Vivaldi in the Aiguamolls de l’Empordà

The Fluvià and Muga rivers irrigate the 5,000 hectares of crops, fields, and lagoons in the Aiguamolls de l’Empordà Natural Park. Out of the total, 800 hectares form a comprehensive reserve, a valuable ecosystem that can be visited all year round thanks to a vast network of trails.

Spring

Life springs forth. Yellow and blue irises and orchids paint the scenery along with a symphony of songs. Can you find the nightingale? It is one of the 80 typical birds at the park and coexists alongside 300 other species as migratory birds, which depart from Africa to spend the summer in northern Europe, stop at the wetlands and make it a bird watching paradise. They arrive, feed, rest, and leave here – except when the tramuntana winds blow. During such periods they don’t take flight because the wind is too intense, so the air show only truly starts when the winds calm down. On the Les Llaunes trail, horses and fallow deer caring for their young await us, and on the edge of El Cortalet we can find Mediterranean tree frogs, some of which are even blue.

Summer

The sun and the heat beat down and the wetlands are nearly dry. It is best to go early or late in the day, when the temperature is not so high. This is when the otters leave their burrows and seek out food, which they normally do at night the rest of the year, in the few areas that still have water such as the coastal lagoons. It is the season of the Eurasian hoopoe, the European bee-eater, and the European roller, an average-sized bird with a spectacular blue color that nests, if you can believe it, on utility poles. It is also the peak season for butterflies, a symbol of perseverance and transformation and a sign of good luck. More than 70 species can be found during the daytime!

Autumn

Autumn rainstorms should bring abundant precipitation, but the climate crisis has changed the rules of the game and getting dealt such a hand is no longer guaranteed unfortunately. Depending on the year, autumn comes wetter or drier than usual at the park as evidenced by the ash, poplar, oak and other deciduous trees. In the sky, birds begin their post-breeding migration: birds of prey, European bee-eaters, and storks now use the tramuntana winds to their advantage. On the ground, the fallow deer rut begins, the ritual in which the males roar and fight among themselves with their majestic antlers to shine before females in heat.

Winter

The hypnotic dance of starlings at dawn and dusk is the gift that’s the first sign of winter. The park welcomes birds fleeing the harsh temperatures of northern and central Europe as the lakes where they live are frozen and they seek a kinder refuge. One example is the northern lapwing, a majestic-looking bird that owes its name to its northern origins. Ducks such as the mallard, the northern shoveler, and the Eurasian teal can also be found in the winter, along with cranes, which are easily recognized with their flying “V” formation.

40 Years Of Ghting To Protect Nature

Our inward gaze during winter has resulted in a reflection: we are fortunate to enjoy the Aiguamolls de l’Empordà all year round. It only exists because a group of young people fought against a giant construction project in the 1970s. It was David versus Goliath. And David defeated the speculation and managed to get the Parliament of Catalonia to protect the land and work to turn it into what it is today. In the words of Jordi Sargatal, one of the movement’s leading supporters, the park is an educational resource, an area for relaxation, and a space for respect and mutual admiration. //

Per Agus Izquierdo b1n0 és un projecte empordanès? b1n0 sembla que s’articuli sota dues directrius clares: l’obsessió pel timbre i l’atreviment a l’hora de provar i d’experimentar amb el so a l’estudi. Quan vam entrar a l’estudi a fer el primer disc, no teníem ni idea de com fer servir els aparells que fem servir ara amb normalitat. Tant en Malcus com jo som molt obsessius, cadascú en el seu terreny. Vam trigar tres anys a preparar el primer disc.

Emili Bosch i Malcus Codolà són b1n0, un tàndem electrònic arrelat a la Bisbal que ha aconseguit fer-se un lloc, amb plena legitimitat, a l’escena catalana. Entre la perifèria i la música ballable, aquest projecte nascut en plena pandèmia ha aconseguit treballar en poc temps amb artistes de la talla de Núria Graham, Tarta Relena, Ferran Palau, El Petit de Cal Eril o Pau Vehí (PHOAC). Exploradors impàvids de terrenys inhòspits, b1n0 són més navegants que músics; més descobridors que productors. Ara, després de bi (Foehn Records, 2021), treballen en un nou EP que farà servir una veu creada amb intel·ligència artificial. Hem conversat amb la meitat de la formació.

