HUMO DEL CAIRO - VOL. II

Cover art by Gogo goch studios.

For the past five years I’ve had the pleasure of counting among my dearest friends a band like no other in South America. A band that grew and worked their asses off to get where they’re standing now, and it’s a pretty nice place.
It was funny at first that I hadn’t mentioned them before, being such a great band. But looking back now, maybe I couldn’t find the words to describe the feeling they make us all experience. Maybe I didn’t wanted to be disrespectful by not finding the words I needed, maybe I lacked the guts to talk about my friends.
It’s very hard to write about someone you both admire and love at the same time. One would think it’s easy giving all the good vibes and feelings that sensation gives you, but it’s not. And it's not because sometimes when you enjoy music so much it’s never enough, and because music and words are two very different ways of expressing love. Maybe I should pick up a guitar and try to write my reviews that way, but I wouldn’t want to torment you guys that much. You’ve read for these past years my saying about south american rock and roll and you know I’ve never written from a diploma, but from the guts. Heart and soul my dears, is all I give you.

Humo del Cairo (Vox Juan Manuel Diaz, bass Gustavo Bianchi and drums Federico Castrogiovanni) is a band that have always defined themselves as heavy, narcotic and organic psychedelia; and I came across them years ago while covering a Festival held by Estamos Felices, I was photographing the event for a chilean magazine and an enormous wave of thick and surrounding sound came to the stage. I remember dropping my jaw literally and asking the guy next to me who the fuck they were. Since that day we were friends, both in music and in life.

I’ve seen them work, I’ve heard the results and they have exceeded my expectations and more when it comes to their second album, a true masterpiece.
They released their homonymous debut album back in 2007 on Estamos Felices catalog. It was produced by Gonzalo Rainoldi (Los Alamos, El Bordo, Amoeba) and recorded at El Pie and Quark studios.
A lot happened after that, they started playing live more, they travelled with their music and they went thru some band structure changes. The big event came when Meteorcity, the legendary heavy + stoner rock label that supports artists such as Solarized, Los Natas, Nebula, Ararat, Black Pyramid just to name a few I love, took them under their wing and released also thru their catalog both Humo del Cairo’s albums.

Last year their second album “Vol. II” saw the brilliant light of day and what an event it was. Produced by the band and Alejandro Ortiz (Carajo, "El mar de las Almas". 2010), mixed by Mario Breuer (Los Redondos de Ricota, Sumo, Charly García, Soda Stereo) and with the amazing art design by Gogo Goch studios, it was released in December 2011 again by Estamos Felices.
“Vol. II” came as a roar to the faces of many.
Not so long ago I was talking with a fan of the band and a friend, and he would tell me he felt they weren’t “stoner” enough nowadays, that they had changed. I couldn’t’ help to tell him and think what a great thing that was. Humo del Cairo is a band that could’ve stayed in the “king of south american stoner rock” throne and be comfortable there, but instead they took it to another level, and that happens when a band has balls. When there’s no fear and there’s hunger for music. I like artists that evolve, that aren’t afraid to change, that don’t get their asses settled in one successful place to not “disappoint” anybody.
Music is change and presence, is both evolution and personality; and that’s what Humo del Cairo did with their second album, they jumped into an ocean of their own true sound and swam towards a different shore. They’ve grown as composers, musicians and artists. They have managed what no ordinary band can manage and that is to level up and stay true.
True to music, true to themselves, true to their art.
Humo del Cairo is about a communion where both audience and band are one, is about getting together and enjoying the ride, is about friendship and overcoming obstacles, it’s the true music of victory over anything. And you can feel that sense of fullfillment when you listen to the album, they’ve made us felt their fullfillment, and when music travels so honestly from the record to our brains, well that’s a thing to celebrate.

The eleven songs they delivered are overwhelming.
The strength this trio have accumulated over the years has spread thru us all.There’s an exquisite sense of equilibrium in the sound, an architectural design, a sound structure both heavy and delicate.
Of course we can tell they've spent time on this record, and they have, one can see the choices they made and the hours of hard work on it. But it payed off, Humo del Cairo can be proud to have released an album that affects our physically, both our bodies and minds.
I won’t write a word about the songs, you have to listen for yourselves.
They are the proud example of hard working band reaching talented and rocking victory.
We music fans salute you.

+INFO:
Humo del Cairo on Facebook Humo del Cairo on Twitter

HABLAN POR LA ESPALDA // MACUMBA

Album cover © Pedro Luque

Rock communion, ritual, gathering of forces, spirits that are alive and calling back to every lost soul to focus and concentrate into the sound waves of the inner beat, the inner rhythm, that life force that strikes us foward.
HPLE feels a lot like that, they’re men in a band, but together they feel like a living force pushing us thru to another state of both physical & mental voyage, driving us forward to what’s beyond.

They’ve come a long way, this band of brothers, starting back in 1996, and releasing at the end of 2009 their fourth LP “Macumba” (under Estamos Felices record label) to show the world, themselves and everybody that stand in their way, that Uruguay has it, and has it strong. The mighty forces of rock are alive and kicking in the small country and it’s both a pleasure and a blessing to be alive to see that. This record has blood and sweat all over it and it’s one of the best that will be heard in 2010.

I believe we’re going thru a time of change regarding the under scenes, both Argentinean and Uruguayan. I think bands have left behind that old motto that sung “if it’s under it’s better” and by doing that and riding into battle with their music, they’ve become as under as you can get, the true under that is, not the posse under that we all know and vomit upon. Not giving a shit about the “scene” and just playing fucking great music says a lot more.

HPLE push us with the 13 songs the album holds, to see if we can handle the mood changes, if we’re able to manage being pushed to the limit. From folk “A Luis” (one of the most beautiful songs about frienship and love I’ve heard), going thru the candombe of “Candombe del Temporal” into the hard rock of “Santo No”, HPLE not only prove to be a multifaceted band, they also prove to do it right in every single rhythm and genre.
Guess that’s what happens when what you do, you do it with passion. And that’s a huge word for this band; their shows are a thing to both see and experience, the physicality of all of them on stage is not only contagious but also highly moving.

What is HPLE? Is it psychedelic rock? Is it stoner? Is it folk rock? Do they resemble another band? Which one?
The answer? If you ask me, I don’t know, and I don’t care, it’s about time we stop labeling everything that surrounds us and start wondering what it makes us feel; there’s surely one thing to be said about them though, it’s divine and pure music to cure your soul.
Divine? Yes! Because it comes from another human being’s joy, sadness, suffering, blessing and it was given to us freely, every musician is an uncontrollable gifter, and what better gift than music.
Pure? Yes again! Because it hasn’t been touched by the man with the dark suits, the expensive cars and the fancy cell phones; and because it comes from everywhere, from Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Perú, even México… I dare say these guys have managed to unite Latin America with their sound, Bolivar’s dream came true and I’ll drink to that!

Rank: Say Hello to the Angels!

+INFO:

HPLE on MySpace