I have rarely revisited an artist that I have already presented. It happened at least twice (that I remember) with Mott The Hoople and the Rolling Stones. It may happen again in the future. It will certainly happen today.
Full disclosure: I admire and respect Martin Del Caprio as an artist, but I also have come to love him as a friend. We have had long Facebook conversations through which a bond was established. When he recently told me that this is the 10th anniversary of his Latin album, Pequeno Pionero, which happens to be one of my favorite album of his, I realized that I hadn't given it the attention it deserved the first time around, since most of its songs were unavailable on YouTube. Now all of the songs are available, at least in some parts of the world. Also, Martin agreed to present each song himself, giving us the artist's view on each. Plus he gave me the list of his favorite Criterion collection films, which, as you will see, is a feast for the cinephiles. Last but certainly not least, is a GayCultureLand exclusive: Martin has offered the original cover he used for this album, a working art cover design that never passed the final stage. Here it is:
The problem is, many of the YouTube videos are geo-blocked for some parts of the world. If it doesn't work for you and you have VPN, you can re-connect through the United States. If you don't, you can listen to them here:
... or here:
In the two links above, you can also buy the album, stream it, or download it for a very modest price. I think it's worth it.
Now, let's hand the microphone over to Martin:
"Why Pequeno Pionero: The luxury of being an unknown underground music artist is that you can do whatever your little heart desires. There are no expectations to fulfill except your own and whoever is on for the ride is more than welcomed. I recorded Pequeno Pionero in 2008 after my first record In Absentia which had a latin track called Carnaval and that set off this idea to possibly try an all-out Latin album of sorts. I do listen to a variety of music and needless to say, it was only a matter of time before I ended up recording an all Spanish language record. At the time, Latin music was overwhelmed with Bachata and Reggaeton. I was more interested in digging from the past. After 10 years, I feel this record is one of my personal favorites. The production is strong and it quite possibly features one of my best vocal performances. Also, this was the first time, I invited live musicians to play on the record for certain songs."
Here's what he has to say about each song:
1) Pequeno Pionero: The title track that opens the record is one of those simple but yet hypnotic songs that you could find yourself immersed in the overall vibe. Lyrically, I was standing up for those who prefer nothing more than a simple life in this crazy chaotic world of power struggle.
2) Hipocresia: I have always wanted to record a song with a more Latin funk vibe to it and Hipocresia gave me that chance. I was inspired by the gangsta vibe of Willie Colon in his Malo recording days. Also watching many of those Italian mafia films from the 60's and 70's gave me some additional inspiration for this track to make it a bit more funky.
3) Creo En El Amor: Creo En El Amor is a song that seems to contradict itself lyrically. It was originally written for my parents who have been together for over 40 years and still managed to get through the challenging times that a marriage can bring. The music has a more Bossa nova tinge to it that was in honor of the great recordings that come from Brazil.
4) Santa Sangre: I am a fan of Alejandro Jodorowsky and Santa Sangre is one of my favorite films from him. So it seemed obvious for me to try to find some inspiration from that film for my song naturally titled Santa Sangre. The first verse in the song talks about the boy's initial experience in the film but the remaining words refer more to the spiritual enigma that exists in the Latin culture. Also, I am a fan of the Latin African percussion sound, so needless to say, this song has lots of it!
5) Plata Quemada: I read a great book called American Visa written by Juan de Recacoechea. I wrote Plata Quemada loosely based on the main character of that book. I wanted to write a song about how obsessed we are about money and how much it dictates our everyday lives much to our downfall in the end.
6) Mi Sacrificio: Mi Sacrificio was the song that was least worked on. It was the last song that was recorded for this album. I felt I needed a track with very simple percussions and some free singing if I can say it that way. In the end, I believe I came up with a track that has depth even in its simplest form.
7) El Tirano: El Tirano is one of those Latin funereal songs that sounds a bit sad, I guess, but could also be lively if you approach it that way. I actually thought the singing for this track should be more theatrical and the lyrics to be somewhat amusing.
8) Vampiros: I have to admit that Vampiros is quite an ambitious track. There are many layers to it but the overall inspiration for the track came from the Latin Psychedelic music of the 60's. Lyrically the song talks about living in a time of great disaster and how we lost everything because we disrespected Mother Earth.
Vampiros is my personal favorite song from this album and quite possibly from my many other albums as well!
I do believe that Martin's descriptions were more than sufficient. If you want to read my original story on Martin Del Caprio, click [here]
Here's the bonus I was telling you about: Martin is talking about his favorite Criterion collection films.
A film that tackles beautifully the ins and outs of something called falling in love. Wong Kar-wai has made many great films but this one is absolutely one of his best. The cinematography is so exquisite that you'll never get tired of looking at this film.
It's quite difficult to choose just one favorite film from Kurosawa. But if you'd bend my arm, then I'll have to go with this one. Poetic film-making at its best! Utterly brilliant!
I can name immediately more than 6 films that I have absolutely enjoyed from Ingmar Bergman, but Fanny & Alexander would be at the top of that list. This is one of the best examples of theatrics captured perfectly on film. Oh and there's a bit of a ghost story thrown in for good measure. As always with his work, it's a beautiful film to look at and the story is well layered to instinctively feel the inner struggles of all the characters particularly the lead Alexander.
Many films were adapted from the literary works of the Marquis De Sade but I think Pasolini has made the best one yet. I applaud him for keeping the core of the story in the film faithful to the novel 120 Days of Sodom. I believe this film was created with the intention to rattle some cages in different ways and because of that, not everyone will be able to handle it.
This is a film that saved my life at one point. I got let go for the first time in my life from a job that I had no respect for. I remember getting home and avoiding all thoughts pertaining to the consequences of being unemployed. I popped in this movie and it was the abstruse logic I needed to realize. This movie lets you see that not everything in life should be by the book. Also, the black humor in the film was executed nothing but with sheer brilliance. And let's not forget about Cat Stevens' music playing an integral part of the story, proving that sometimes a movie's soundtrack can be exceptional and essential.
Unsimulated sex in movies can come off as being nothing more than gratuitous. Most films in that genre lack a solid storyline. One of the few exceptions I would say is the Japanese film In The Realm of the Senses. It's a story that goes deeper than you would anticipate. It's a commitment most of us would realistically stay away from. But yet because of all that, it draws us in further as voyeurs to examine the outcome of these two ill-fated lovers. Erotica has never been this good!
Godard is another favorite film director of mine. He's another one that you really can't just choose one film for this list. But of all the ones I have seen, I'll go with My Life to Live. It's a rather simple but stylistic story in the vein of New Wave French cinema from the 1960's. Uncompromising but yet perceptual. It has great photography work. It's Godard at his best!
8.
La Jetée / Chris Marker
Upon watching this film for the first time, it was a life-changing experience for me as an artist. It proves that sometimes stepping outside of the box can be a good thing and it's quite effective with La Jetee. The story comes at you through only images, keeping you intrigued from beginning to end.
This is a tough film for me to watch personally because it hits home so hard. Watching my parents age, I can understand the struggles of old age especially when it comes to financial issues. This is a poignant story about an older soul living on the outskirts of society and simply waiting for life to come unfold.
This is an epic story told in two films. It captures so well the desires and struggles of immigrants. Leaving your old land to find a new one isn't always an easy task and the characters in these films each have something important to contribute to the storyline. Highly recommended!
I love all these films and at least a couple would make my top 10 list as well. Have a great day, everybody!
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