Column: Gordon Raphael #3, Nov 2001
By: Gordon Raphael
Hello dear viewers. This column is about a band from Mallorca, Spain that I am in love with, called The Satellites.
One day in 2000, I was tweaking some knobs in the Transporterraum Studio, and in walked four seemingly innocent Island boys, with names such as Nyo-Nyo, Puter, Jordi and Michael. I was to be involved with recording their second album, later entitled 'Our Very Bright Darkness', and - on first meeting - had no idea what kind of sounds these musicians would make. These four had a varying ability in speaking English, ranging from it proving to be a little difficult, to it sounding pretty good. Jordi, the singer and main songwriter, uses English exclusively for his lyrics, and - due to his absolutely unique vocal tone, dreamy romantic lyrics and heart-melting Mallorquin-English accent - created an unforgettable impression on me.
We recorded most of the guitars, bass and drums live using about twelve tracks in Logic Audio which went down fairly easily; I was happy that they could all rock out to a metronome click, as that can keep a slammin' song steady and energetic (in many cases!). I immediately noticed that the songs each had a mysterious blend of ingredients: attitude-driven British punk-pop, mixed with a floating dream-state in which hot Mediterranean breezes wash over steep, ancient cliffs, looking down on a churning, relentless sea.
The Satellites were being produced by Sami Yaffa, bassist from the legendary Finnish glam band, Hanoi Rocks, who had lived in Mallorca and stayed in the family home of Puter, The Satellite's bass-player, some years before. I formed an instant, almost chemical bond with the band based on my quickly upward-spiraling respect for their music, and their noticing that I was taking them very seriously and delivering a pretty-damned-gorgeous sound to whatever they were recording. Jordi even asked me if I had given them drugs or had a special machine in my stereo system that was fooling them into thinking the new record was sounding amazing! These were very flattering words from one of the most talented and poetic people I've ever met.
Michael and Jordi both play guitars with a power and creativity never demonstrated by millions of wanky-wannabee string benders who either don't have the natural birthright, or spend enough mad hours practicing with love and care. Because these young men have been together as The Satellites for many years, they have grown into a musical identity and psychic tightness that only time and learning to be a team can deliver.
Highlights of 'Our Very Bright Darkness' include the single 'She Lives In The Corner Of Our Beds', which even as a song-title should win an award; it is frantic and screams along like someone jumping off the earth after finally being freed from gravity itself! Then there's the piece 'I Bet', which was my favorite for a long time: a snarling, vindictive love-gone-wrong, revenge song, building in anger and heartbreak to a powerful brutality. The music and singing are so very pure, yet emotionally explosive, like a lightening storm that creeps up suddenly on a warm summer day, turning everything black and scary, before the scene returns to beauty and serenity. 'Still Sunday' is the last track I'll mention from the album, most notably for its soft, swinging atmosphere - like a hallucinogenic crisis of the heart, or a male version of a Bjork scenario.
Live onstage, Jordi has one of those voices that defies description: male or female? Angel or addict? Pure poet or lost whiner? He sings impossible high notes, and holds them for so long you think you're going to faint, before leaping in the air smashing his guitar brilliantly, only to come back down to earth and hit two guitar pedals simultaneously, gingerly returning to the mic to finish his phrase. It's riveting, I kid you not. Puter creates a deep rhythmic trance on his bass, which pumps out furiously, pulling you down like two hands coming out of the ground grabbing you with a sinister grip. These low tones are generated with seriousness, while on his face is a spaced-out smile! Michael makes sure that the textures are otherworldly from his guitar, and injects the instant overdrive button for over-the-top passion, able to melt his parts in with the others to sound like 'one big thing'. Nyn-Nyo on his drums makes sure that the most delicate passages - which are lighter than air - and the sonic devastation passages, are all executed with physical perfection. Elements of Latin flavor, sheer punk aggression and gritty hip-hop pulses are mixed and mastered within his abilities.
I recorded the 'Our Very Bright Darkness' album in New York, whilst The Satellites' first album called 'The Box' was done in Spain. 'The Box' is also excellent: the songs and atmospheres were already being developed early on. That magical voice and the cool moods created by this band are evident on every track.
I went to Mallorca for the entire summer this year, running sound for The Satellites at three huge outdoor festivals and recording the first half of what will be their third CD. The new stuff is even better than what I expected, and you can tell that I'm already one of their biggest fans! There is one new song called 'In Another World' which is like Jimi Hendrix and Sid Vicious jamming onstage during a futuristic apocalypse. Does that paint a picture?
I am going to ask their small Mallorquin label Primeros Pasitos to send some copies of Satellites albums over to some selected shops in London, cuz I know that some of you will want to hear this incredible music and share it with those who have discerning ears and fully functional minds.
Thanks for reading/breathing...