A picture of the Catalan scene with a taste of the past

the Music in Catalan It is more alive than ever. In recent years a new group of artists have emerged who have updated the ABC of what we have seemed to be stuck in for the past few years. Names like Julieta, Mischa, Vega Floas, The Tits, Santa Salute, 31 Fam, Flashy Ice Cream, Maria Jaume or Maria Hein have built a scene where what matters is diversitythus becoming an unprecedented success that has expanded the sounds, recordings and genres of our music to the point of invading festivals that go beyond Catalan borders.

Since denying this reality is impossible, the smartest thing is to join it. That’s why this Tuesday TV3 the first show The yard gang. Music was not born.A documentary film directed and written by Dani Feixas Roca that attempts to capture “the vibrant essence of the new Catalan music scene and reveals how a new generation of artists has had a powerful impact on younger audiences and reached the top of the charts in Catalonia in record time.” A choral piece featuring a 40 artists And the experts – where characters such as Mushkaa, Julieta, Suu, Figa Flawas, The Tyets, Santa Salut, or 31 Fam, representatives of Oques Fatses, Buhos, Doctor Prats, Stay Homes, La Pegatina, or even the always legendary PAWN. GANG, appear, along with contributions from journalists fromUnderrock Oh The world of soundor characters like Xènia Casado – where a conversation is created that, while comfortable, often does not end up being as enriching as it seeks.

In this case, the phrase “more is more” doesn’t hold up. It’s a “who’s who” of Catalan music in the last twenty years, not a portrait of generations. The documentary itself, which should be a piece that introduces us to this new scene and its vibrant essence, becomes largely a dialogue between the present and the recent past. The supposed protagonists Patty’s Gang —The name we refer to the new batch, which according to Pep Velasco, singer Vega Flawas “It happened when Dera created a playlist called ‘La banda del pati’ and started putting songs on it, generating an image of a union of artists making a new story” – they are found on many occasions talking more about the changes than their present. The forgotten big guy ends up music.

The documentary lumps it all together under the rubric of urban pop, a title that makes us miss the richness of the sound we find ourselves with today.

Although one of the documentary’s greatest virtues is the musical moments, which allow a potentially more complex discourse to breathe, and show us great moments. collective ecstasy – How can a concert Bad Generation Wizink is about to present niche Greta and they performed their common theme, or one of the festival’s vibrant concerts. tits– Very little has been said about the new genres in which this new wave operates. If it is true that at one point they were tired of the idea of ​​”music in Catalan” as a genre, the documentary lumps everything together under the rubric of urban pop, a label that makes you lose that richness of sound that we are in at the moment. There is more talk about the fact that “our” wind music, as Xenia Casado says, has been lost – although it by no means stops playing at major festivals with Coty x CotyTo give a quick example—the fact that we can now find disco music in subjects like Find to JulietOr reggaeton, funk, carioca funk, or Jersey accelerations in Mishka’s first album, Olivia’s synthpop, or electronic dance music with touches of electro Latin music. Pilotio From aunts, or unexpected rancheras, Auroraby Vega Floas.

However, the documentary touches on, or almost like a checklist, other interesting topics on a social and cultural level. For example, Joan S. Luna, managing editor of The world of soundHe pointed out how the narrative method moved from the collective to the singular and the experiences in the first person singular. And so dealing with the elephant in the room: supposed or not Depoliticization to the language, or its use itself, after the operation. Perhaps the best thing the documentary does is to portray this change in language as it is. Catalanwhich for years, with a few successful exceptions such as Manel, has transformed Catalan into a language with a high political charge in its messages. And as in transforming it into another element of popular creativity, the target audience to which it is addressed is expanded.

The yard gang. Music was not born. It brings to the table many interesting aspects that could have been explored if more time had been given. Perhaps the solution would have been to create this piece in the format Documentary seriesleaving more time for the film’s protagonists to have their say, thus avoiding the format of the speech created in post-production; or reducing the piece to seem more of a new generation. Without going any further, consider one of the few interviews conducted by Mishkat – conducted by the cultural journalist and presenter of the program No ToraAlba Riera – Beyond her appearance in formats that seek rapid spread, which falls short and desires more, like many others in the shots. And usually becomes one Friendly taste For what could be a radiographic portrait of the last twenty-five years of music in Catalan that anyone, with or without musical notions, can enjoy. Although if what you’re looking for is an in-depth portrait, or to satisfy the curiosity of most fans of the members of this stadium band, this is not quite the place.