|
Receptor. Shon(sitting), L-R: Eric, Pablo and Tony (Photo by Chris Marksbury)
WHAT makes a classic record? What does it take to make a record that transcends time and space?
Well, one doesn’t have to be an astro-physicist to know that the music currently being played on the radio have no transcendental qualities at all–It lacks life.
It all sounds like it was spun in a common blender shared by all producers:
The cliché choruses, the over-compressed sound, the in-your face–breathy vocals, and the wailings are overused and abused –It is robotic, almost.
The thing is, modern records doesn’t sound like performances at all–it sounds like a formula. What ever happened to the art of making records? Records are supposed to capture musical performances not just sounds passing through plugins and outboard gear.
The mission
This vomitous trend is what the band Receptor is trying to change.
In January of this year, the band based in New York released an EP called ‘Gestation’, which according to the band’s guitarist, Tony Cortes, aims to bring the class back in modern music. The goal is to eliminate the formula and bring back the feel of real performances on tape.
“Most modern bands sound like they either recorded on the same studio or with the same musicians. You can’t tell one from the other. They’re all the same. It’s very processed –the arrangements are the cliché”, Tony said.
The six-track EP was recorded at a friend’s basement studio, however, the production really sounds polished and professional, in spite of the production limitations.
From the onset, Gestation sounds like a modern record, but, yes, minus the cliché.
The music is hard rock in the tradition of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, ACDC with a contemporary gloss. The classic riffs are there, and so are the dirty–sweaty vocals reminiscent of days gone by. It is not hard to imagine that they do sound like their records live–forumula-free unlike most of the bands today.
“ I think what we are doing now is bringing back something that is classic but tidying it up to become a little bit modern. Not a lot of bands are doing that now”, Tony added.
Notable tracks include the opening number, ‘Apathy’, Gravity Betrayer’, and ‘Wanderlust’.
However, to set the record straight, the music of Receptor is not a genre-creating one. Bands like Wolfmother and Jet are just some of the bands that are making new music by sounding old. However, since these bands are signed by majors, the guys of Receptor have a big chance to get a deal too. The band Receptor is a relatively new band having been formed only last year by guitarist Tony and vocalist Shon Moshin, however, their song writing gives no clue that they are newbies. In fact, their materials are well written and possess enough maturity to break away and make it big.
To illustrate, this ‘new’ band rocked out some of the most prestigious venues in New York City: Arlene’s Grocery, The Bitter End, CBGB’s Continental, Crash Mansion, The Cutting Room, Kenny’s Castaways and The Knitting Factory, to name a few. These are venues where only pros are allowed to rock n’ roll.
The members of Receptor come from diverse backgrounds. Tony is Puerto Rican-American, Shon is Bangladeshi-American, drummer Eric Applegate is FIlipino-American, and bassist Pablo Furtado is originally from Brazil.
Yet not withstanding the cultural differences, the members somehow connected through the music that they play.
Receptor is resilient in bringing life to the stale music scene, and they will do anything to be able to be heard. They are willing to play anytime, anywhere to get that chance to be signed by a major and make a difference in the industry.
Although in today’s trend, one might need to be an astro-physicist to break the current formula. But whatever it takes, however it goes, the Fil Am scene is behind Receptor in their noble mission.
Visit the band’s website http://www.receptorband.com
|