L’Empordà és molt important per a nosaltres perquè, amb la pandèmia, tots dos vam tornar a la Bisbal, després de viure deu anys a Barcelona. Aquí és on vam començar a treballar en el projecte que ara és b1n0. I tornar va ser un punt d’inflexió molt important perquè ens vam poder centrar al cent per cent en aquesta aventura.

Hi ha qui diu que la comarca viu un moment dolç d’eclosió artística. Ara mateix l’Empordà està generant una comunió d’artistes increïble. No fa gaire em vaig trobar en Sergio Dalma al supermercat! [riu]. A la Bisbal hi ha una desena de músics actius com la Núria Graham, i a la resta de comarca tenim els Cala Vento, en Pau Vehí o els Playmodes, que fan visuals. També hi ha la Brava Performing Arts, una residència d’artistes. S’està coent una cosa molt important, una mena d’escena electrònica i artística plena de confiança.

I ser obsessiu hi ajuda, en aquest món?

És bo fins a cert punt. Hi ha moments complicats, sobretot en el procés creatiu, que hi ha molts alts i baixos. Però amb en Malcus tenim sort de ser bons amics, i de poder dir-nos les coses a la cara. Això fa que vagi tot molt ràpid i sigui fàcil.

Deu ser important, en una aventura dual com b1n0, aquest grau d’afinitat gairebé fraternal.

És molt bo que ens tinguem l’un a l’altre, perquè ho compartim tot i prenem decisions que a un de sol li costaria més decidir. A vegades ens barallem. Hem sortit de l’estudi plorant, o emocionats. És tot part del procés. La música està feta per això, per compartir-la.

I la compartiu, de fet, a través de col·laboracions. Ens encanta que la gent surti de la zona de confort i portar-la al nostre territori sonor. Per exemple, posar autotune a la Graham o fer que El Petit de Cal Eril rapegi és molt divertit [riu]. Ara, però, volem intentar fer menys col·laboracions. Pel nou disc hem treballat amb un programari d’un equip de Barcelona que es diu Voctro Labs. A partir de la fusió vocal d’en Vehí, la Núria Graham i l’Adriano Galante, hem creat una veu única, amb intel·ligència artificial. Serà la nova veu de b1n0.

Sou una mica cuiners. Talleu, tasteu, seleccioneu.

Som xefs de cuina d’avantguarda [riu]. Ens agrada molt treballar en l’error. De fet, el disc que estem fent ara neix d’aquesta «erratabilitat»: ens interessa l’equivocació de la tecnologia. Volem jugar, desplaçar coses. Entenem la música com una entitat viva.

I com prepareu els directes?

Anem alterant fórmules, segons la conveniència: de vegades som tres, i d’altres fem el directe només nosaltres dos. Això últim no fa que es perdi l’essència, perquè el Malcus és boníssim i cobreix, ell sol, tot l’aspecte percussiu. És increïble, és un malalt de la bateria. Gran part del directe és mèrit d’ell. És insubstituïble, ni per un ordinador.

Penseu en el públic?

Volem que la gent gaudeixi i observem molt les reaccions de la gent. Sembla que ens dirigim a un so cada vegada més ballable. Fem cas al públic, però sense passar-nos [riu]. A l’estudi, el públic no és una prioritat. Als directes sí que ens agrada llegir crítiques dels concerts. Per aprendre’n. O per insultar qui hagi escrit segons què [riu].

B1n0 no neix tant d’una necessitat d’expressió, sinó més aviat de comprensió.

Hi ha molts artistes que fan música per expressar-se. B1n0, en canvi, és un projecte de llarga distància, sense cap compromís més enllà de saciar la nostra curiositat i de voler aprendre. I si no funciona, farem un pas enrere.

