Cualli
by Mister Mime
7th November 2020
Fabulous funkmeister Cualli is back with his unique brand of dream-funk-hop and disco-psychedelia in his new album ’Tummy Fuzz’. Here, we are witness to some exciting instrumentation like the cat-funk conversation in ‘Pleasure Treasure’, a melodic talk-box in ‘Hungry Spiders’ and a quirky vocal hook in ‘Front Door’, all sandwiched between infectious, intertwining guitar riffs with light-hearted beats bopping underneath. These whimsical electro-funk jams will most definitely befriend you right to the bone and succour you with their carefree and magnetic demeanour. During the unpredictable ride that 2020 has been so far, this irresistible bowel movement boogie is a welcome form of audio inoculation that comes highly recommend.
MM: Can you tell us a bit about your background and musical journey so far?
Cualli: I've always loved music. My dad was really into The Beatles, Elvis, Garth Brooks and we'd listen to the oldies and classic rock station when I was young. I really wanted an electric guitar and my parents bought me one for Christmas when I was in 4th or 5th grade. I envisioned myself as a rock star but when I got the guitar I discovered that I actually sucked at it so it just collected dust for a few years haha. In middle school a couple of buddies of mine wanted to make a band so started teaching myself through reading tabs. We played punk rock and metal. We went through a couple of names but settled on Scissor Kick Seizures after our lead singer had a seizure during a show. It was a freak accident caused by him rocking tf out, doing a quasi front flip and landing on his neck awkwardly. The band fizzled out at the end of high school.
When I went to college, I bought a laptop which had garage band on it. I started fiddling with it and wanted to write tunes that a band could eventually play when I had one. My roommate in college gave me a copy of Ableton and I was hooked. By the time I was in a band again the Cualli project was its own thing and I just kept rolling with it.
MM: What is the theme/concept of ’Tummy Fuzz’? What about the tracks themselves..are there any stories behind any of them? Hungry Spiders, Slam Duck, Pleasure Treasure
Cualli: Tummy Fuzz kinda just happened. There wasn't a whole lot of thought put into it. It was what I wanted to do at the moment. Due to the lockdown and pandemic canceling all foreseeable shows I was free to do whatever I wanted in the studio instead of writing music for live sets. My family and I had really been digging Vulfpeck and I thought it would be fun to play my instruments and write some funk music. For the previous few years I had been focusing on writing music that was centered around beats and sound design. Playing instruments was a return to home base. Writing all of these upbeat and musical songs has really been a positive for my mental health in these anxiety inducing times.
MM: You’ve taken up all of the duties in the making of the album including mixing, mastering and the artwork. Can you tell us a bit about the artwork and what it may symbolise?
Cualli: The artwork is a frame of an animation that I made to go with the music. I spiced it up to make it into the cover art. In the artwork I see an eye, an hourglass and wings. I think all of those things as symbols are rich in meaning but I wasn't consciously going for a specific meaning.
MM: What’s your take on the concept of ‘genres’ in music? How do you draw from a variety of generic influences (funk, disco, glitch, psychedelic, etc.) to craft your own sound and vibe?
Cualli: I think genre labels are a nice linguistic tool to be able to talk about music. Of course talking about music is a little bit beside the point but I still love talking shop. I like listening to all sorts of music. I like good music in general and don't have any "genre allergies." I love getting inspired by new music.
MM: How has being an instrumentalist helped your electronic music production sensibilities and process and vice versa?
Cualli: I don't know that I see them as that different. I kind of view the whole process of playing/making/recording music as the same thing. Some aspects of playing an instrument requires analytical thought and technique. Other aspects require you to put all of that aside and let the music flow through without analyzing. The same is true for music production or any creative endeavor. It's a dance of staying out of my own way while making sure all of the cylinders are firing.
MM: Who are some artists that you are really digging right now?
Cualli: Lately I've been enjoying a lot 60s and 70s psych and funk records. Grateful Dead, Velvet Underground, Lou Reed, Funkadelic, Betty Davis, Pink Floyd, Beatles, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Sly etc. In the modern era, Vulfpeck and Parcels have been doing it for me.
MM: What are your interests outside of music?
Cualli: Being a father, being in nature, making music videos.
MM: Do you have any advice for up and coming producers and instrumentalists on making funky and fun songs?
Cualli: Well I think the most important thing with any creative endeavour is to want to do it. It doesn't have to be fun all of the time and it can be good to take breaks but it should be fun. Follow your heart. If what's fun or fulfilling is making really dark music go with that. If you really want to do it, the immense amount of time generally required to get good at it will fly by. The struggle of being an artist is real though. A lot of us drive ourselves pretty crazy.
MM: Can you tell us how you chose your artist name 'Cualli'?
Cualli: Cualli means "good" in Aztec. I was taking a world philosophy class in college where we were learning about Aztec philosophy and liked the word/name.
You Can Follow Cuali on:
https://cualli.bandcamp.com/https://www.instagram.com/cuallimusic/
All Images courtesy of Cualli
