Chicano Batman collaborates with Caloncho via Red Bull Music
Chicano Batman and Caloncho share their love for tropicalia. On one hand we have the California band that holds to their latin roots and on the other a mexican musician with fruity flavour. Thanks to Red Bull, these artist got the chance to get together and record two songs: “Háblame”, an original collaboration and a cover of the classic “Corazón de Roca” by Los Fresno.
” The conversation about a collaboration between Caloncho and Chicano Batman started
years ago sometime around 2013-2014. He sent me an email about wanting to do something,
we were stoked! The first idea that came to mind was to do a cover of a Mexican ballad from the 70’s.
Fast forward to 2017, Red Bull Mexico steps into the picture and provides the platform. In early 2018, we all meet. This time with the objective of writing an original song. We had a blast jamming as a unit! Caloncho became a fifth band member for a while. It was a lot of fun brainstorming lyrical ideas together and creating a song for his new born daughter. He was full of excitement and joy, and this feeling became the focal of the lyrical themes we put together. It’s a song about love and hope“
Romance can be found in “Háblame”, catchy song that you can dance and dedicate to a loved one. For Caloncho, this opportunity with Chicano Batman was a dream come true.
“I really connect with their music for which I am very happy and grateful. We gathered at the studio and set out to trace possible songs. Seeing their creative and recording process is something I had never seen before for two things. The first is that I had never been present in a composition session with many people simultaneously, since I have a solo project. The second was the way of recording, all at the same time and with a beautiful dynamic that only the years of interaction can give you. This quality is something that captivated me from the beginning and that aesthetically contributes to the particular and attractive sound of one of my favorite bands in life. Tremendous musicians that today I can also call my friends. Long live the music and its connections ”
-Caloncho
The “Hablame” music video was inspired by the stories of unaccompanied minors, who make the dangerous journey North from Central America to seek asylum in the US. “Many of these children see no other recourse after having their lives threatened by gangs or when they find themselves the last family member at home because everyone else has left to find work in other places like the United States. Unaccompanied minors that cross the US border and are detained have a better chance of being granted asylum and being placed with a family member already living in the US if they receive legal representation than those that do not receive legal counsel. There are several non-profits working together with pro-bono lawyers in the US that remove the hurdle of costly legal representation that are helping these children stay in the US instead of being deported back to countries that have been economically and politically destabilized due to US foreign policies of the past. Our music video was directed by Edgar Fernandez and animated by him and members of his animation department at East Los Angeles College. We felt animation was the medium that would give us the most freedom to incorporate surrealist elements into our narrative, which is a story about survival, familial bond, and due process in the face of injustice.” says guitarist Carlos Arevalo.
“Corazón de Roca” looks like the perfect choice for the cover because of its psych and tropicália vibe. “Its kind of a song that you grow up listening to, especially in Mexico. What’s cool about it is that it’s a super typical Latin Bolero, but it has such a funky bass driven back beat”, says Bardo. Retro ballad’s charm is both Caloncho and Chicano Batman´s expertise so they couldn’t be happier about these songs. For more details, visit:
https://www.redbull.com/mx-es/
Listen Háblame / Corazón de Roca
