Porter (band)
Encyclopedia
Porter was a Mexican
indie rock
band
based in Guadalajara
, Mexico
.
Despite their uncommon sound the band got decent radio airplay on important broadcasting stations, their videos: "Espiral", "Daphne" and "Host of a Ghost" had a good reception in music video channels. "Daphne" was placed in the Telehit
's Top Ten videos and, more recently, "Host of a Ghost". (October 2007). The band has overall acceptance among critics & the audience, which often labels their sound as weird, interesting and vanguardish.
) and includes seven songs, among which are: "No te Encuentro" ("I don't find you"), "Girl", "Daphne", "Bipolar" and their most famous song "Espiral". There are also two instrumental songs in this EP called "Interlude" and "Interlude Complicado". Later that year, Porter made it to the semi-finals of an indie rock band contest called 0-music, with the song "No te Encuentro".
On September 3, 2006, they served as the opening act for The Strokes
at the Arena VFG
in Guadalajara.
Porter performed on the 2007 Vive Latino
festival, where the first copies of their debut album, Atemahawke
were available. The album went on sale on May 15, 2007.
Porter also performed for the 1st time outside of Mexico in Hollywood, California
at Al Borde's Rock N' Bliss concert on October 12, 2007 and, in 2008, at the Coachella Festival.
Their music has been classified as alternative
, indie
, and experimental
. However, lyrics often explore surrealist and space rock
themes combining English
and Spanish
languages. As an example, the 2007 track "Xoloitzcuintle Chicloso" contains Spanish words from Nahuatl
(the title comes from xoloitzcuintli, a kind of dog, and tzictli, gum, gummy dog); the whole story relies on a cat-alike dressed kid (Vega) and a talking dog (Chicloso). On the other hand, "Host of a Ghost" and "Girl" were written completely in English.
After a hiatus and various rumors of disbanding, they dissolved after playing the [Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival] in Indio, California on 2008.
Juan Son
, former vocalist for Porter has recently revealed new information on a solo effort titled Mermaid Sashimi which was released in February 2009. Victor "Villor" Valverde (former Porter member) is part of Juan Son's band. The first new single from Mermaid Sashimi is titled "Nada." A music video was recorded for the song. Juan Son and his newly formed band recently opened for Sigur Rós
in Mexico City and took part in the Rock N' Exa concert in 2009. The song "Goldfish" was released as the second single from Mermaid Sashimi, as with some of Porter's previous music it is entirely in English.
Juan Son
has mentioned in interviews that the last few months as a member of Porter were no longer inspiring to him. He admitted to being very lazy and playing with little or no enthusiasm. He said he got along great with the guys and still does to this day but he saw himself doing something else. His solo album has less guitars and live drums and more samples and a mixture of different genres.
voice and high pitch vocals. The band had cited artists such Air, Sigur Rós
, Caifanes
, Zurdok
, Röyksopp
, Café Tacvba
, The Cure
& Mecano
as influences.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
based in Guadalajara
Guadalajara, Jalisco
Guadalajara is the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality of Guadalajara. The city is located in the central region of Jalisco in the western-pacific area of Mexico. With a population of 1,564,514 it is Mexico's second most populous municipality...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Despite their uncommon sound the band got decent radio airplay on important broadcasting stations, their videos: "Espiral", "Daphne" and "Host of a Ghost" had a good reception in music video channels. "Daphne" was placed in the Telehit
TeleHit
TeleHit is a Mexican cable/satellite television network. Its main programing is music and music videos. It is a network of Televisa and is also available in various countries in Latin America, United States and Spain. Is part of Televisa Networks, an affiliate of Televisa.Telehit became the second...
's Top Ten videos and, more recently, "Host of a Ghost". (October 2007). The band has overall acceptance among critics & the audience, which often labels their sound as weird, interesting and vanguardish.
History
Porter was formed in May 2004. At the beginning they were an instrumental band, until Mussgo joined the band that same year. They then recorded the EP Donde los Ponys Pastan, with 3er piso records, a Mexican indie record label. This EP was produced by Alejandro Pérez Orco (member of Azul VioletaAzul Violeta
Mexican band Azul Violeta was formed in 1988 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, by Hugo Rodríguez and César "Vampiro" López. Mixing funk and soul, these Latin rockers were able to convince EMI, which signed them up in 1994 with the following line up: Hugo Rodríguez, Alex Pèrez, Yuri González, Iván González...
) and includes seven songs, among which are: "No te Encuentro" ("I don't find you"), "Girl", "Daphne", "Bipolar" and their most famous song "Espiral". There are also two instrumental songs in this EP called "Interlude" and "Interlude Complicado". Later that year, Porter made it to the semi-finals of an indie rock band contest called 0-music, with the song "No te Encuentro".
On September 3, 2006, they served as the opening act for The Strokes
The Strokes
The Strokes are an American indie rock band formed in 1999 in New York City. Consisting of Julian Casablancas , Nick Valensi , Albert Hammond, Jr. , Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti ....
at the Arena VFG
Arena VFG
Arena V.F.G. is an indoor arena located in Guadalajara, Mexico. The arena can accommodate between 3,500 and 15,000 people. It is mainly used for sporting events and concerts.-Name:...
in Guadalajara.
