Whiskyn's : Balla

6 Des 2006

Bé, aquest matí ja he treballat prou. El meu anglès és carrincló, malgrat que m'ajudi d'un diccionari... Després d'un any de parèntesi, he decidit tornar, encara que de forma puntual, a un fòrum on la gent que participem ho fem en plan de jocs on presentem cançons (no pas nostres, sinó d'artistes que s'hi intenten guanyar la vida o se la guanyen). I ho he fet participant en un dels concursos presentant la cançó dels Whiskyn's "Balla".

Com no tinc ganes d'anar traduint tot el que he escrit aquest matí (en anglès), aquí va l'article que he escrit sobre els Whiskyn's, i sobre el pop rock en català en general, a veure quantes errades ortogràfiques i paraules inventades us hi trobeu... A disfrutar de la música!!!!

WHISKYN'S
BALLA


Whiskyn's is a Catalan Pop-Rock Group, which was created in Reus (Catalonia) in 1992. From 1993 they have published 7 albums and 13 singles, as well as they have participated in colective albums and recopilatories.

Actually, they are the most representative representants of the Catalan Pop-Rock music history from 80's and 90's, excluding Els Pets. From the four legendary Catalan Rock groups from last 80's (Sangtraït, Sau, Sopa de Cabra and Els Pets), only Els Pets have survived until today. Out of this leading Catalan Rock bands group there are two important groups: Lax'n'Busto and Whiskyn's. This year Lax'n'Busto has celebrated their 20th aniversary, but in autumn, their singer lider, Pemi Fortuny, have declared he leaves the group and his singer career, and Lax'n'Busto will continue to sing with a new singer. As well as Sau disapeared for the death on the scenarium background of Carles Sabater at 1999, the other leader (singer, musician and composer), Pep Sala, is actualy publishing his last album ("Un Petit Moment de Dubte", November 2006), and the diferent components of former Sopa de Cabra (disolved on 2003) are singing alone (as the former leader, Gerad Quintana, or actually singer and guitarist Josep Thió, as well as the other Sopa de Cabra's components have formed a new band, called Kabul Babà). Different Catalan singers and groups have published a versions compilation of old themes from Sopa de Cabra titled "Podré tornar enrera. El tribut a Sopa de Cabra" (November, 2006), with singers and groups giving their voices to Sopa de Cabra's themes as Amaral, Pereza, Gossos, Pastora, Lax'n'Busto, Sabor de Gracia, Ojos de Brujo, Beth, Bunbury, Casa Rusa, Roger Mas, Jofre Bardají, and a new unpublished theme sung by Sopa de Cabra's former componets, titled "Seguirem somiant".

It's curious that the surviving Catalan Pop-Rock leading groups from 80's and 90's are, all of them, from Tarragona province (my province into Catalonia, of course). Whiskin's are from Reus, Els Pets from Constantí (little town close to Tarragona and Reus) and Lax'n'Busto are from el Vendrell.


Well, we return to Whiskyn's. Their last published work is "Souvenirs" (October, 2005). From this album I had choiced the theme "Balla" ("Dance!"), to represent them in ATWC-Spain 2. The group's neuralgical center and leader Joan Masdéu's home town is Reus (100.000 inhabitants), in the south part of Catalonia, close to Tarragona and Salou, and with the third Catalan Airport, now with direct regular fligths from England, Ireland, Germany and Madrid, and a lot of charter fligths, specially in summer. And Reus is the city where I live at present. The other components of the group are from Tarragona (120.000 inhabitants), 12 km from Reus, and my hometown.

This is Whiskyn's discography:

"Whisky'ns Cullons" (Al·leluia Records, 1994)
"Toc al dos" (Al·leluia Records, 1996)
"Lila" (DiscMedi, 1997)
"De la nit al dia" (DiscMedi, 1999)
"Lluny" (DiscMedi, 2001)
"On" (Música Global, 2004)
"Souvenirs" (Tívoli, 2005)

"Souvenirs" is published on 24th october 2005, and the Souvernirs Tour 2005-2006 begin at 1th November 2005, in Girona.

"Balla" is the choiced song to represent Whiskyn's in the Public Catalan Television Show for the New Year's 2006 event. "Balla" is the first single from the album, with a great exit on Catalan radios and TV's. Balla's clip is recordered in the Institut Pere Mata (an psychiatric hospital, one of the more important Art Nouveau buildings in Reus, from the Catalan arquitect Lluis Domènech i Muntener, the second more important Art Nouveau's Catalan arquitenct afther Antoni Gaudi. Antoni Gaudi is from Reus, but he hasn't any work in his home town. Lluis Domènech i Muntaner based one of their two more important works, Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona, close to Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, on his work in Institut Pere Mata). You can find Balla's videoclip on Youtube.

In 4th May 2006 Whiskyn's present "Souvenirs" in Sala Apolo (Barcelona) to the Barcelona's public and press. In May too, Souvenirs Tour goes to Uruguay and Argentina (Montevideo, La Plata, Buenos Aires and Córdoba). This visit to the austral countries, together to the short visit to Ljubljana in February 2006 gives to Souvenir the "title" of the most international album from Reus group Whiskyn's. In summer Souvenirs Tour continues in Catalonia and Illes Balears. Souvenirs Tour is the biggest tour for Whiskyn's on his history. More than 4000 persons dance with the themes from "Souvernirs" in Barcelona in 24th September 2006, on La Mercè Barcelona public festivities. 48 concerts in Catalonia, Illes Balears, Argentina and Uruguay. Souvenirs Tour ends in 25th November 2006 at Sant Andreu de Llavaneres (on Barcelona north coast).

BALLA (J.Masdéu)

No et demano seguir-me la veta ni comprendre’m si no vols.
No et demano fer anar la llengua que ja la faig anar jo.

Et dic tan sols que sé que ho vols. T’agrada i ho noto.
Ara estem sols, així que prou manies
i pors.

Deixa’t endur i balla,
saps que et sobren raons.
Tu sent la música i balla,
que abans t’he vist moure els talons.

No m’agrada la gent estreta que no dóna explicacions;
només vull que t’obris d’orelles, que se’t clavi fins al fons.

N’he conegut molts com tu. Us agrada, ho noto.
Belluga el cul, no dissimulis més pels racons.

Deixa’t endur i balla...




Slovenian translation from Catalan lectorer students in Ljubljana's University:

PLEŠI (Polona Pegam)

Nočem, da me ovijaš okrog prsta,
niti da me razumeš, če ne želiš.
Nočem, da vrtiš jezik, ker ga jaz
namesto tebe.

Samo rečem ti, da vem, da to hočeš. Všeč nama je, vem.
Zdaj sva sama, tako da je dovolj z manijami in strahovi.

Prepusti se glasbi in pleši,
veš, da ne potrebuješ toliko razlogov.
Poslušaj glasbo in pleši,
prej sem videl, da so te zasrbele pete.

Ne maram ljudi, ki se ne
odzivajo;
Želim le, da prisluhneš, da pride pesem do srca.

Nisem spoznal veliko takšnih, kot si ti. Všeč vam je, vem.
Pomigaj z ritko, ne skrivaj se več.

Prepusti se glasbi in pleši…