Additional Information
A few curious jazz aficionados knew Isis Paola Giraldo before she became known as Chiquita Magic. The Colombiab musician was then studying at McGill University in MTL and was very active in the emerging jazz scene – remember Resonance Cafe on Park Avenue where she was a true leader. And then the Bogota born musician settled in Toronto, but always keeped in touch with the Montreal scene, while working in TO and Los Angeles.
Very active as a composer, producer, player, performer and mother. Her craft includes today all kinds of music and instrumentation, from contemporary jazz to electro-cumbia or old school techno from Detroit.
More recently, Chiquita Magic played at the Montreal Jazzfest with her own duet with American drummer Justin Brown, also with this superb MTL quartet called George and led by drummer John Hollenbeck. For a few years, she also performs as a singer and keyboard player with the Louis Cole Big Band, from Los Angeles. Now this very busy and very inspired woman is back in Montréal for a live set at MUTEK.
Because of her intense artistic profile and her more than obvious Montreal connection, PAN M 360 is presenting this interview with Chiquita Magic by Alain Brunet.
PAN M 360 : He didn’t have the chance to chat with you in your many shows performed in Montreal this year and also last year, your coming at MUTEK is an excellent reason to finally do this interview! You do so much!
Isis Paola Giraldo : Too many things probably. I actually had a little breakdown because I felt like I was doing a little bit too much.
PAN M 360 : Well you have a lot of energy! The breakdown has been short because you’re back in Montréal for an electronic contribution this time.
Isis Paola Giraldo : Yes, probably. For MUTEK, I’m going to be doing this kind of new project called Techno Hardware. And it’s basically that, it’s a hardware set. So I’m playing all the drum machines and synthesizers.
PAN M 360 : What kind of sounds are you seeking this time?
Isis Paola Giraldo : It’s very much inspired by the old Jeff Mills’s, Terrence Dixon, Detroit techno underground in the 90s early 2000s. So, yeah, it’s a project that was born out of some friends in LA when I saw some young techno kids in their early 20s throwing these raves and doing these underground parties. I had never seen that. I’d never seen people play drum machines and make a dance party happen.I was like, what is happening? And I was like, I need to do this. I need to explore this world. Before I had my baby, I just went in the last two months of my pregnancy and just did that for every day.And I released this EP called Hardware Techno. And now this will be my first time performing it in Canada. And after I’m going to perform it in Cologne next fall.So I’m excited to launch this project into the world, and it’s going to start in Montreal in a way. Yeah, I’ve done a few sets in the LA underground, but never on a big stage.
PAN M 360 : So your laboratory was presented in more private spaces.
Isis Paola Giraldo : Exactly, exactly. So I’ve been working really hard all summer, kind of like when I put the baby to sleep, going to my little office and just practicing every night and trying to build a longer set. And it’s been really fun, I’m really excited about presenting it. Also a little nervous because it feels like I’ve never done something like this… But I love that ! I love throwing myself into stuff I don’t know how to do, kind of.
PAN M 360 : Well, you’re always exploring in a way. We knew you as a jazz pianist. And afterwards you started your electronic experiments, and then you became Chiquita Magic.
Isis Paola Giraldo : Exactly. I mean, I haven’t gone into the software re world but I like machines. I like it when it’s physical and touching. So I haven’t used Ableton, for example. Like I know everybody uses Ableton and maybe one day, but I like to work with sound synthesis, I like moving the knobs and stuff. That’s kind of my world. And this time , this is a sort of coming back to the roots of electronic music.
PAN M 360 : Yes, roots of electronic music as a club culture.
Isis Paola Giraldo : Exactly. The culture of the dance world where it’s just like, people can just go and kind of like go and it’s very informal. I love that. And so this is kind of like me trying to do that, but also keeping the harmonic world.
I mean, I think this project is really fun because, you know, being a part of the jazz experimental world for so long, I love that electronic world. And I love exploration sonically, especially in the harmonic sense.
PAN M 360 : And you do it as a performer, not only a producer.
Isis Paola Girlado : Yes. I still have my synthesizers and stuff, but I’m trying to incorporate things like juke house, footwork, jungle, techno, all of these rhythms into that world.
PAN M 360 : So this is a real advantage for you because harmonically, you’re much more advanced than most of the electronic artists.
Isis Paola Giraldo : Yeah, maybe. There is something to be said about it that’s interesting, actually. Rhythmically for example, it’s been so challenging to like, think about it, how they think about it. A lot of these guys don’t even think of themselves as musicians necessarily.
They’re like DJs mostly, but even talking to them about the way that they think about time and the way they think about ideas, it’s completely different. And it makes so much sense because they’re really coming at it from like, how do you dance to this? And instead of counting like specific bars, they’re thinking in a bigger picture, they’re thinking longer. So even if they’re not harmonically coming from the same…
PAN M 360 : They have other qualities that many instrumentalists don’t have.