Porter performed on the 2007 Vive Latino
Vive Latino
Vive Latino is an annual rock music festival held in Mexico City. It is one of the most important rock en español music festivals in Latin America, featuring a great variety of Mexican, Latin and Spanish groups of many genres....
festival, where the first copies of their debut album, Atemahawke
Atemahawke
Atemahawke is the debut album of Mexican surrealist rock band Porter, released on May 15, 2007. To date, the only single released is "Host of a Ghost". Name consists of an English phonetic translation of Nahuatl for Guadalajara, Ātemaxac...
were available. The album went on sale on May 15, 2007.
Porter also performed for the 1st time outside of Mexico in Hollywood, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
at Al Borde's Rock N' Bliss concert on October 12, 2007 and, in 2008, at the Coachella Festival.
Their music has been classified as alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, indie
Indie (music)
In music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie" is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing....
, and experimental
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....
. However, lyrics often explore surrealist and space rock
Space rock
Space rock is a subgenre of rock music; the term originally referred to a group of early, mostly British, 1970s progressive and psychedelic rock bands such as Hawkwind and Pink Floyd, characterised by slow, lengthy instrumental passages dominated by electric organs, synthesizers, experimental...
themes combining English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
languages. As an example, the 2007 track "Xoloitzcuintle Chicloso" contains Spanish words from Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
(the title comes from xoloitzcuintli, a kind of dog, and tzictli, gum, gummy dog); the whole story relies on a cat-alike dressed kid (Vega) and a talking dog (Chicloso). On the other hand, "Host of a Ghost" and "Girl" were written completely in English.
After a hiatus and various rumors of disbanding, they dissolved after playing the [Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival] in Indio, California on 2008.
Juan Son
Juan Son
Juan Carlos Pereda is a Mexican singer and composer of experimental music. He was the vocals of the alternative rock band Porter and is now a solo singer under the pseudonym Juan Son.-Biography:...
, former vocalist for Porter has recently revealed new information on a solo effort titled Mermaid Sashimi which was released in February 2009. Victor "Villor" Valverde (former Porter member) is part of Juan Son's band. The first new single from Mermaid Sashimi is titled "Nada." A music video was recorded for the song. Juan Son and his newly formed band recently opened for Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band with classicaland minimalist elements. The band is known for its ethereal sound, and frontman Jónsi Birgisson's falsetto vocals and use of bowed guitar. In January 2010, the band announced that they will be on hiatus. Since then, it has since been announced...
in Mexico City and took part in the Rock N' Exa concert in 2009. The song "Goldfish" was released as the second single from Mermaid Sashimi, as with some of Porter's previous music it is entirely in English.
Juan Son
Juan Son
Juan Carlos Pereda is a Mexican singer and composer of experimental music. He was the vocals of the alternative rock band Porter and is now a solo singer under the pseudonym Juan Son.-Biography:...
has mentioned in interviews that the last few months as a member of Porter were no longer inspiring to him. He admitted to being very lazy and playing with little or no enthusiasm. He said he got along great with the guys and still does to this day but he saw himself doing something else. His solo album has less guitars and live drums and more samples and a mixture of different genres.
Musical style
Their sound consists of a mixture of electronic and acoustic beats, rock guitars, sound loops and Mussgo's distinctive tenorTenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
voice and high pitch vocals. The band had cited artists such Air, Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band with classicaland minimalist elements. The band is known for its ethereal sound, and frontman Jónsi Birgisson's falsetto vocals and use of bowed guitar. In January 2010, the band announced that they will be on hiatus. Since then, it has since been announced...
, Caifanes
Caifanes
Caifanes is a Spanish-language rock band from Mexico City formed in 1987. They achieved fame throughout the late 80’s and early 90’s. The original lineup consisted of Saúl Hernández , Sabo Romo , Alfonso André and Diego Herrera . Argentine guitarist Alejandro Marcovich joined in 1989...
, Zurdok
Zurdok
Zurdok was a Mexican rock band based in Monterrey. It was formed in 1993 under the name Zurdok Movimento, changing it several years later to simply Zurdok. It was one of the most important bands in the Mexican rock band scene at the end of the 1990s and the early 2000s.The band recorded 3 studio...
, Röyksopp
Röyksopp
Röyksopp is a Norwegian electronic music duo from Tromsø, formed in 1998. Since their inception, the band's line-up has included Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland....
, Café Tacvba
Café Tacvba
Café Tacuba is a band from Naucalpan, Mexico. The group is widely credited with being a pioneering group of the Rock en Español movement, which gained popularity in the early 1990s...
, The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
& Mecano
Mecano
Mecano was a Spanish pop band whose debut coincided with La Movida Madrileña , a sociocultural movement that occurred in Madrid, Spain during the 1980s...
as influences.
Band members
- Juan Pablo "Chata" Vázquez – drumsDrum kitA 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 ....
- Victor "Villor" Valverde – guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Juan Carlos "Mussgo" PeredaJuan SonJuan Carlos Pereda is a Mexican singer and composer of experimental music. He was the vocals of the alternative rock band Porter and is now a solo singer under the pseudonym Juan Son.-Biography:...
– lead vocals - Fernando "Fehr" de la Huerta – guitarGuitarThe 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...
- Diego "Bacter" Rangel – bassElectric BassElectric bass can mean:*Electric upright bass, the electric version of a double bass*Electric bass guitar*Bass synthesizer*Big Mouth Billy Bass, a battery-powered singing fish...
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, programming