey! Now I’m stuck with acoustics.

-Federico is your first non -personal music partner. (laughs)

-I have played with couples but I also have loves of music with no personal projects together. Federico is my brother in music. I want to put him in that place because he is also my friend. We even toured Europe as a duo for three months. It’s like I find a balance, because there’s always a thorn in the side when you get married and make music and then you split up and continue to make music together.

song details

-The album has a lot of interesting sound details and a mixture of organic and electronic.

-That was Fede, who in these years of pandemic learned to deal more with machines and order. He loves electronic sounds and can spend a lot of time on it. I’m more motor and I can’t afford to spend five hours with a mouse. So we included that electropop sound, which was the size of the rest of us in the format we decided to put, which was a duo.

-But are they a duo on all the shows, or are they just too far apart and have to shrink because of costs?

-We’re a duo all the time. It turned out like this … There were three of us, then at one point Samalea appeared and we became a quartet again, then now there are two of us. We change the sound, and this album is the most faithful to what we sound. This is a format that they are very much enjoying domestically, because we have a lot of people coming out to play.

-In some ways, the first two songs are love songs: “Te reís” and “Canción para singing de a dos”.

-I always find it hard to write love songs because I don’t want to be cheesy. And in those themes there is the ambiguity of love where it could be for a man or a woman.

-There is also a lot of mention of nature, such as “Benteveo”.

-Yes. There is the search for a place within nature and the mention of even the ceibo tree. I like to play with it because I’m really excited about those things.

-In “My unconditional friends” there is an intro with instruments from India.

-Yes. They are my friends from the Indian Beatles. There’s Mario Perkins ’sitar and a Natalia Salgado taram, which I’m thinking of inviting to Niceto in September, as I’m starting to think about the show’s script.

-“Xpuesta” is very electronic and quite eighties, with lyrics about a photographer.

-It’s for Andy Cherniavsky and that’s why “Andy exposed” is posted. It’s a song tailor-made for a documentary about him that hasn’t come out yet. It’s electronic and eighty but very 2022 also.

-The guest on “Voices of the river” is León Gieco? Just a verse but he looks like it.

Yes, it was Leon. There’s also Julieta Rada at the end, and Tabaré Cardozo will join, but it’s all over the carnival and she can’t. That theme was conceived in Cologne and feels like love on the river or on the horizon. I’m embarrassed that León sang so little, but he had that voice that we had that was perfect. I joined his album and that reward was a luxury. In addition, there is a legüero bass drum played by Lito.

-Where did the making of “El Pescador de Barú” come from, which is not your theme?

-It is a traditional cumbia, compiled by the Italian Institute of Cumbia. They were like cumbia anthropologists, and from there they talked in the midst of a pandemic. I sang it and I liked it. Another voice is from an Italian Davide Tóffolo, who sounds like Indio Solari from Italy, known by rock group Tre Allegri Ragazzi Morti.

-And the ending is “Passenger in trance”, by Charly.

-It came up last year with this evocation of Charly’s 70th birthday, where we played many of her songs. I’ve always liked that song, and Federico approached it from a very honest place, but with a mid-Morcheeba groove and the sound of a sitar. It has transcendental flight, and ends with giggles as in Laughsomething I like because it gives unity to the album.

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