Isis Paola Giraldo : Exactly, they know when to drop the hi-hat, when to put in the kick, when to put in the snare, when to drop this… so they think about it in such a different way. For me, it’s been a learning curve to learn how to make it sound cohesive, not chopped up.
You know, to create a set that’s just like a trance is really difficult.
PAN M 360 : And your generation of jazz musicians is the first to blend it really. Jazz includes synths and stuff since Miles Davis in the late sixties but electronic was always a complement, always surrounding the instrumental proposal without being central in the aesthetics.
Isis Paola Giraldo : Miles Davis is king, but I do appreciate what you say. It’s just the way that social media is and technology is now. It’s so much easier for us to always listen to other worlds. I’m always listening to DJs. I’m always listening to what producers are putting out every day. I’m on Bandcamp Daily, checking out who’s putting out what, who’s getting influenced by what. It’s something that really inspires me : not just being like what my community of jazz musicians is doing, but also just these communities that I don’t know and that don’t know me.
PAN M 360 : This is a huge difference now. We can access everything, but it depends how we do it. Most of the people don’t do the real work, they just stick on the big names, but curious musicians learn differently today.
Isis Paola Giraldo : Yeah, exactly. But I think it’s really fun to kind of search for those underground people because I think the underground is always what’s pushing the mainstream. The mainstream is always behind.
Being tapped in with the underground means you’re always kind of on the edge of what’s actually provocative and like what young people are doing. Obviously there’s a lot of older people that check stuff out, but it’s when you get comfortable, you don’t necessarily see the merit and you may be not keeping on evolving with what you’re listening to.
PAN M 360 : This project must be quite different to the work you achieve with great drummer Justin Brown.
Isis Paola Giraldo : Yeah, I guess Justin and I played together for around four years, something like that. We did it the first time in this illegal space in LA, it was just so magical, man. We just improvised.
PAN M 360 : And he’s such a drummer, playing with Thundercat and Vijay Iyer among others! I mean, really one of the world’s best.
Isis Paola Giraldo : I wouldn’t argue! And I think Justin is just always listening. He’s one of those musicians that’s always going to make whoever he’s playing with sound better. He definitely makes me feel confident because I know that he’s listening to what I’m doing. And there’s just a lot of trust there, you know we listen to similar things, even though it may be different sometimes, but I’m always sending him stuff that I’m listening to. And I’m like, check this out. And I’m just like, all right, we’re going to drop some jungle rhythm. Or some footwork, or anything else. We’re going to jump and then we just go. And so there’s a lot of trust between us, which makes it really fun. And I think when there’s friendship, it just, things just flow in a really natural way.
PAN M 360 : Also you’re involved with percussionist John Hollenbeck and his band called George project. Very cool.
Isis Paola Girado : John is such an amazing composer. And I feel like playing his music has definitely made me a better musician, because it’s challenging. For me, it was the first time playing another person’s music with such a distinct role in it. In the sound of the composition.. So, yeah, it’s been a learning curve and it’s been really fun to explore that with that band.
PAN M 360 : Also you’re a member of the excellent Louis Cole Big Band. You sing, you play a little keyboard and machines, but, and also you wear funny clothes like a knight’s armor.
Isis Paola Giraldo : That’s all Louis, man. Louis is a freak, you know, he’s just a weirdo. And he texted us (the singers), like would you guys be down to wear this? And we were like, of course. Those armors were so big on us! But that’s been huge for me. We’ve been a musical family for over 10 years now. So that’s been a huge part of my musical development, such inspiration for me, very important.
PAN M 360 : My last question is about mothership. Because we see you often as a mother with your little child in your own video posts. It’s a statement in a way, isn’t it?
Isis Paola Giraldo : Yeah. It’s very intentional. Everything I put out there is pretty intentional, even though it might not look like it is. But yeah, I think it’s important to see that part of women’s lives, because they’re just so often hidden. And I always felt like if I had a baby, I didn’t want to hide, you know. So many women don’t even talk about it because they’re afraid to lose gigs. They think no one will book them. And that was something that I just really went in being like, no we can, it’s hard but we can.
PAN M 360 : So it’s important because your posts with your child make other women feel like they can also do it.
Isis Paola Giraldo : Exactly.
PAN M 360 : So for all those reasons, we love your craft and your visionary persona! Since we know you, you’ve changed a lot and I of course it’s not over.
Isis Paola Giraldo : It’s interesting… You know, I often feel like it’s over. And then I talk to my partner and he reminds me that that’s always what happens: I always get to a phase where I think I’m done, man. I don’t know where else this can go. And then he’s like, that means something else is hot coming.
PAN M 360 : You’re loving partner is absolutely right! Until we’re dead, we can remain creative. So thank you so much Chiquita Magic for being what you are!
Isis Paola Giraldo : Thanks for the questions!
PAN M 360 : looking forward to attend your performance at Esplanade Tranquille, on Saturday August 29th, 7pm.
Isis Paola Giraldo : Yes, see you there !
