Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/556862
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 16 AUGUST 2015 30 This Week Beyond nostalgia How does it feel to be back on the local stage? Are you simply nostalgic, or is it exciting for other reasons too? It is really exciting for us all to be back on stage in Malta as etnika for the first time in eight years. Since our last concert in Valletta in the year 2007, there has been a constant demand for etnika, the music and the con- certs for which the band became renowned. The break was prob- ably necessary in view of each of the member having their own professional and musical inter- ests, which have led us to ex- plore, travel and learn in other musical contexts. We are excited to play for a local audience and the nostal- gia that the band and the music bring, but we are equally excit- ed to play our newly arranged repertoire of a selection of past songs. About a year ago was the time when got together and were toying with the idea of putting some songs together to see how it would sound to be playing them after all these years. We put all our resources and ideas together and realised that the music had new and exciting possibilities to be reinterpreted and played again. We also had the same energy and excitement about the songs as in previous years. It sounded fresh and with a new approach to revisiting old tunes. So yes, in a way there is an el- ement of nostalgia, however we are just as excited about playing our new show and infusing new life into our songs and rewriting the etnika story. You've described your ap- proach to new material as 'thoughtful and contempo- rary'. What do you mean by this exactly? This mainly applies to the new arrangements on our songs. In selecting the repertoire for the touring band we thought of selecting a 'best of' past et- nika songs. This also includes a number of unpublished songs which we were very fond of and some which had been played very little in the past. It was a back to basics approach by min- imising the fanfare and frills and re-creating cleaner, neater ar- rangements which made sense to us as opposed to the past where we relied on numbers and a bigger sound and show. Definitely, the songs sound a lot more 'up-to date' in terms of instrumentation and overall sound of the band. Now that you're back with a leaner line-up, are there new things you'd like to try out or experiment with? Well, I think the back to basics idea implies having less instru- ments and making the most of the band components. We are utilising elements which we've always had, including the crea- tive use of traditional instru- ments, use and rearrangements of traditional songs and melo- dies, the use of the Maltese lan- guage in a melodic and percus- sive way. Furthermore, the arrange- ments include use of footwork, hand claps and body percussion derived from the flamenco tra- dition used as an integral rhyth- mic base for some of the songs. We are also working with archi- val audio sources as sound clips and samples which provide an aural and visual element in the show. Finally, we are also fo- cusing on creating atmospheric ambiences through the use of a cappella choruses and key- boards and synth pads. How were your other interna- tional performances received this year? How did people from different countries respond to your music – what attracted them in particular? The international performanc- es so far have been important and instrumental for us getting back on the road with a set per- formance and were also good at gauging how the performance works with the audience and as a running set of songs, as well as visually. Clearly, the band aims to work as a touring band overseas in world, ethno-music festivals and the like. Our most recent performances in London and Rome were indicative of the success of the performance as a show, which was presented to a totally foreign audience who knew nothing of etnika and its music, Maltese popular music or anything about the culture and language. The feedback we got was very positive indeed from an artis- tic and performance critique as well as form a cultural perspec- tive. We couldn't have asked for a better response. The London gig was also successful. Organ- ised by the Malta High Commis- sion in London, it was a highly and emotive and energetic ex- perience played to fans, friends, family and diplomatic invitees. In this concert too we were met by an enthusiastic audience who were intrigued by the crea- tive use of traditional and new elements, the creative use of language in songs and the over- all show being indicative of the cultural melting pot which we belong to. These performances we cer- tainly highly encouraging and indicative of the fact that the act could be successful both locally and internationally. Which are some of your fa- vourite Maltese musicians working today? Having re-formed world music act etnika with a small international concert tour earlier this year, founding member Andrew Alamango speaks to TEODOR RELJIC about the stripped-down iteration of the fan- favourite band ahead of two local gigs next week Etnika's Andrew Alamango