more than a decade, in rigor, 12 years, is the time that the Chilean singer and producer has been living in the suburbs of Buenos Aires Oscar, who continues to work on new musical material.
In fact, recently he has just published the fourth single from a new album that is in full development and that he hopes to publish in the course of this year, no set date at the moment.
Regarding this last single, called “Feel it (He doesn't cry)“, who was vocalist of Tanaka brothers commented to Reggae Chalice that although it is a subject included in his album affections (2021), with rap rhythm, I wanted to remake it in reggae style.
“For me it is one of the best lyrics I have written and I had the idea from a guest, but to sing in another language and I remembered my friend Pablito Xampurria (Congo Map), with whom I have a friendship of many years, because he lived in Italy in his adolescence. I spoke to him and asked him if he was up to singing something in Italian and he told me that he didn't remember much, but we gave it forward”, Oskart stated.
He added that “here in Argentina the Italian culture is very present, so I thought I might like it or at least attract attention. The result was very good, I confess that better than I expected. Pablito is a very good singer and he is in a very good musical moment, His participation in the song raises the wave a lot, everything flowed very well, despite having done it remotely, the vibe was always super high”.
The other three singles already released from the new album are “Recording to Marcus Garvey”, un Reggae Roots; “Vive”, together with the Venezuelan singer OneChot, with a more rap rhythm and a sample of The Wailers; while the third is “Shiny”, a throwback of a song of the year 2007, with its original essence, but “with more arrangements and more mature”.
The new production on the way
As for the new album, Oskart revealed that there are quite a few covers of old songs coming up and admitted that the initial idea for the album was that., but in between “more roles and more guests were emerging”.
“This album that I am working on has tremendous guests from different places in Latin America, I don't want to name them because the surprise factor is something I like. It's more, along the way, new collaborations and the album, which at first was intended with only 7 songs, it's already 14″, raised singer.
He also highlighted that the album “it is flowing very well”, why “When I get into the studio I enter a creative mode to the maximum and ideas appear that enrich it a lot, musically it is much richer to be able to do it in my own studio, at my place, It allows me to be more detailed and be more relaxed. I play most of the instruments, I'm putting more fixes, bridges and harmonies, going out of format riddim where I spent many years adapting to other producers”.
The interpreter of “Holy Grass” also recognized that there is a change in the way people listen to music and, for the same, singers must adapt to that.
“The way of listening to music has changed a lot., everything is faster, an album is something ambitious nowadays, to make it entertaining from start to finish and keep the listener entertained. I have several names in mind, my latest albums are affections Y patchwork, only a word, I think that for this one I will give it a longer name, but I do not know, the name of the album almost always comes to me at the last moment”, express.
— Do you define yourself as a singer?, composer, producer, you also draw, You make poetry. Are you still making all those artistic veins compatible??
— Yes, all that and more, I am multiple. I come from a family of artists: my mother was a painter, my father cartoonist, I have a cartoonist brother and another musician. In my house there were gatherings of coffee and cigarettes, intellectual people. I was a boy and I hid under an armchair to listen to what they were talking about, in the middle of the dictatorship they talked about art and politics, of everything. Good music was always heard and when my old man bought a cassette he made us be silent on the first listen. My older brother had a vinyl collection set sail (sic), When I was a kid they took me to see Quelentaro when they played at the Rincón de Azócar, that marked me a lot to become a singer.
— What projects do you have in mind or would you like to develop??
— ufff, my mind doesn't stop even when i sleep. I am currently producing some artists from my area, sponsoring as always, now I have the tools that for many years I did not have, I am very motivated with the idea of composing and producing other reggae artists and other genres. I have a dream, have a Cultural Cafe, a space for artists and I can cook delicious meals.
— Do you have plans to perform in Chile in the short term??
— The last time I played in Chile was in 2019, but for now I'm really into the studio, I think that finishing this new album I am going to put the batteries with the live presentations, put together a band in Argentina and see the possibility of singing in Chile, Peru and Mexico that always opened the doors for me. I have received some invitations from producers and sound system from Chile. Let's see what happens, I hope it happens.
— How do you see yourself in the future?
— I don't see myself in the future, I stopped looking at it or imagining it, I visualize perhaps, but I don't work waiting for results, I only enjoy the present.
His experience in Argentina: Socioculturally it is very different
And regarding his long stay in Argentina, Oskart defines it as a “school” and that there are also notorious differences in the music scene with what happens in Chile.
“Buenos Aires is a school, further, unlike Chile, that when you grow up they want to lower you, here the musicians are very supportive, works in favor of the scene, they are happy when you do well, I think there is a big difference. It is something very different socio-cultural, For this reason, I feel very comfortable in Argentina.”, asserted.
He also stressed that these moments he is focused on music and that he has learned a lot, going from being a reggae artisan to an SME.
“What I am professionally focused on is music.. I am attending more to the commercial part of music -the industry as they call it-, although in my case it is more of an SME, eggs. Before I didn't pay so much attention and I moved like a reggae artisan, Sometimes I regret not paying more attention to it., or have had a good manager, but i have learned a lot”, he concluded.