One of the greatest surprises of last year's Latin Alternative Music Conference (an international showcase of Latin music that does not include salsa) was Brooklyn's Zigmat, which stole the show with sets at The Mercury Lounge and at SOBs—not an easy task with so many new bands vying for the spotlight.
“It was really empowering to be around people that have similar goals in terms of exposure and objectives,” says vocalist Monica Rodriguez. “I think it's a great thing to have a convention that is not just indie like [music festival] South by Southwest, but for upcoming Latin artists to establish a community to field from each other and share ideas.”
Formed in 2006 by Monica Rodriguez and Stephen Yonkin (both graduates of Berklee College), Zigmat categorizes itself as an electro-indie-rock band—it is highly influenced by techno but prefers to play music in a more organic manner.
Rodriguez writes the duo's lyrics, with some input from Yonkin. “Lyrically I mostly work alone, but musically we've always collaborated in different situations with different songs,” Rodriguez explains. “For example, on ‘Between Bullets,’ first we worked on chord changes and ideas for sort of a beat, and then we played through different arrangements and we recorded a demo, and then we worked with [producer] Alon Leventon, who fleshes them out, adds electronics and then we try it at rehearsals and shows until we reach a final version.”
One characteristic of the group’s songwriting is the fact that Rodriguez often peppers the lyrics with Spanish words. “I guess that's because I am bilingual and I've always been around both languages, it's very natural for me to come in and out of Spanish and English—it's just a part of me that comes out in the music.”
“As an observer of her process, sometimes when we're writing or fleshing out something at a rehearsal, she usually starts with a melody and you can hear coming from English, Spanish or something that doesn't make any sense at all,” says Yonkin. “It's like finding the shape of the words to the melody that she's hearing or feeling— you can see her searching for the best word to fit the melody that she's creating.”
More recently, Zigmat has been signed to Brazilian label Ultra (the band is still unsigned in the U.S.), and is preparing for a tour to promote its debut record there. “We met label's owner when we were playing a residency at Nublu—he was opening up an opportunity to sign a band in New York, so he really liked our sound and we just kept in communication, so eventually we signed with them and are releasing an album in Brazil in the coming months.”
Jan. 28, Southpaw, 125 5th Ave. (at Sterling Pl.), Brooklyn; 718-230-0236; 10:30; $ 10
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