Colombia based producer McKena studied Contemporary Writing and Production alongside Music Production and Engineering at Berklee College of Music before relocating to his current location, Chicago.
With a fondness for rock music from the classic era as well as the 70s and 80s progressive movements combined with his love for funk and electronic, McKena produces an intriguing, attention grabbing palette of musical styles which he refers to as a “frankenstein” of all his favorite music. Terrance Mckenna is also noted as major influence that has shaped McKena as both an artist and a person.
C8H11N02 (Let Loose) is a smooth, soothing rock-driven jam that has a healthy dose of pop appeal. After listening to the single on repeat several times, I can confidently say the song never gets old and you will discover something new through each listen. The vocal sample discussing the existence of “the Greys” is a nice touch! (I assume only a small group of listeners will “get” that reference.)
On a different note, and something really groovy, McKena produced for a band that we have featured on these pages. That band is Sonar Fiction and you can read about them here (link opens in new tab).
In this interview spotlight, I chat with McKena about the new release, motivations, challenges, his unique view on cassette tapes and much more.
Be sure to listen to McKena‘s latest release, C8H11N02 (Let Loose) on Spotify.
You can also connect with him on Soundcloud.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
My name is Antonio Esguerra, my artist name is Mckena, and I am from Bogotá, Colombia. I make electronic, funky, rock like, pop like music. If I where to settle for a name I would call it progressive pop, as in rock, and funk fit under the word pop, though probably not in the way the word is used commonly. It is also progressive, because like prog-rock it takes elements from other genres, like time signatures and forms, and other unusual elements. Prog is half the fun.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
I started out piano very young, and I remember listening to my father’s Queen greatest hits record, he also had some Elton John, and some Zeppelin and Pink Floyd; and I just loved listening to those records when I was maybe between 5 and 6. Then my parents got divorced, and as those things came to work out, my brother and I spent a lot of time at my father’s place while he worked watching TV. He only had national cable at the time, and there was this channel simply called channel 13, which was sort of our national spin on MTV. And because everything else was basically news, and documentaries, me a seven year old would pick to watch music videos over that every day… for hours and hours. And after years of brainwashing I decided to switch from piano to electric guitar. And then I got even more brainwashed and ended up going to school for music, and deciding that I wanted to put some music out into the world eventually. Music is just like a drug, that has no adverse side effects… except if it is all 5Hz and very loud.
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
This my first two releases, and they differ one from the other because they came from different influences. One is a very psychedelic rock inspired track, with some soul and some funk in it, and the other is much more straight funk, and in terms of format is very electronic. I wouldn’t know which electronic subgenre to pin the second one on, but it is repetitive, and it is atmospheric, and has a four on the floor type of groove, so it takes from a wide selection.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
The challenge is to find yourself in a world, where distribution is available but visibility is very expensive. The music is really easy to put out there, but to put it in front of people who will like it, in a way that isn’t invasive, is an art, but is also a channel that isn’t free. Facebook ads are not free, instagram ads are not free, playlist pushing is not free, and the success of any of these methods is yet to be determined by the way you use them. So in summary the technology has given the industry new forms of business and revenue, but in a way has given control to corporations that are draining the money out of the music industry, into the tech industry. And then the actual labor of marketing, hasn’t become easier, it just has become accessible. So the challenge is to look at all that and stay motivated to try and make music. So I don’t know if the technology has actually helped, or has basically set the stage for a shift of control to take place, but not in favor of the artists, but in favor of a different kind of money. Recording technology though is a different story. These two singles where mixed in a full facility, but they where made in my bedroom, with a minimalistic amount of things that are readily available for anyone to get. But just like marketing, music making isn’t easier now, but the medium is more affordable.
What was the last song you listened to?
pH by Shibo featuring Nick Dorian
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
A stereo with a subwoofer, with no cassette player that spontaneously combusts when MP3’s attempt to be played through it… waste of frame space. Tidal? I’m an engineer, so my condolences on choosing to ask this question.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Whatever people like is fine with me. I think that some people have varying degrees of an illness called audiophilia. For the terminal patients hopefully I get to print some vinyl copies in the future, for the ones in development stage the music is out on Tidal, and for the less affected Apple music. For the healthy people Spotify is also fine, it is sort of social now, which I’m down with because I love to share music, so I try to be active on it. And for people who want cassettes, fuck you. They are a waste of air, tape, space, are expensive to make now days and so, are doubly redundant. And if you are a Hipster: buy a shitty record player and pose instead. I will love you unconditionally even though you might be ruining one of the hundreds of copies I could afford to make, on your cheap ass Crosby whatever it is they sell on urban outfitters disk spinner. I love you… but fuck you.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
- I have a widely inactive Facebook.
- I have an instagram.
- Spotify
- Apple Music
Anything else before we sign off?
I meant no disrespect to Cassette owners, they can be a collector’s item from when we had to sacrifice a lot of music quality so that we could run and listen to music at the same time, and are not exclusively hipster talismans. I don’t know how people ran before being able to listen to music at the same time, but I believe the shift must’ve been a cultural divide, and thus I understand emotional attachment to things, beyond all reason. If this is you however don’t play them, they wear out, and they retain their stock market value like boxed action figures. So just store them in a dry place at room temperature away from direct sunlight, and don’t sell them to hipsters, they will play them and ruin them.
