We normally think of Kinky as an alternative-electronic band, but we’re definitely ready for the release of the band’s latest endeavor, “Kinky’s MTV Unplugged” album which will be released on February 10, right after the special airs on February 9. We spoke to drummer Omar Góngora, who told us about the long and interesting process the band underwent to create a very different (acoustic) album, including getting together with diverse, international artists like Carla Morrison, La Mala Rodríguez, Banda Los Recoditos, Voz de Mando and Grupo Pesado for collaborations and covers; the most fun and stressful moments, and what they learned along the way:
Latin Times: Tell us about the process of making an "Unplugged" album.
Omar Góngora: Well, it was a long process since it’s the first acoustic, live album we’ve ever done. We wanted it to be a one-take concert, something that would run straight from beginning to end, so it was a huge risk. We’re an electronic band so the biggest challenge was exactly that, to be able to ‘unplug’ ourselves, and come up with a new way to make music and build a show. We also played instruments we hadn’t played before and had to do it in front of a live audience. I think it’s the most important record of our careers so far. It took us a year and a half to finish, but we were very satisfied with the final product.
LT: How did you chose the songs and covers you wanted to include in the album?
OG: We started throwing around some songs we though might work, had a list of around 25 and then divided the process in three stages. First we decided to remake certain songs of ours; next we wrote and composed new tittles, until we came up with the four that landed in the album and then we wanted to pay tribute to the regional music of Northern Mexico, since we’re from Monterrey, so we chose another four songs from ‘bandas norteñas’ we liked. This too was a long but very interesting process.
LT: Why and how did you guys pick the artists you’d collaborate with?
OG: We chose them all along the way. In Carla Morrison’s case we were looking for a very potent voice for that particular song (“¿A Dónde Van los Muertos?”); it’s one of our most popular songs and we really struggled to develop it because we wanted an even better version of the original one. In the end we chose Carla because of the passion with which she sings and I think the song came out great. We collaborated with La Mala Rodriguez in our last album with the same song so we couldn’t think of anyone better for the remake. We had an accordion trio for the song “Para Poder Llegar A Ti” which Ramón Ayala originally interprets and that’s when we worked with Grupo Pesado and Voz de Mando. And lastly, the song “Bien Pedo, Bien Loco” which is a song by The Recoditos and we decided to invite them to join us.
LT: Which were the most and the most stressful moments of this whole process?
OG: I think the most fun part was when we put all the pieces together and started playing. There was a lot of improvisation and that’s always a fun thing; but the most stressful moment was in the general rehearsal when Los Recoditos arrived and didn’t know the song! Theirs was the last song we were going to play, so they were the last ones we were rehearsing with at midnight, the night before. It was all a misunderstanding because they thought we were going to play their original song so they didn’t learn our new version! It took us four to five hours to finish rehearsing. And also the stage where we shot the “Unplugged” was very different from where had rehearsed: completely acoustic, so that was a bit of a shock.
LT: Have you guys ever noticed someone in the audience who made you really nervous? And who would be a dream come true if they came to see you?
OG: Actually, I think in all our cases, we can play in a venue for more than 50,000 people and there’s definitely a rush, but playing in a smaller venue for 700-1,000 people is so much more nerve wrecking; especially when there’s a family member watching. I think family going to see us is what’s most imposing; it’s great, but you really want to impress them.
LT: What comes next for Kinky? Are you guys going back to your original style or has this been a game changer?
OG: No, this experience has definitely opened up a world of possibilities for us. We learned new ways to compose, to play, to arrange, and we discovered amazing things. There’s no doubt in our minds that we’ll use all of our experiments and leanings in our next album.
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