Construimos Escaleras

Valdi How did Construimos Escaleras begin? I know you are friends from Málaga and that it started with some demos by Nilsson. Who pulled whom in first?

Construimos Escaleras The band grew out of a few demos that Nilsson recorded in his garage. Paul loved them, so they decided to leave the project they had before and start something new with those songs. And since everything is more boring when there are only two of you, they called their friends Fausto, Samu and Iván to round out the line-up.

That is how we ended up with Nilsson on vocals and guitar, Paul on synthesiser and tenor sax, Fausto on guitar and alto sax, Samu on bass and Iván on drum machine and rototoms.

Valdi Where does the name Construimos Escaleras come from?

Construimos Escaleras It was Paul's idea. One day he turned up with a very long list of names, Fausto loved “Construimos Escaleras” and, without realising it, we had already accepted that this was the band's name.

We really like it because it is a name you can play around with a lot.

Valdi How do you see the Málaga scene? Is there a venue, rehearsal space or party that has been important to you?

Construimos Escaleras We could talk about everything that is wrong with Málaga, which is quite a lot, but we do not want that to overshadow the brilliant records that have been coming out of our city in recent years. There is Sheriff Playa by La Trinidad, Mea Culpa by Orina or Cuánto cuesta by Lord Malvo, and it is great to be surrounded by all these excellent projects.

The city has been largely sold off to tourism and we hardly have any spaces to play, but even so people are proving that projects can still be brought to life. The fact that this keeps happening, despite everything around us, is a source of pride.

“The fact that this keeps happening, despite everything around us, is a source of pride.”

Valdi Your hallmarks are drum machines, saxophones, a prominent bass, angular guitars, groove and funk. What lies behind your sound? Which bands have influenced you?

Construimos Escaleras Our sound is many things. We draw from a huge number of sources.

Clics modernos by Charly García is definitely one of the touchstones for this first album: the drum machines, the two saxophones, the swagger…

We also love New York's no wave scene: The Contortions, James Chance and Lizzy Mercier Descloux—although she was French, she spent time there. And, without leaving the city: Television and Talking Heads.

Then there is something very jazz-like that you can hear in our live shows: we improvise a lot together. Some reference points might be Don Cherry, Joe Henderson or The Lounge Lizards.

We could spend hours talking about the artists we love and never get tired of it.

Valdi Your first album, Ecléctico y al pie, is eight tracks made “without overthinking it”. Was that deliberate or did it just happen?

Construimos Escaleras In the case of this first album, it all came about quite naturally and without too much thought. It is an album about lived experiences, and when something is real, songs tend to come pouring out.

Compositionally, the album is almost entirely Nilsson's; then each of us added our own little contribution to give it personality. It is curious because bands normally form first and then start writing; in our case it happened the other way round, and you can hear that live, because some songs do not sound exactly as they do on the record. They are adaptations we have developed over time. We started rehearsing when the album was already being mastered, and it was an unusual experience. Personally, we love being able to see the songs evolve; perhaps in a year's time they will sound different again.

Valdi What is a day of writing like in the rehearsal room? Who takes the lead?

Construimos Escaleras If you had asked us this question a year ago, the answer would have been: “We don't have a rehearsal room.” While the first album was Nilsson's work, what we are creating now is much more collective. Nilsson still carries a lot of the songwriting, but most of the songs are emerging from improvisations that we then turn into demos together.

We get to the room and play. Sometimes for half an hour, sometimes for two hours; it depends on the day. The important thing is that we record practically everything, even if only on a phone, and then work on those ideas until they take shape.

Valdi Adrián L. Caminata produced it and Raúl Pérez mixed it. What did Caries Records bring to the album?

Construimos Escaleras Working with Adri is nothing new for us. He is a friend of the band and Paul's bandmate in Orina. He opened his home to us so we could record the album. He also brought a very fresh touch to the production. Working with Raúl was incredible: he understood us straight away and brought out in the mix everything we had done with Adri. We also want to highlight the work Mario at Kadifornia Mastering did on the master. It is a pleasure to work with people like that.

We met Carlos and Natalia from Caries Records while we were recording the album. In fact, we had a video call with them from Adri's house while we were in the middle of recording. Their role was to advise us and support us throughout the process and, without them, the album probably still would not be out.

They were also hugely involved creatively. We have talked to them about everything, from the covers to the songs and the videos. The truth is that we feel very comfortable working with them. They are the best.

Valdi “Fuerte”: “Tomorrow I want you strong… Open your eyes or they'll eat you.” It feels like a mantra and an urgent warning. Where did those lyrics come from?

