barbott

What is your name and role within the band?

Our names are Guillem, Martí, Marc, Josep and Albert. We were all born in the city of Barcelona except for Josep, who is from Majorca, an island known for its beautiful beaches and poorly designed buildings. I (Guillem) am the lead singer, guitarist and composer in the band, although this last role is quite remarkably complemented by the rest of bandmates. Martí is the guitarist, so mainly he focuses on finding the best sounds for each guitar. Albert is the keyboardist and the one who chooses the finest sounds for anything that has keys. On the other hand, Marc plays the bass and the bass synth, although he sometimes does background vocals, just like Josep, who is the drummer.

How did you start?

In the beginning we did not think that we would end up recording EPs and LPs, I guess it all started like in many other cases, as a joke. For that same reason, we called ourselves Barbott, which is a mixture between “barba” which in spanish stands for beard and the “ott” termination in order to give it a cooler sound. It turns out that Albert and Josep are not even able to grow a beard, so I don’t think that we can call ourselves hairy or beardy guys. We simply kept the name as a reminder of what we wanted to do with this band since the very first day we started playing together: have fun and enjoy the company of one another.

Where are you based?

We are based in Barcelona, Spain.

Please give an example of your music writing process?

Generally I (Guillem) write a base of each song in which I try to give an idea of what each instrument should sound like. During that process, I think of catchy riffs that complete the whole idea, even though occasionally the rest of bandmates find precisely what I look for, so I don’t have to spend much time breaking my head. Together, the composition process becomes very nice and fluent. The main weak spot we have right now – and it is completely my fault – is the lyrics… I always focus more on the aesthetics of the song rather than on the message. I intend to fix that little problem in the next LP.

What are you working on right now?

We are currently working in new songs for our next LP. We all think that it is important to keep the thing going, we have a lot to give and we are really looking forward to show our fans all the improvements we have achieved in the quality of our music.

What is your gear setup?

Guillem:

Fender Stratocaster.
MXR Phase 90.
BOSS DD-3 Delay.
BOSS CH1 Super-Chorus.
ElectroHarmonix Holy Grail MAX.
TC Electronic Ditto Looper.
Dunlop Crybaby Wah Wah.
Korg R3

Marc:

Roland GAIA SH-1
Fender Bullet Deluxe

Martí:

-Fender Telecaster American

– EHX Little Big Muff

– Hardwire Chromatic Tuner

– Fender MicroCompressor

– Boss Flanger BF-3

– EHX Memory Toy

– EHX Holy Grail Neo

Albert:

Arturia KeyLab 61 Teclat Edition
MacBook Air
Focusrite Scarlett

Josep:

-Drums Yamaha

– Istanbul/Zildjian Cymbals

What do you like to do outside of music and does it affect your music?

In my case (Guillem), I am one exam away from finishing my BSc in Mathematics, and 2 months away from starting my MSc in the same subject. I believe that my passion for math and the way I relate it to each and every aspect of my life has a huge impact in the way I see music, I try to make each song so that it is coherent as a whole, as close to perfection as I am able… The thing is that both Marti and Albert have a BSc in Physics and Mathematics so as far as I can see, we all share a similar point of view, which helps in this sense. Marc is currently working for the music industry, and he is a vet. We all believe that he should move to straya and work for bondi vet. Yes, we know bondi vet in Spain. Josep is a professional musician, and he is currently studying in order to obtain his degree.

How would you describe your music genre?

As a mixture between dream pop, electronic music and whatever you get when you mix that with mathematical thoughts.

Do you know any music theory?

Josep is the only one who is studying music theory, like I said before he wants to be a professional musician. Me and the rest of the band do not even know how to read a score, everything we do we do it by ear.

What are your plans for the future?

We intend to continue with this project as long as our bodies allow us to. Although our professional paths lead to different places in the world, such as Copenhagen in my case or Lisbon in Martí’s case, we are commited to keep on writing music and giving concerts in each and every gap that we find in our busy agenda. Ideally, we would go on tour at least once every year.

How did you get into music?

Each of us has a different story, so you have a wide range of answers for this question, from impressing a girl to projecting insecurities generated by turbulent teenage thoughts or experiences… and from finding a guitar somewhere and simply start playing it. Somehow, it went from a hobby to a pretty neat job, which has become one of the most important things in our lifes, and I believe that is the important thing.

What are you listening to at the moment?

There are a lot of bands who have released new material recently, so for instance, in the last days I have been listening a lot to Arca, Toro y Moi, Real Estate, Perfume Genius, Grizzly Bear, Mac Demarco, LCD Soundsystem, Fleet Foxes…

Who are your top 5 influences and icons?

Nicolas Jaar, Tame Impala, Weyes Blood, Julia Holter and lately Toro y Moi, although there are at least a half hundred bands that should be listed here… but I believe by now these are the most remarkable right now.