Se us situa dins l’escena underground catalana. Com us sentiu amb aquesta etiqueta?

Som underground a Catalunya perquè aquí no hi ha gaires projectes d’aquest tipus. Però a Londres no ho seríem. Les etiquetes es determinen pel context. No tenim cap referent sonor català. I probablement espanyol tampoc. En canvi, als Estats Units, França o Anglaterra n’hi ha molts. Esperem no ser underground d’aquí a uns anys [riu].

A b1n0 hi veig una ironia, un humor implícit.

Tots dos som molt irònics, i que es plasmi en la nostra música és una cosa que no ens havien dit mai i que m’agrada. Com a persones, no som gens seriosos, que no vol dir que treballant no siguem exigents. Però sí, b1n0 té una sintonia molt humorística. Som honestos, i si ens agrada divertir-nos, això s’ha de veure en la nostra música i sobre l’escenari. //

Emili Bosch and Malcus Codolà form b1n0, an electronic duo with roots in La Bisbal that has managed to make a fully legitimate place for itself on the Catalan scene. Between the experimental and dance music, this project launched in the midst of the pandemic has managed to work in just a short period with artists such as Núria Graham, Torta Relena, Ferran Palau, El Petit de Cal Eril, and Pau Vehí (PHOAC). Undaunted explorers of inhospitable terrain, b1n0 are more navigators than musicians, more discoverers than producers. Now, after bi (Foehn Records, 2021), they are working on a new EP that will use a voice created with artificial intelligence.

Is b1n0 an Empordà-based project?

The Empordà is very important to us because we both returned to La Bisbal during the pandemic after living in Barcelona for a decade. And coming home was a crucial turning point because we were able to completely focus on this adventure.

Is it true that the region is experiencing a great moment of artistic growth?

Right now the Empordà is producing an incredible community of artists. I recently ran into Sergio Dalma at the supermarket [laughter]! In b1n0 seems to operate under two clear guidelines: obsession with timbre and a daring attitude when trying and experimenting with sound in the studio. Is that accurate?

La Bisbal there are a dozen active musicians like Núria Graham, and in the rest of the region there’s Cala Vento, Pau Vehí, and the Playmodes, who make visual art. There is also Brava Performing Arts, an artists’ residency.

When we went into the studio to make our first record, we had no idea how to use the devices we now use regularly. Malcus and I are both really obsessive, each in our own field. It took us three years to make our first album. Malcus and I are lucky to be good friends and we can say things to each other’s faces. That makes everything go very fast and smooth.

We share everything and make decisions that one of us would have more difficulty deciding alone. But we do fight sometimes. It’s all part of the process. That’s why music is made, to share.

And you share it through collaborations, right?

We love when people leave their comfort zone and enter our sound territory. For example, putting autotune on Graham or making El Petit de Cal Eril rap is a lot of fun [laughter]. But now we’re aiming to do fewer collaborations. For our new album we worked with software from a team in Barcelona called Voctro Labs. Through the vocal fusion of Vehí, Núria Graham, and Adriano Galante, we’ve created a unique voice with artificial intelligence. It will be the new voice of b1n0.

You’re a bit like chefs how you cut, sample, and select, no?

We’re avant-garde cooks [laughter]. We like to learn from mistakes. In fact, the disc we’re making now was created through trial and error: we’re interested in the mistakes that technology makes. We want to play and move things. We see music as a living being.

How do you prepare for live shows?

We alter formulas based on what seems right: sometimes there are three of us, and sometimes just the two of us perform live. Malcus is great and can cover all the percussion parts on his own. He’s amazing, obsessed with the drums. A lot of our shows are all him. He’s irreplaceable, not even by a computer.

In b1n0 I see irony, an implicit humor.

We are both very ironic. We’ve never been told that it comes through in our music before, and I love hearing that. As people, we’re not serious at all. But that doesn’t mean that we’re not demanding when we work. But yes, b1n0 has a very humorous note. We’re honest and we like to have fun. This has to be reflected in our music and on stage. //