Green echo
Encyclopedia
Green Echo is an instrumental
band from Lisbon
, Portugal
, crossing over various genres such as dub
, world music
, progressive music
, experimental music
.
& effects), J (drums
) and Pedrü (Bass
) in 2003. The three long-time friends, sharing mutual taste for music, decided to start jamming together, playing at home long instrumental and experimental jams, always based on improvisation, using various effects pedals, namely long-lasting delays, deep reverbs and loops, influenced on a variety of bands from all types of genres, such as Mr. Bungle
, Sonic Youth
, Can
, Kraftwerk
, Soft Machine
, Tool
, The Mars Volta
, De Facto
, Radiohead
, Amon Tobin
, Zenzile, Kaly Live Dub, Hightone, Pink Floyd
, Bob Marley
, King Tubby
, and on also on Portuguese bands such as Three and a Quarter
, Zen, Blasted Mechanism
, Primitive Reason
, Loosers, Wray Gunn
. Wanting to develop their ideas, they started with regular rehearsals, from which resulted their first tracks being recorded and made available on MySpace, under several names, until settling with the name Green Echo (made up by Nno Mar and J, defining the style of music played and based on a Line 6 delay pedal)
Wanting to expand their sound, Adri (Clarinet
, Transverse Flute
, Melodica
and effects) and Zdigas (Guitar
, Synth & effects) became full-time members, making Green Echo’s sound much more dense.
It was then that Green Echo started grabbing some attention on the internet, eventually having its first airplay on a Portuguese radio program called "Admirável Mundo Novo".
Their first release was a contribution with two tracks (“dunk” and “duz”) for the compilation ‘’“Thirty Something New Tales”’’ from Music@PL.PT in 2006. At this time, Pedrü had left the band, and was temporarily replaced by Zeca.
On the following months, the band went on a short hiatus, returning to their regular jams with a new formation. Zeca left the band, while the brothers Leo (Guitar
) and Rod (Keyboards
, Percussion
and Bass
) joined in, and some months after, bass duties were undertaken by Katharsis’ vocalist Sarmento (Bass
, Tenor Sax
and Didgeridoo
). With the entry of the three latter members, the music of Green Echo distanced itself from the yearly experimentalist and raw sound, influencing more on world music
and jazzy structures.
It was with this formation that Green Echo finally gave their first concert, on the Festival de Oeiras in early 2009. Shortly after Sara (VJ
) joined the band, providing Green Echo with a new visual impact for their music through strong emotive videos. It was only by the end of July that Green Echo gave their first full concert alone, at Crew Hassan in Lisbon.
They then entered into the New Talents Contest ("Concurso Novos Talentos"), with a series of gigs in Lisbon
and Montemor, eventually winning the contest. As a result, the band was invited to play at the Festa do Avante in September 2009, headlining the last day of the festival's side stage, giving one of their most memorable concerts up to date!
In October 2009, Green Echo started recording their first album.
"Green echo release their ideas and emotions communicating and expressing themselves through art, creating an explosion of feelings in the audience. Green echo jam and improvise trying to make their sound the echo of the present moment. Their music is a fusion of electronic and acoustic sound that reaches a spacey and natural sound at the same time. Each musical moment is unique and is created through fusion of perceptions that each element has from the world. This creates the energy for rebellion, for reflection... We seek the sound of change."
, World Music
, Progressive rock
, Experimental rock
, Jazz fusion
, and from bands such as Mr. Bungle
, Sonic Youth
, Can
, Kraftwerk
, Soft Machine
, Tool
, The Mars Volta
, De Facto
, Radiohead
, Amon Tobin
, Zenzile, Kaly Live Dub, Hightone, Pink Floyd
, Bob Marley
, King Tubby
, and on also on Portuguese bands such as Three and a Quarter
, Zen, Blasted Mechanism
, Primitive Reason
, Loosers, Wray Gunn
.
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
band from Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, crossing over various genres such as dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
, world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
, progressive music
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
, experimental music
Experimental rock
Experimental rock or avant-garde rock is a type of music based on rock which experiments with the basic elements of the genre, or which pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique....
.
Biography
Green echo was founded by Nno Mar (GuitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
& effects), J (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
) and Pedrü (Bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) in 2003. The three long-time friends, sharing mutual taste for music, decided to start jamming together, playing at home long instrumental and experimental jams, always based on improvisation, using various effects pedals, namely long-lasting delays, deep reverbs and loops, influenced on a variety of bands from all types of genres, such as Mr. Bungle
Mr. Bungle
Mr. Bungle was an experimental band from Northern California. The band was formed in 1985 while the members were still in high school and was named after a children's educational film. Mr. Bungle released four demo tapes in the mid to late 1980s before being signed to Warner Bros. Records and...
, Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
, Can
Can (band)
Can was an experimental rock band formed in Cologne, West Germany in 1968. Later labeled as one of the first "krautrock" groups, they transcended mainstream influences and incorporated strong minimalist and world music elements into their often psychedelic music.Can constructed their music largely...
, Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
, Soft Machine
Soft Machine
Soft Machine were an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene, and helped pioneer the progressive rock genre...
, Tool
Tool (band)
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
, The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is a Grammy award winning American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas. Founded in 2001 by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the band incorporates various influences including progressive rock, krautrock, jazz fusion, Latin American music, and...
, De Facto
De Facto (band)
De Facto was a dub reggae band which included Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Omar Rodríguez-López, Isaiah "Ikey" Owens and Jeremy Michael Ward.- Biography :...
, Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
, Amon Tobin
Amon Tobin
Amon Adonai Santos de Araújo Tobin , known as Amon Tobin, is a Brazilian musician, composer and producer of electronic music. He is described as a virtuoso sound designer and is considered to be one of the most influential electronic music artists in the world...
, Zenzile, Kaly Live Dub, Hightone, Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
, King Tubby
King Tubby
King Tubby was a Jamaican electronics and sound engineer, known primarily for his influence on the development of dub in the 1960s and 1970s...
, and on also on Portuguese bands such as Three and a Quarter
Three and a Quarter
Three and a Quarter is a 3-piece, reggae-influenced rock band from Lisbon, Portugal. Formed in 1997, Three and a Quarter is known for their intensely visceral, at times chaotic live shows, which they have performed throughout Europe and the United States....
, Zen, Blasted Mechanism
Blasted Mechanism
Blasted Mechanism is a Portuguese electro-rock band known for its highly theatrical live shows involving elaborated alien-themed costumes as a backdrop to their music....
, Primitive Reason
Primitive Reason
Primitive Reason are an alternative cross-over rock band based in Portugal, with Guillermo de Llera , James Beja , Abel Beja , Ricardo Barriga and Pepe de Souza...
, Loosers, Wray Gunn
Wraygunn
Wraygunn are a Portuguese band formed in Coimbra, in early 1999. Their music is a mix of rock, soul, gospel and blues. Paulo Furtado says their sound is something like Elvis singing in a space shuttle...
. Wanting to develop their ideas, they started with regular rehearsals, from which resulted their first tracks being recorded and made available on MySpace, under several names, until settling with the name Green Echo (made up by Nno Mar and J, defining the style of music played and based on a Line 6 delay pedal)
Wanting to expand their sound, Adri (Clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, Transverse Flute
Western concert flute
The Western concert flute is a transverse woodwind instrument made of metal or wood. It is the most common variant of the flute. A musician who plays the flute is called a flautist, flutist, or flute player....
, Melodica
Melodica
The melodica, also known as the "blow-organ" or "key-flute", is a free-reed instrument similar to the melodeon and harmonica. It has a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. Pressing a key opens a hole,...
and effects) and Zdigas (Guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, Synth & effects) became full-time members, making Green Echo’s sound much more dense.
It was then that Green Echo started grabbing some attention on the internet, eventually having its first airplay on a Portuguese radio program called "Admirável Mundo Novo".
Their first release was a contribution with two tracks (“dunk” and “duz”) for the compilation ‘’“Thirty Something New Tales”’’ from Music@PL.PT in 2006. At this time, Pedrü had left the band, and was temporarily replaced by Zeca.
On the following months, the band went on a short hiatus, returning to their regular jams with a new formation. Zeca left the band, while the brothers Leo (Guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
) and Rod (Keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, Percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
and Bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) joined in, and some months after, bass duties were undertaken by Katharsis’ vocalist Sarmento (Bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Tenor Sax
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
and Didgeridoo
Didgeridoo
The didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...
). With the entry of the three latter members, the music of Green Echo distanced itself from the yearly experimentalist and raw sound, influencing more on world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
and jazzy structures.
It was with this formation that Green Echo finally gave their first concert, on the Festival de Oeiras in early 2009. Shortly after Sara (VJ
VJ (video performance artist)
VJing is a broad designation for realtime visual performance. Characteristics of VJing are the creation or manipulation of imagery in realtime through technological mediation and for an audience, in synchronization to music. VJing often takes place at events such as concerts, nightclubs, music...
) joined the band, providing Green Echo with a new visual impact for their music through strong emotive videos. It was only by the end of July that Green Echo gave their first full concert alone, at Crew Hassan in Lisbon.
