BOMBA ESTÉREO
Simon Mejía from Columbian megastars Bomba Estéreo has a unique studio perspective we could all learn a little something from…
As one of the biggest bands in South America, Bomba Estéreo have notched up more views on YouTube than most bands can dream of and have built up a huge audience with five acclaimed album releases and half a dozen Grammy nominations. The band’s founder Simon Mejía shares his refreshing production ethos: “Don’t let your brain lead you…”
Bomba Estéreo are described as “a Colombian electro-folkloric dance band”; such is their varied, often eclectic and massively popular music. We mention that because they might well be the biggest band you haven’t heard of, with millions of followers and record sales, and hundreds of millions of YouTube views. The band started some 20 years ago, with founding member Simon Mejía releasing the first album Vol. 1, almost as a solo effort. Recruiting band members over further releases, Bomba Estéreo started making huge waves, voted MTV’s Best New Band in the World, and notching up plays on film ( Limitless and TV series Dexter) and in video games including
Fifa and Just Dance. They have also enjoyed major success in the US, with headline festival appearances and major brand ad soundtracks. So maybe Mejía’s particular production philosophy – where he doesn’t chase down the next big plugin and prefers to be led more by yoga rather than the brain – is something we should all aspire to. And having a studio up a mountain…
1 Tell us how you got into music Simon Mejía:
“When I was a kid I was curious about what my parents were hearing and their record collection. It consisted of Fania,
rock and Motown music, mainly. Salsa music always intrigued me. That power and that sense of Latin. You cannot hear salsa without wanting to dance or move your body in some way. It was the door for me, as a kid, to the world of Latin music, which was the style I was going to explore through my life.”
2 When did you get successful? SM:
“I think success in music does not have anything to do with fame. Fame is one thing, and has to do only with marketing, economy and likes on social media. I’m not interested in that. For me, success in art or music happens just when you do it and enjoy doing it. When you sit in your studio or with your guitar, or whatever means to express yourself, and just connect with that flow of energy. And then also if you take the risk to devote your life to that flow of energy without the fear of being famous or not.”
3 What is your overall philosophy? SM:
“Be true to yourself, honest to what you want to express and share with other people, and avoid making artistic concessions. When economics stands in the way of art it basically loses the reason it was meant to be.”
4 Tell us about your ‘computer music’ production history?
SM: “In the 90s I had rock bands here in Bogotá. We are always a little late in technological terms here in Colombia, so it was quite difficult to record and make albums. Studios were quite limited and expensive to access. So when computers arrived with software to do that at home, everything changed and so did the approach for making music. We discovered we could make it with other tools different to traditional instruments; just programming. It was a very rich and creative decade. I came from playing instruments and I kept playing and combining that with sampling and programming. It’s the way I work and approach electronic music today.”
5 Tell us about the rest of your studio SM:
“I have a computer, soundcard and monitors. There’s a Neve vocal preamp, also synths like a Moog Sub Phatty and Little Phatty, and a Korg Minilogue. I have some guitar pedals which I put synths, electric guitar and bass guitar through, plus a lot of folk percussion instruments from Latin America.”
6 What are your favourite plugins? SM:
“I don’t like to overuse plugins, so I’m not always looking for what’s new out there. It’s kind of overwhelming. For me it’s only necessary to have an EQ, compressor, delay and reverb. Besides those I don’t explore too much. I think you have to rely on the music and on simplicity. I use the Ableton native plugins and the Soundtoys bundle, which I find really fun to play with.”
7 How do you tend to start a track? SM:
“In my case I always start rhythmically, from the beats, and then start building up from that. The beat always keeps everything in motion and I like that. Sometimes I’ve done that and then simply removed the beat and you then go to some interesting places.”
8 How do you know when a track’s done? SM:
“It’s the most difficult thing to know when you’re working on a track. It can be endless actually, and then you release the record and are still always changing things about it in your mind. So, in my case it happens just when you have to deliver [the song] and there’s no more time for changes!”
9 Do you have any production tricks? SM:
“For me the best electronic music sounds less digital and machine-like. So my research is around how to make machines and computers sound organic. Basically the trick is how you use acoustic instruments and not staying too attached to the grid.”
10 What would you like to see developed in terms of studio technology?
SM: “No cables at all. They annoy me – always making the place a mess!”
11 What’s on your gear wish list? SM:
“More than having gear in the studio, I wish I could have a studio in an amazing outdoor location. Like in front of a huge lake, the ocean, or on top of a mountain. A place where just going out gives you lots of inspiration.”
12 Any advice for playing live? SM:
“Just that it is the best way to share energy between human beings in real time, not with screens. Hope it comes back.”
13 What about studio advice? SM:
“It’s an amazing and intimate experience, especially when you do it alone, producing your own music. It’s a way of travelling through time without moving.”
14 Any other more general advice? SM:
“Use the yoga philosophy: try not to lead your life and art based on what the brain tells you. In music it works amazingly. Also deal with [the industry and scene], flow with it, but don’t let it be the director of your music.”
15 What have you got planned? SM:
“With my band Bomba Estéreo, we’re releasing new music now. If you’re into alternative Latin music, it’s all available on social media and digital platforms. Same with my personal project called Monte – a bit more experimental and downtempo, but also based around folk music from Latin America and nature sounds in electronics.”
“It’s the best way to share experiences, not with screens”
The new Bomba Estéreo album Deja is out in September 2021