A LOOK INTO THE MIND OF SERGIO SINNING

By Elio Leon

Entering Sergio's room is almost an impossible task. Coiled cables everywhere, guitars, a harp, computers, a guitar synth, effect pedals and more pedals. One has more the impression of being in an operating room of a mad sonic doctor rather than on an improvised studio at his newly acquired old house. When asked about the mess, he just simply quotes a friend who once said: You're such a mess but on the other hand "The genius always finds his way through chaos". Well, genius or not, he was still able to answer us a couple of questions while having one of his bizarre guitars in his hands.

When were you first exposed to music?

Luckily my parents both like music and so far I know, there would always be an LP sounding at home. I also remember with pleasure when my father would put classical music to wake us up on a sunday morning.

How did you get to be a member of the band?

I met Gerardo at a Callcentre where I am luckily still working (laughs). He appeared to be a guitar player as well, so we had something in common right from the beginning. At some point he came with the idea of doing something with electronic music and asked me to join. I did not know he was into it, but since I liked to experiment with sounds and had a guitar synth, I said yes to his proposition. And I don't regret it so far!

The compositions leave a lot of space for improvising, How do you approach your live solos?

It is more complex than what you think. I usually play the guitar synth in almost every song. Soloing on that kind of instrument is different than on a normal guitar because if you choose to play a solo with a trumpet sound, you have to be aware of the instrument's range. The same goes for steel drums, vibraphone, fender rhodes, flute, etc... It somehow reduces the possibilities of note choices, but it forces you to be more creative. With this in mind, I try to develop a solo in a musical way that won't bore the public and myself.

We can hear many influences in the music, lounge, dance, chill out, latin-american music, jazz...

Well, Gerardo studied classical guitar and composing in Uruguay, I'm from Spain but developed a passion for folk, progressive rock, Jazz and avantgarde.

So, what about electronic music?

Oh, we all love that kind of music too! We would not be putting so much time on something we do not believe or love.

What do you feel when playing in front of the public?

I cannot help being a bit nervous when we start, but after a couple of minutes this kind of disappears and then I just go for it, enjoy as much as I can. I try to let the public feel my emotions through my playing.

Talking about the public, how would you explain their reaction during your concerts?

I think they have a great time when we play for them, you see them feeling the music and that is indescribable.

What are you listening to lately?

I always keep my ears open for everything. I am lately listening to dance music, think Moloko, Talvin Singh, but also to avantgarde jazz, mainly vibraphonists, trumpet players and guitar players that employ a huge arsenal of effects. On the other hand I might also play Messianen's organ works for a whole week in my car..

What kind of equipment/instruments are you using/playing?

I am using a Roland GR-33 guitar synth through a Fender strat, two expression pedals, a Lexicon LXP-1 reverb/delay unit and a RAT distortion pedal. The synth signal goes to the PA, the guitar signal, to an old MusicMan amp. I like to mix both guitar and synth sometimes.

How do you think you will develop as a member of the project in the future?

At a personal level, we are really good friends and can have a lot of fun together, I hope we'll stay the same!

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