They then entered into the New Talents Contest ("Concurso Novos Talentos"), with a series of gigs in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
and Montemor, eventually winning the contest. As a result, the band was invited to play at the Festa do Avante in September 2009, headlining the last day of the festival's side stage, giving one of their most memorable concerts up to date!
In October 2009, Green Echo started recording their first album.
Musical style
As can be read from their site,"Green echo release their ideas and emotions communicating and expressing themselves through art, creating an explosion of feelings in the audience. Green echo jam and improvise trying to make their sound the echo of the present moment. Their music is a fusion of electronic and acoustic sound that reaches a spacey and natural sound at the same time. Each musical moment is unique and is created through fusion of perceptions that each element has from the world. This creates the energy for rebellion, for reflection... We seek the sound of change."
Improvisation
The general idea behind Green Echo's music is solely based on improvisation and soundscapes. These improvisations can be attached to a single riff, idea or on the other hand be loosely developed around no particular thing where the band simply started playing and took the music wherever it went. Green echo maintains the spirit of improvisation as its result is more closely linked to the moment of the experience itself giving space for a much more interesting creation, based upon what is happening in that moment. As such, green echo's concerts are in each self unique, as even when previously prepared, such preparation relies only on the message or journey to be explored, no more.Effects
Green Echo's sound relies also on the heavy use of effects pedals. This use, namely by creating soundscapes, shows a different approach to the instruments played, being a guitar, for example, not a final instrument, but a mere vehicle to what can be done with effects pedals. Every member of the band uses some kind of effects, especially imposing echos and delays. This can be particularly heard in the self-oscillating delays, and the effects used in the woodwinds played by Adri.Influences
All members of Green Echo have a different, even if linked, musical background. However, it is clearly identifiable the influence of DubDub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
, World Music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
, Progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
, Experimental rock
Experimental rock
Experimental rock or avant-garde rock is a type of music based on rock which experiments with the basic elements of the genre, or which pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique....
, Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
, and from bands such as Mr. Bungle
Mr. Bungle
Mr. Bungle was an experimental band from Northern California. The band was formed in 1985 while the members were still in high school and was named after a children's educational film. Mr. Bungle released four demo tapes in the mid to late 1980s before being signed to Warner Bros. Records and...
, Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
, Can
Can (band)
Can was an experimental rock band formed in Cologne, West Germany in 1968. Later labeled as one of the first "krautrock" groups, they transcended mainstream influences and incorporated strong minimalist and world music elements into their often psychedelic music.Can constructed their music largely...
, Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
, Soft Machine
Soft Machine
Soft Machine were an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene, and helped pioneer the progressive rock genre...
, Tool
Tool (band)
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
, The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is a Grammy award winning American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas. Founded in 2001 by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the band incorporates various influences including progressive rock, krautrock, jazz fusion, Latin American music, and...
, De Facto
De Facto (band)
De Facto was a dub reggae band which included Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Omar Rodríguez-López, Isaiah "Ikey" Owens and Jeremy Michael Ward.- Biography :...
, Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
, Amon Tobin
Amon Tobin
Amon Adonai Santos de Araújo Tobin , known as Amon Tobin, is a Brazilian musician, composer and producer of electronic music. He is described as a virtuoso sound designer and is considered to be one of the most influential electronic music artists in the world...
, Zenzile, Kaly Live Dub, Hightone, Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
, King Tubby
King Tubby
King Tubby was a Jamaican electronics and sound engineer, known primarily for his influence on the development of dub in the 1960s and 1970s...
, and on also on Portuguese bands such as Three and a Quarter
Three and a Quarter
Three and a Quarter is a 3-piece, reggae-influenced rock band from Lisbon, Portugal. Formed in 1997, Three and a Quarter is known for their intensely visceral, at times chaotic live shows, which they have performed throughout Europe and the United States....
, Zen, Blasted Mechanism
Blasted Mechanism
Blasted Mechanism is a Portuguese electro-rock band known for its highly theatrical live shows involving elaborated alien-themed costumes as a backdrop to their music....
, Primitive Reason
Primitive Reason
Primitive Reason are an alternative cross-over rock band based in Portugal, with Guillermo de Llera , James Beja , Abel Beja , Ricardo Barriga and Pepe de Souza...
, Loosers, Wray Gunn
Wraygunn
Wraygunn are a Portuguese band formed in Coimbra, in early 1999. Their music is a mix of rock, soul, gospel and blues. Paulo Furtado says their sound is something like Elvis singing in a space shuttle...
.