Cienfue – Life in the Tropics

By starrymag | November 11, 2020

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) Psicodelia Tropical! Psychedelic Tropical indie from Panama to the world!

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) Oof! We grew up in Panama which is a cultural crossroads of the world. This reminds me of when I used to go to Quinceaños here as a teen where the DJ would switch genres with every track, like from Ruben Blades and Willy Colon, to the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, to El General and Nando Boom and Latin Rock bands like Caifanes, Soda Stereo. My head is like a musical melting pot. Also, recently indie bands like Arcade Fire, Bomba Estereo and Tame Impala.

 

Q) What was it about “Open Her Eyes” that drew you to want to remix it?

 

A) Well, that track definitely exudes a tropical jungle humidity that transports me somewhere sweaty and Lilo Sanchez was into it! I think he took it somewhere even sweatier.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) Definitely the tropical jungle vibes…

 

Q) How did you come to work with Shary Rose as a feature on the song?

 

A) Shary Rose is my bandmate in Cienfue. She does backing vocals on the whole album Life in the Tropics, as well as Live Percussion and Polleras, traditional flowery skirts that almost hover in the air. She’s the dancer in the “Life in the Tropics” video as well. For this track we wanted to feature her a bit more for the fans to get to know her solo work.

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) I do everything at once, from possible song title lists that I keep updating to daily lyric brainstorms, as well as constant voice notes with guitar and vocal riff ideas. I studied songwriting at Berklee College of Music and it’s always been the main driver behind my interest in music. Just the fact that every day you can create new musical forms and ideas is mind blowing to me, from the first time I picked up a guitar. I love it!

 

Q) How much of hand do you have in the production of your music?

 

A) I do everything. This album took me four years to complete. Started with a year of songwriting and practicing ideas, to practicing and travelling from Panama to New York to record at Strange Weather Studios together with my drummer Ferran. I composed, produced and recorded everything on Life in the Tropics except Ferran’s drums and Shary Rose’s backing vocals. Then, I took about a year to manually edit all the tracks and performances in my home studio before travelling to Mexico to mix it with David Francis O’Gorman in Toy Factory Studios.

 

Q) What themes do you explore your album Life in the Tropics?

 

A) Exporting Amazonic and Ayahuasca energy to the world, the perspective of growing up in Latin America translated to English speakers, the importance of living in harmony with Nature among others…

 

Q) Which songs on the album hold a special place in your heart and why?

 

A) The title track was the first one, “Life in the Tropics,” just because it was the first idea in English to translate my experiences growing up in Latin America into that language which to me is the global universal language of recorded music. I was terrified the day before it released because I wasn’t sure how my English pronunciation would be received by my Spanish speaking fans! Thankfully, my concerns were overblown because it’s been my most listened to album yet! Over 2.3M streams on Spotify alone and counting!

 

Q) What do you hope listeners take away from listening to this album as a whole?

 

A) Just positive energy and a positive outlook on life. If the three minutes somebody halfway across the world spends with my track somehow makes them feel better then my job is done!

 

Q) With concerts currently on hold, what do you miss most about live performances?

 

A) The energy feedback you get from the fans onstage is insane, we just did a big sold out concert at Panama’s National Theatre on December 2019 just before the lockdowns where the energy was through the roof! There are some live takes of that show on the video for “On the Back Of Your Neck.”

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) Aterciopelados, Bomba Estereo, Crystal Fighters…

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

A) I love Instagram. I just think it’s amazing that I can get so much love from fans sending in messages all day from all over the world. It blows my mind! It makes my day every day to know I’m having a positive impact on other’s loves through my music.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) Thank you guys so much. You have no idea how hard and ungrateful this work can be, where I’ve played for 20,000 people one day and the next be booed by ten people trying to eat at a restaurant. It’s insane, so we really appreciate your support! Please help us share the songs you like and spread the positive energy!