Construimos Escaleras Writing those lyrics was easy, a bit like a puzzle. They mix a conversation I overheard in a bar, a message I sent to my friend and Málaga/Almería rock legend Tomasin, and the typical internet accounts that promise you an amazing life in exchange for quitting your job and doing 30 burpees a day—and that is fine by me. With all that, I made a demo and the lyrics emerged from filling in the gaps in the puzzle while I danced. They have several meanings for me personally; everyone else can draw their own conclusions.

“With all that, I made a demo and the lyrics emerged from filling in the gaps in the puzzle while I danced.”

Valdi “Basta” has semi-surreal lines such as “Diesel, petrol spilt in the kitchen / A one-eyed man's eye in a dead man's mouth”, and repeats something about “The Stockholm Exhibition in 1930… nobody remembers it now”. The sound is rawer and more direct. Was writing it a form of therapy?

Construimos Escaleras I do not know whether it was therapy, but it is certainly one of the most visceral songs on the album. “Basta” grew largely out of an accumulation of images and phrases that amused us or struck us as strange, without trying to make everything have a necessary explanation. There is something of a collage to it. The sound follows the same path: it is more direct, drier and slightly more unhinged.

Valdi “Cortinahogar” was one of your first singles. What is the story behind it?

Construimos Escaleras Cortinahogar Valdivia is a curtain shop in the Olletas neighbourhood of Málaga.

It all comes from our friend Dioni, who could see the curtain shop's sign from one of the windows in his old flat. One day he mentioned it to Paul, and both of them started paying attention to it. Over time it became a recurring joke among our group of friends.

One day, Paul and Nilsson went to see Conde Cortina, a band formed by some friends from Málaga, but beforehand they had arranged to record some demos at Nilsson's house. On the way, Paul walked past Cortinahogar, which is very close to Nilsson's house, and the joke practically wrote itself. It only needed a little shaping.

The lyrics include the line “he hides behind the count's curtain”, a reference to Conde Cortina, the band we were going to see that same evening.

The day before releasing “Cortinahogar”, we played it live outside the shop as a presentation, and we were lucky enough to meet the family who run it. They were delighted by it, and that made us very happy. We send them a hug from here.

Valdi Festivals: you said Monkey is one of your favourites because “you always discover incredible music”. Do you prefer venues or festivals? And name a festival where you would particularly like to play.

Construimos Escaleras Generally speaking, festivals are great fun because you meet friends from every corner of the country, but venues can often give you that little tug in the chest because they are more intimate. We are not choosing sides: we absolutely love both.

It would be incredible to play Canela Party. Iván and Paul are from Torremolinos and live nearby. The first time we got together as a band was there too, so the town means a lot to us. We are also loyal Canela followers and, long before forming the band, we were already meeting up to go together. Playing there one day would be very special for us.

Valdi Who would you love to share a bill with?

Construimos Escaleras There are always quite a few bands on our minds and many people we admire, but if we had to name some Spanish artists, we would probably say Pony Bravo, Sal del Coche, Corte! or Carlangas. There are more, but any of them has had a considerable influence on the album, and we would be very excited to play with them.

Valdi Your album has only just been released. How has your audience received it?

Construimos Escaleras The truth is that we are very happy. The loveliest thing is seeing the songs we have been playing for so long begin to take on another life now that the album is out. It also means a lot when people who did not know us start coming to shows or write to us about particular songs.

Ultimately, making an album is a little like letting go of it and seeing what people do with it.

“Ultimately, making an album is a little like letting go of it and seeing what people do with it.”

Valdi Your debut album is out. What are you doing now? Touring, new songs, videos?

Construimos Escaleras A little of everything. We are really looking forward to taking the album around and playing in as many cities as possible. We already have a few things confirmed that cannot be revealed yet, but we will announce them little by little.

We are also getting together a lot, making demos, thinking about videos we want to shoot and so on. Really, the whole band is an excuse to play “keep the ball in the air”, which is what we enjoy most right now.

Valdi With a drum machine, saxophones, a prominent bass and guitars, yours is a very rhythmic sound. What is the hardest thing to get right live so the groove does not fall apart?

Construimos Escaleras The most important thing is knowing when to keep quiet; that is the key. There are many things happening at once and plenty of room to improvise, so everyone has to know exactly where they can bring in their instrument and where it is better not to.

The line between a cheeky groove and five people making noise is finer than it looks.

“The line between a cheeky groove and five people making noise is finer than it looks.”

Valdi For someone who has never heard you: why should they press play on Construimos Escaleras?

Construimos Escaleras Because it is short. If you like it, you can dance and easily put it on again. And if you do not, move on to something else.

Valdi To finish: what kind of staircase are you building now?

Construimos Escaleras One that is much bigger and much less straight. We are trying to build it between the five of us, which is already quite a lot harder than doing it alone. We have many new songs, plenty of ideas, and we still do not really know where it will all end up.

For now, we are putting the steps in place and we will see how far we get.