Illya Kuryaki And The Valderramas, the Argentine duo conformed by Dante Spinetta and Emmanuel Horvilleur, have had an unexpected success with the summer hit "Ula Ula," featured in the new Target campaign for both the Hispanic and the English-speaking markets.
The catchy tune, part of the album "Chances" is available in a digital format in the United States, and has caused so much hype that even Oprah tweeted that she couldn't get enough of the "Ula Ula," propelling sales and the popularity of the song, making it this summer's hottest single.
Illya Kuryaki received this great welcome after a 10-year hiatus, in which Spinetta and Horvilleur took their unique styles to the extreme, only to get back together and merge their influences again, creating a "mestizo sound" that is the new sensation among old fans and this generation's newest followers.
"Illya Kuryaki is a band that mixes sounds. It's a Latin American band that grows with the influences of African American music mixed with Latin rhythms, with Latin rock, and with Argentine rock influences. We are a band that represents freedom of styles, new landscapes, new worlds. And that's what we try to do, provide a different sound. We are a band with very mixed sounds. Very Funk," explained Dante Spinetta from Buenos Aires in an exclusive interview with Latin Times.
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How did it feel like to go back into the recording studio after 10 years?
"It was a lot of fun. We worked for over a year. We put together more than 30 songs and then chose only 14 to fully arrange them and include them in the new album. Getting back together after 10 years of submerging ourselves into our own personal projects was a challenge. Saying 'well, let's see if we can merge our musical spirits again.' But a lot of great stuff started to flow, we learned a lot and became a group again."
"While we were recording, we also did some tours and reconnected with our past material. That helped us analyze the situation and really ask ourselves where we wanted to take this project. We wanted to make it as real as possible. We didn't want to get together to release a 'greatest hits' album, that wasn't the plan. The real plan was to bring the band to life and create new material that would represent us nowadays. Some days were harder than the others, but 'Chances' ended up being a record that makes us really proud."
When we asked them about their creative process and the way they compose their songs, Spinetta revealed that both him and Horvilleur have a 50-50 collaboration. "There are some melodies that are more personal to one than another, but this record was one hundred percent team effort. Music and lyrics equally.
Spinetta also told us that they're very diplomatic when it comes to communicating their ideas. "What we usually do is that when one of the two comes up with something better, it's always accepted. There's a rule in the recording studio and it's that if one of the two doesn't like something, it's not included in the production. It's all about forgetting our egos, leave it behind, and collaborate to make a better record and group, without thinking about out personal agendas."
Do you have a favorite song on the new album?
Right now I've been listening to "Amor" a lot. It's a mix of bolero and hip-hop that I believe is really "fresh," and I like it. But I don't know, there's also "Madafaka," our collaboration with Molotov. Actually, the music video to that song comes out in about 10 days and it's really cool.
Besides Molotov, is there any other collaboration in the album?
Not really. Molotov was the only collaboration we did. We obviously invited some musicians, but famous artists, only Molotov. We didn't want it to be a record full of guest performers because we had a lot to say and we wanted to make it more personal. The song with Molotov was something that had been pending for a while and it really was an amazing experience. They added their lyrics and magic and took the song to another level.
A lot of people say this is your "crossover" album following the success that "Ula Ula" has had. Do you believe that this album is going to open the doors for Illya Kuryaki in the English-speaking market?
I wish. Everything that's going on with "Ula Ula," Target and Oprah is just unbelievable. We obviously have a lot of influences from American music and it would be a pleasure to have the possibility to reach the people and actually perform for them. For both Latinos and non-Latinos in the U.S. Hopefully that'll happen soon. For now, Chances is coming out on July 16, and we'll be touring with it.
Where are you planning on taking your music?
We're going through Latin America making stops in Colombia, Uruguay, some Mexican cities and Argentinean cities as well. We'll also be promoting our album in the United States and we really wish we could go on tour there. There are a lot of plans now. Illya Kuryaki is a band that doesn't have to separate ever again. We can release solo albums but we'll still be together.
Is there a possibility for an English album?
Sure, we could sing in English. Why not? Actually, in my solo album "Elevado" I did a few songs in English. But yes, I think that is a possibility and we might do it in the future.
If you were to collaborate with an artist, who would it be?
There are too many, but at the top of my head, I would have to say Pharrell Williams. We would also love to collaborate with some 70's and 80's funk musicians.
After the tour, what other plans do you have?
At the end of the year, we want to start recording a live album. That's something we've always wanted to do. There are a lot of plans and there's going to be Illya Kuryaki for a while.
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