We sat down with Gustavo Jacob, Zulu González and Ricardo Jacob who together make Los Importantes de la Noche. They signed with Anara Publishing at the beginning of 2018, bringing a Latin feel to our roster. They go through their collaborative songwriting approach as well as giving advice to all aspiring songwriters out there.
Tell us about how you started making music both individually and together as a band.
Well, the three of us played in another band where the lack of new material was becoming a big issue for us. We used to play the same songs and no new ideas where put on the table. We felt we needed to do something else and started a “song workshop”, as we called it, in which we sat and developed any ideas we had into a new song, both instrumental or with lyrics. That is how we started, from the need to make music. We didn’t think of a band or an album, that came later. One important thing to say is that in this project we decided to leave our comfort zones: the drummer plays guitar and the guitarists play organ and double bass. That gave a different vibe to whatever we were doing.
How important do you think music publishing is to emerging artists in today’s industry?
The industry has changed so much it is not even an industry anymore for most musicians and it is very very different from how it used to be. Music publishing gives us musicians the chance to make our music go further and it’s probably the last thing that remains, and that works, of that old industry.
What is your typical songwriting process for Los Importantes de la Noche?
Well, it is different depending on the song. Sometimes it is just a chord progression or guitar/organ riff and that develops into something we all feel comfortable with. In other cases someone brings a full song and we just play it as it is. We all do the arrangements together.
Describe a pivotal music moment for you in your favourite film, television show, brand partnership etc. Has this influenced any of your own compositions?
There are too many music moments in films that we like. From John Williams or Ligeti in “2001: A Space Odyssey” to Shaft or those great moments of involuntary comedy in Bruce Lee’s films where music has a big role on the scenes. That is a big influence. On our music videos we use old stock footage, silent movies and cartoons because that is what we feel relates the most with our music.
Do you have any advice for aspiring songwriters?
Just be open to any music idea that comes to mind, you never know what may become a great song. Avoid self-censorship and just go with the flow. Paraphrasing the great composer Vangelis: “Go where the music leads you, don’t lead the music where you want.”