Music Creates Community
Written by guest blogger Starfalls (Josefina A.)
Music brings to light the communities that have been there waiting to be found. We attend karaoke events, join music Discord groups, and share playlists because these reflect our common connections, despite our differences.
In that way one note flows into the next, one song leads us to the next, and one person connects us to another, until we see clearly that the pattern of notes and songs, the differing identities, and the blend of communities become the music that permeates our existence.
Some artists make this understanding clear in their approach to producing music. For example, the Frost Children have expressed that listening to, and collaborating with, a wide range of artists and genres has enhanced their creativity, enhanced their abilities, and led to innovation and deeper connection to their music.(1,2,3)
Another young artist who is innovating and creating communities through his music is Xicu, a Catalan music producer and composer. I first came across his music due to his collaboration with Socunbohemio, another Catalan artist.
The song that first caught my attention was Sempre et Busco* from the album Sacrificis. I do not speak Catalan. What I thought I understood was the title: “I always search for you.” And what I was first drawn to was the sound. The song starts with the sound of haunting whispers, layered voices, not quite comprehensible, followed by a catchy upbeat tune underneath sad, nostalgic vocals. This song drew me in and resonated in a visceral way. The drumming, like a heart beat, was pleasantly persistent. Through problems and struggles, the artist seems to communicate an acceptance and resilience, particularly as the “light shines in from the balcony” at the end of the song.(4)
Xicu explained in an interview in the Spanish online magazine, Mondo Sonoro, that the album Sacrificis came about because he was struggling with a creative block. He began thinking about everything that was happening in his life that was making it difficult to create. He thought about his difficulties with the music industry and the sacrifices he had to make to take part, including leaving his local band in his hometown to try to make it in the music scene in Barcelona. That reflection led him to write about those sacrifices, and the result was the album. He decided that leaning into his struggles and darker periods is an avenue for creation and growth.(5)
In another interview in Ara, also a Spanish online magazine, Xicu indicated that he instinctively knew which voices and musicians he would want to collaborate with for specific songs — Triquell, Souto, Socunbohemio, Ven’nus y Maria Hein. Xicu indicated that he wants to break barriers and explore new sounds. He explained that although his sound sometimes references Rusowsky, Ralphie Choo or Tristan because they’re the closest thing to alternative music in Spain, he also references Kanye West, Frank Ocean, Tyler the Creator, and Travis Scott, foreign urban music. Of Maria Hein, he says that she, Julieta, and la Mushkaa, are not mainstream but that they are the most interesting artists in the Barcelona music scene at the moment.(6)
Stay tuned to learn about another artist next week.
Endnotes
- https://www.them.us/story/frost-children-hyperpop-speed-run-album-interview
- https://floodmagazine.com/130794/frost-children-speed-run-in-convo/
- https://www.musicmusingsandsuch.com/musicmusingsandsuch/2023/5/23/feature-spotlight-frost-children
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXVCYhmszVk
- https://www.mondosonoro.com/entrevistas/xicu-entrevista/
- https://es.ara.cat/cultura/musica/he-tenido-epoca-toxicidad-musica-costado-reconciliarme_128_5149229.html
Sempre et Busco
- Lyrics in Catalan followed by Duck.Ai translation to English
M'agradi o no m'agradi se que ja està fet
Almenys et dic que ja ho he après
No estic pas malament no vull que canvii res
A tot arreu on vagis vull que estiguis bé
I sempre et busco als llocs on ara vaig
I com no hi ets no et deixo de buscar
S'acaben les històries que no acaben mai
I no vam fer res
Ni bo ni dolent
Simplement el temps
Ens va fer saber
Que allò que és tan pur
I allò que és tan cert
No és per ningú més
Que per qui ho protegeix
I havia d'allunyar-me i t'havia de perdre
Conèixer aquells errors que no vaig reconèixer
Tot el que ja tenim ens costa massa veure-ho
Però quan no ens necessita ens ve la por de perdre-ho
Llavors tots els problemes salten a la vista
Les merdes que al principi ens eren invisibles
Tot el que no parlem ens esquitxa la cara
No vam cuidar-ho ahir i ens ho està tornant ara
I ja no viurem junts però després de tot
Encara toca el sol al nostre balcó
Hi viu algun estrany que ha tingut la sort
Que li entri tanta llum al seu meneador
Que li entri tanta llum al seu menjador
GPT-4o mini: Translation of the text from Catalan to English
Like it or not, I know it’s already done
At least I can tell you that I’ve learned it
I’m not doing badly; I don’t want anything to change
Wherever you go, I want you to be well
And I always look for you in the places I go now
And since you’re not there, I don’t stop looking for you
The stories that never end are coming to an end
And we did nothing
Neither good nor bad
Simply, time
Made us realize
That what is so pure
And what is so true
Is for no one else
But for those who protect it
And I had to distance myself, and I had to lose you
To recognize those mistakes I didn’t acknowledge
Everything we already have is too hard for us to see
But when we don’t need it, we fear losing it
Then all the problems come to light
The crap that was invisible to us at first
Everything we don’t talk about splashes in our faces
We didn’t take care of it yesterday, and it’s coming back to us now
And we won’t live together anymore, but after all
The sun still shines on our balcony
Some stranger lives there who has been lucky
To have so much light enter their living room
To have so much light enter their living room