It always feels fantastic to premiere new music on Vocalo 91.1FM and to get wonderful feedback from the hosts of The Morning Amp, which is exactly what happened this morning when I debuted a brand new single, Venganza, from Abstrakto, the badass duo formed by Asdru Sierra of Ozomatli and Balthazar Getty, the actor/producer and youngest member of the Getty Family (known for films like Lord of the Flies, Natural Born Killers and TV shows like Alias and Brothers & Sisters.)
It turns out these two have been friends for years and they came together because of their appreciation of each other’s work. For their debut album, which will be out in December (although there’s a vinyl version of it already available and I cannot wait to get my hands on it!) Getty produced the music while Sierra wrote the lyrics and BOOM – out came this musically cinematic work of art. It’s a thing of beauty, y’all. But more on that later when I get a chance to listen to the full album and post my review.
Right now, though, it’s the Chicago debut of their new video for the remix version of the song, Marcando Paso. This was produced by KCRW’s Anthony Valadez, who was just named LA Weekly’s Best DJ (Reader’s Choice). Valadez also directed the video starring his real life brother.
“The narrative mirrors the track’s lyrics about marching on when times get tough and the belief we have angels protecting us.”
The video exemplifies the strength we possess, and the power of our intuition, as we move on, over and beyond any obstacles and challenges in our way.
A little background on Abstrakto:
The debut album, Abstrakto, was recorded at The Mansion Studio in the Hollywood Hills over a few weeks. The studio was once owned by super producer Rick Rubin. Artists like Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jay-Z and other great artists have recorded there.
The album can best be described as “cinematic.” It plays like a movie soundtrack for a Robert Rodriguez film. In fact, one song that did not make the album was used in Robert Rodriguez’s “Matador” TV show.
Abstrakto released a new vinyl-only album, “Abstrakto Remex,” which features remixes of the debut Abstrakto album and manufactured by Vinyl Factory (home to Radiohead, Florence + the Machine, etc. box sets) in the UK. The digital version is scheduled for release in December.
Asdru is working on a new Ozomatli album due out this summer and is being produced by Sly & Robbie. Ozo is celebrating 21 years of being together. (¿¡Que what?!) Balt has a new music mash up DJ project called “Balt Vs. Beats” and project called Solardrive.
For more on the duo, upcoming performances and music —> Abstrakto