Mi Cosa de Resistance is the post-ambient project of Buenos Aires-based musician, Fernando Perales. The project began in 2016, with Fernando first appeared with the EP ‘Hydrophicility’ in 2017, also released from Le Obscure Cafeteria. Fernando has gone on to see releases on labels such as Elm Records, Left Tapes, Aural Teathers, Nebula Science, and more. An album from Mi Cosa de Resistance was due to be released on RTR in September 2020, but the ongoing Covid-19 crisis has postponed the label’s schedule for the year. More recently, Home Diaries 001: ‘An Endless Puzzle’ became the first in a series of digital releases from Whitelabrecs in response to widespread lockdowns and social distancing.
In this feature, Fernando talks about finding the time to create, what he has been listening to lately, a change within the mainstream and underground music industry, and the importance of positivity.
How have the widespread lockdowns in response to the Covid-19 crisis affected your music making?
Lockdown has affected me in a positive way. I have been able to finish a new album that is part of the Home Diaries series curated by Harry Towell on Whitelabrecs. I basically tried to remain in focus and keep on my regular workflow taking advantage of the moments that I have to produce music. As I released a bunch of albums during 2019 I might be seen as someone who spends the whole day in the studio. But I am not. I try to work fast because I know that I do not have plenty of time to work. Moreover, I have overcome that idea of taking an album to perfection (such thing does not exist), or in other words, the tendency to improve things eternally. My philosophy is “improve from one album to another”, the next one will be better in terms of arrangement and sound design.
What music, new or old, have you been listening to lately, and have your listening habits changed as a result of the current situation?
I have been doing a lot “critical listening” during the last months; I mean by that, listening to music to understand how things work in a specific album. It could be classic ambient albums, a rock album, albums from friends in the scene. But also, and it might sound weird but I have been revising albums that I have never listened to, like some great 70’s records, stuff like early James Taylor, Carol King, my beloved Elton John and stuff like that. I returned as I usually do to my collections of northern soul, ska and dub which I think are useful (specially ska and dub) in terms of sound design as resourceful aesthetics to take ideas from.
Consequence of Sound reported the worst week of album sales since the 1960s (28th March 2020). Do you think the coronavirus outbreak will have a lasting negative effect on the music industry?
I think it will take time for music industry, mainstream or underground, to recover its regular flow, but certainly things will change somehow.
With more musicians live streaming from their homes than ever before, do you think this trend will continue once things improve?
It might sound vain but I reckon this is one of the positive sides of the Covid-19 crisis. I never tried streaming in the past but I did some streamings recently and I think I will keep on doing it. It could be useful for people from different latitudes to get closer to live performances that otherwise would not be able to attend on a regular basis.
What do you think we as music makers can be doing to create positivity right now?
Being productive and keep on working (and collaborating) not matter what we are going through is certainly a way to show positivity.
Rusted Tone Recordings 