Matias Aguayo Reviews 'Ay Ay Ay'

Sometimes you pop on a CD and get immersed in music full of character and life – and then you meet the artist…only to discover a lifeless shell that somehow manages to channel exquisite music and ideas. Thoroughly disappointing, that. But then sometimes, every now and again, that person ends up being the very personification of their imaginative and giving music – this is most certainly the case with Matias Aguayo.

As his latest creation, 'Ay Ay Ay' on Kompakt, has everyone scrambling for words to describe the energetic, unique tour de force, we asked him to review the album himself. Giving us wondrous insight into the little things a casual listener might not hear, and the lovely stories only he would know, here's his personal take on 'Ay Ay Ay'...with every bit of sparkle and spirit you would expect from such an animated character.

To top things off, he even went so far as to create a special illustration for you good people - his visual representation of the album: Buenos Aires, Matias's flat and his microphone.



Singing is something I heavily enjoy, and I liked the idea of creating whole villages with the voice, or reflect a lot of imagination in different ways. Obviously sound-wise it is somehow restricted. I have quite some range in scales but I cannot step out of the sound of my voice. So it's all within. But I very much like how that sounds. Even if it did not follow the usual "laws" of production. But somehow these laws are no reference, when you are so far away from where they are one.

After listening to it again, I think the best way of listening to an album in general, and here in particular, is to listen to it on vinyl. That's also in this case where the idea of the sound is best accomplished.

It all starts with silence, and not a single idea or purpose. And no invention or previous concept. Music making can be very easy. It is all already there - once you concentrate, and just listen into this silence, there is rhythm, there are melodies, and memories provide you with stories.

‘Menta latte’ is telling the story of a police raid, swat commando unit style, in an Italian café in my neighbourhood. Not a nice experience, but a guy I still see when I pass by there was always drinking this refreshing cold milk with mint syrup thing. ‘Mucho Viento" starts with the very windy top of the house where I was living in Buenos Aires in the neighborhood of Barracas. It used to be called ‘Mucho Viento en Buenos Aires,’ but that was too long for a title. ‘Ritmo Juarez’ is called like that because I did the rhythm waiting for a delayed plane which would take me out of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. ‘Juanita’ was played with the accordion of Juanita, daughter of my friend Rita Lewis. All the other tracks are more obviously related to love life, and always on a base of rhythms I like – ‘Rollerskate,’ for example, is dedicated to a beautiful roller skater but you can also move your hips along the bassline like if you'd be roller skating. When I DJ, it becomes another story - again I have the mic in my hand and I try to share the joy music gives to me with the people on the floor, with their body movements. I hope they would sing along, too, or even invent their own melodies to sing on top. Somehow forgetting the gap between performer and audience would be the greatest thing to do, I truly believe.


Come see Matias Aguayo play live, alongside his Kompakt family (who are celebrating the 10th instalment in their Total compilation series), in Room Two this Saturday.