2_3_DiscoverBenelux_Issue14_January2015_Scan Magazine 1 26/01/2015 19:14 Page 15
Discover Benelux |â Cover Feature |â GabrielâRios
Gabriel Rios Stripped to the essence
Belgiumâs favourite Latin singer from Ghent decided to leave it all behind, his warm Spanish-American sounds, his electro-pop, his big band set up, in fact, his entire country. After three years of soul searching and songwriting in New York, Gabriel Rios is back with a new album, and a complete new, strippedback sound. BornâinâPuertoâRico,âRiosâmovedâtoâBelgiumâ whenâ heâ wasâ 17â yearsâ old.â Eight yearsâlaterâheâreleasedâhisâfirstâsoloâalbum Ghostboy withâ hitâ singleâ Broad Daylight, followedâ byâ twoâ moreâ studioâ albumsâ includingâ Angelhead inâ 2007.â Combining Latin,âfunk,âelectronicâsoundsâandâpop,âhis songsâstormedâtheâFlemishâhitâlistsâandâhe playedâ allâ theâ bigâ festivals.â Now,â onâ the brinkâ ofâ releasingâ hisâ fourthâ album,â This Marauderâs Midnight,âRiosâhasâreinvented hisâmusic,âusingâjustâcello,âbass,âguitarâand hisâvoice. âAfterâmyâsecondârecordâIâhadâaâminiâcrisis whereâIâfeltâlikeâIâdidnâtâwantâtoâbeâdoingâthis, beingâ onâ aâ stageâ withâ aâ bigâ band,ââ Rios confesses.â âTheâ entertainmentâ factorâ of whatâIâwasâdoingâwasâtiringâme.ââAlthough heâbroughtâoutâaâthirdâalbumâinâtheâmeantime,â The Dangerous Return inâ 2010,â the feelingâthatâheâwantedâtoâdoâsomethingâelse didnâtâgoâaway.ââIâwasâstartingâtoâgetâreally attractedâbyâplayingâsoloâconcertsâandâIârealisedâ Iâ didnâtâ haveâ theâ kindâ ofâ material whereâyouâcanâjustâplayâinâfrontâofâpeopleâon yourâown,ââRiosâcontinues:ââIârealisedâthis wasâtheâmusicâthatâreallyâmovedâme.â
A new city, a new sound Toâ followâ hisâ new-foundâ passion,â heâ decidedâtoâleaveâhisâhometownâofâGhentâbe-
hindâandâmovedâtoâNewâYork.ââItâreallyâisâa liveâmusicâcity;âpeopleâareâcatchingâbandsâall theâtimeâandâgoingâtoâfindâmusicâallâtheâtime, whichâ isâ reallyâ differentâ fromâ Belgium,ââ he says.ââItâwasâaâplaceâwhereâyouâneededâno reservationâandâyouâcanâjustâstartâplaying.â RiosâendedâupâinâaâlocalâcafĂ©âbarâcalledâthe RockwoodâMusicâHall.âWritingâduringâthe dayâ andâ tryingâ outâ hisâ songsâ liveâ inâ the evening,âthisâtinyâvenueâbecameâtheâcatalystâforâhisânewâmusicâdirection.ââIâwroteâthe songsâcompletelyâbyâmyself.âThatâwasâkind ofâtheâpointâIâhadâtoâprove:âthatâIâcanâdoâit onâmyâownâfirst.â
Stripped down music Whileâ inâ Newâ York,â heâ metâ musicalâ duo Rubenâ Samamaâ andâ Amberâ Doctersâ van Leeuwen,â both,â asâ itâ happened,â originally fromâ theâ Netherlands.â âRubenâ isâ reallyâ a multi-talentedâdude,âheâisâaâyoungâguyâwho writesâsongsâhimself,âisâalsoâaâvirtuosoâjazz bassâplayerâwithâaâclassicalâbackgroundâand heâ produces,ââ Riosâ recounts.â âIâ knewâ immediatelyâthatâIâwantedâthisâguyâtoâtakeâover asâaâproducerâbecauseâheâcanâmakeâdecisionsâveryâquicklyâandâgetâthingsâdoneâvery quickly,âandâalsoâweâwereâonâtheâsameâpage creatively.âIâdidnâtâhaveâtoâexplainâanything.â Withâ Samamaâ onâ bass,â hisâ wifeâ Docters vanâLeeuwenâonâcelloâandâRiosâonâguitar, theâtrioârehearsedâtheâsongsâinâNewâYorkâas heâ wasâ writingâ them.â Soonâ Riosâ realised thisâcombinationâwasâtheâperfectâingredient forâ hisâ newâ album.â âTheyâ bothâ haveâ this aestheticâ ofâ notâ puttingâ thingsâ inâ thereâ if theyâdonâtâmeanâsomething,ââRiosâexplains. âTheâalbumâisâveryâsparseâandâveryâminimal. Inâtheâbeginningâweâtriedâoutâpiano,âdrums, guitarâandâweâgotâridâofâeverything.âOneâday
Issue 14 |â Februaryâ2015 |â 15