Hi, and thanks for finding time to answer these questions. First of all would you like to tell me something about you project Exxasens, when did it start, what is it about?
Exxasens started as a hobby 5 years ago. On that time I was experimenting with my guitar in my humble home studio trying to record some ideas just as a personal divertimento. Before that, I had been playing with my band Playmotive for 10 years as a guitarist. When we commonly decided to have a break with the band then I started to play and compose on my own.
After recording and producing some songs I uploaded them on myspace and unexpected good reactions from people were trigger me to continue this solo project. From that moment ,my aim was composing and publishing one song per month.
What does Exxasens stand for?
When I decided to create my myspace website I invented that word to give a name to my project. For me EXXASENS means a state of mind where all your senses, including the sixth one, are active and you feel alive and connected to the universe.
Why is the music instrumental? Was it the concept all along, or is it just because you’re not much of a singer?
Believed or not, at the beginning my idea was to create music with vocals being a one solo man project applying the ‘Do it yourself’ motto. Fortunately I’m not very talented with vocals so to speak, so I decided to replace vocals with more guitars and that was the origin of the EXXASENS instrumental style.
I know that you composed and played the whole material by yourself. What are the prons and cons of working this way and not with a band?
Prons: Freedom to do whatever you want along composition and production process.
Cons: Sometimes I feel alone and when inspiration is not coming I would need from someone who helps me to continue.
Why have you decided to work by yourself in the first place?
I wanted to follow the “‘do it yourself” philosophy. On the other hand, I normally compose at my home without any timetable so when inspiration comes I start to play and record directly to my computer. For me this is an easy way to work on my compositions without any pressure. With a band, composition process is quite different, you normally compose at rehearsal studio with other people and scheduling the process, is not too much flexible, and for this I need flexibility.
Is anyone providing you with feedback when you’re recording your material, or no one can hear it until it is done?
During the writing process I try to my let my wife to listen to the song, she gives me another point of view on the compositions. Sometimes I show it to my friends but normally at the end of the process, when the song is finished.
Don’t you ever get eager to work on that kind of music with other people, if not shearing the whole process of composing and letting others participate, just in order to bounce your ideas of someone?
I would like to try to compose with my band friends, in fact, we are going to try in the next EXXASENS record.
Were you aware from the start, that at some point you will have to find someone to play live shows with you, or Exxasens was at first planed just as a studio project?
From the beginning EXXASENS was a studio project and that was my only idea. All changed one year ago when a Russian promoter contacted me to offer me to play in an Instrumental Music Festival in Russia. At that moment I thought, ‘what the hell, let’s try to play it live!!!’ I contacted my friends from my previous bands, Playmotive and Kyba and they agreed to support the project.
Was assembling your touring band members any kind of a problem?
No. Instead, they were so happy to support me with the project, and after one year I can say that we have enjoyed as ever with EXXASENS live. When we started rehearsals it was a bit complicated to arrange all instruments sounds to a band with 6 members, but guys worked so hard practicing over 2 or 3 days at week and I can say that we are so glad with the live sound of the band.
I have to be honest with you. I can’t say that I recall any rock or metal bands from Spain. How does the alternative music scene look like in your country, and would you recommend any projects, apart from yours of course?
As for the bands, there are very good instrumental bands, like Toundra which is going to tour along Europe next September. I like some Barcelona bands like Atleta or Standstill.
From what I’m guessing one of the sources of your inspiration is space. Where did that come from and are there any other things that fuel your creative process, apart from space?
I loved SCI-FI since I was a child. I love space science and the spacecraft history. When I created the project I thought that it was an opportunity to include these ideas in my songs so I tried to fill sound space with a lot of echoes, reverbs in guitars, it was a hard production work !
By the way I have other influences like music. Sometimes it helps me in my creative process to listen to another kind of music that is completely different from EXXASENS style.
Do you believe that we are the only intelligent life forms in the universe, or are there any other civilizations asking themselves the same question?
I have a scitific aproach to that. Science gives us numbers about probability to find another civilization much to far from here so I think we will nwever find them. In other words I don’t believe in UFO’s and in them visiting us.
When I was listening to your “Eleven Miles” album, after combining the music with the track names I got the impression of being on a journey through space. Was that in any way your intention, or am I getting paranoid?
That’s my leitmotif!
Could you tell about your releases, that they are concept albums?
First release was published on May 2008, its name is POLARIS and it’s a conceptual album as the rest. This release was edited by Belgium label Consouling Sounds (http://consouling.be/) as its first reference. There were only 200 copies available. Now it has been reedited by Miskatonic Soudlab (http://miskatonicsoundlab.com)
Second release, BEYOND THE UNIVERSE, was edited on September 2009 by same label as POLARIS. This album has two vocals songs.
And last release was edited by Barcelona label Aloud Music (http://aloudmusic.com/) on September 2011. It has 9 songs and 2 extra bonus songs downloable on exxasens bandcamp.
While listening to your music I can’t stop thinking about the band God Is An Astronaut, that you probably know. Do you, like the GIAA, have any visual elements to your live shows, such as visualizations or special lighting?
Yes, definitely I love this band although there are some band members in my band, that don’t like them.
As for the GIAA I can say that when I published my first album there were a lot of people that thought that my music was quite similar to GIAA but in that moment I didn’t listen to this band, in fact, I didn’t know too much instrumental bands, I have another music taste and POST-ROCK AND INSTRUMENTAL wasn’t a part of it.
As for th visuals, I can say that it’s an important part of our shows. We have included reactive visuals, and Sergio Garruta, our visual designer have made a great work!. The only problem is that there are some venues that doesn’t admit this visual show format.
Is there chance that you will be promoting your album on a European tour and maybe, you’re planing on visiting Poland?
Of course, we are planning to do a European Tour next year and probably we will visit Poland.
Who would you like to share the stage with?
With my favourite bands like Tool, Isis, Massive Attack or why not, U2!!!!
Is there anything that you would like to say to our readers?
If you have never seen our show, don’t miss our last live video at APOLO[2] in Barcelona available in youtube.
What can I wish you?
I wish that people have fun with EXXASENS music!
Thanks again for the interview and I hope to see you live soon
For sure, thanks for all!
