Exposed Vocals Interviews Nacho Sistal
My name is Nacho Sistal. I was born in Spain, in the city of Santander. My first contact with music was really earlier. I started studios in music theory and violin at the age of 8. At the age of eleven, I started with guitar. I ‘m a self-taught guitarist. One year later I started in a school to study harmony and modern piano for six years. In 2006 I moved to Madrid to study visual production and sound. I’ve recently finished a degree on music for films and tv.
My musical background is varied. I’ve been part of several bands from Spain, in which I’ve played different styles: Rock, pop, heavy…
My favourite music style is classical music and rock. I do not think that both worlds need to be exclusionary.
My musical instrument is the piano. I spend my time playing it with complete devotion.
Some samples that can be heard on SoundCloud serve to show the variety that I can cover. I give special priority to symphonic samples.
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Nacho Sistal: I was born in a little city from the north of Spain called Santander. Since I was a child I connected with music. I remember one crucial moment in my life, I was watching television and suddenly, I saw the Beatles playing a song. From that instant I knew music was going to be something absolutely important in my life.
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
Nacho Sistal: The name I use is just my short name followed by my surname. From the very beginning I thought it would be a suitable name because it sounds artistic.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
Nacho Sistal: In terms of exposure and notoriety, I consider these streaming platforms a great advance. You can write a song and a week after, is being listened throughout the entire world. The possibilities are unlimited. In contrast, many musicians don’t earn money or a very little amount. I know that Soundcloud is starting to pay royalities to some musicians through advertisement. We have to be able to reach an agreement between author and platforms. Culture is not something free, in the background is a matter of cultural education and appreciation for it.
Sometimes I have authorized downloading some of my tracks for free. The main reason is to spread them as much as I can.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Nacho Sistal: The one and only method to succeed is writing good songs or making music with some special touch. People is always trying to enjoy with some catchy melody or chorus. If you want to obtain notority you have to work hard without any hesitation. Currently, there are many drawbacks but on the other hand we have other skills, with a little investment of money we can set up a home studio. We have to be ready to deal with all kind of logistical problems, but the corner stone is the quality of our stuff. That is the epicenter of our work.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Nacho Sistal: In my specific case, the basis is the style of music that I want to do. I mean, the first step is try to delimitate the configuration of sound resources. If I’m working on a new orchestral track, I have to know the number of samplers that I need, the tempo, the structure in general features and all that type of musical peculiarities. That is, I need to have clear in my head the general sketch.
Regarding inspiration, I have to say that is something ethereal. I don’t believe in muses or something like that. The unique way to find it is just working hard, this way you will get inspiration or at least, you will be ready for catching it whenever it comes.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Nacho Sistal: I use some social networks like facebook and twitter.
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Nacho Sistal: I guess, I would open a recording studio in order to record and promote my music, and novel artists, preferably in USA or some european capital such as London or Berlin.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Nacho Sistal: I think digital platforms like Soundcloud, which allows sharing music among other platforms, that is what I use the most. It is something that can share and move your music pretty quickly. With one click you are sharing a track with all your friends and followers, that is the most remarkable feature of that kind of platforms.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Nacho Sistal: At the moment I’m working on some new orchestral tracks, but for the future I would like to work on a new collection of pieces of melodic piano, which always work very well and are pleasantly welcomed by the public.
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Nacho Sistal: It’s really hard to play with that hypothesis.I guess I would be focussed on another artistic discipline as cinema or something like that.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Nacho Sistal: In my own case, I’m always trying to make my passion a dream come true, this is to say, to get a job as a composer. I’m directing my musical career to that field. When you love music, your passion is a vocation and you are able to take time to write new pieces. In addition to this, when you realize that your music is working so well, and people are constantly asking for new tracks, you finally end up erasing any trace of doubt.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
Nacho Sistal: I don’t usually make many plans. My main goal is to achieve a perfect song or a perfect piece. I mean, I’m aware that this horizon is practically impossible but at least i dedicate all my efforts on that task. Sometimes I make an orchestral theme, other times a song, I adore mixing electronic elements with orchestral sonority, I think the final result may be fascinating.