SINISTRA is a Costa Rican art project that brings to life original songs/lyrics written by Antonio Masis. Every composition brings together a combination of talented Costa Rican musicians, designers and animators designed to bring to life a different experience through the use of music, illustration and video. The idea behind Sinistra is to showcase Costa Rican talent while inviting different artists, instruments and designers to each song. This allows each song to have its own concept, artwork and musical influences. The latest single, Art of Manipulation, is now available!
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Sinistra about the latest music, technology, challenges and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
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.)
I AM from San José, Costa Rica. The style of music that I try to develop with Sinistra is very open. I would call it Alternative Rock but the truth is each song encompasses different styles. Because each song has a different set of musicians, illutrators and designers, it gives me the opportunity to explore multiple textures and ambiences. In the different recordings, we have instruments like cello, violín, guitar, banjo, melodic drums, bass, synthesizers, etc.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
My parents really motivated me from a Young age to play clarinet, tenor sax and then I fell in love with rock music. What motivates me today is the opportunity to create Art. I love the writing process and the recording, producing stage as well.
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
These are the first two singles for Sinistra. They were the first songs I wrote for the project. All I was trying to accomplish was create music that could mix well with conceptual art and say something about different Human emotions we all feel at one point or another. I AM extremely thankful to the excellent Costa Rica musicians I was able to work with. Their talent really helped create the right ambience I was going for.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this over saturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
Technology helps because we can record our music professionally from home studios, Also it allows us to share our music in an instant across multiple platforms globally. The biggest challenge I think indie artists are facing is breaking through all the noise. There is so much marketing and content online that everyone’s attention span is literally seconds. I AM si thankful for bloggers and Review platforms that allow our music to be heard and shared.
What was the last song you listened to?
I literally love all albums that Beck has recorded. To me, he is one of the greatest artists of our time; constantly reinventing himself. The last song I listened to is Lost Cause by Beck. A beatiful theme.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
I AM a Vinyl fan. The experience of large Artwork and classic sound. It inspires dedication and to me it still inspires me to spend a Saturday Night listening to that sound and admiring the respective art.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
I don’t have a preference. Spotify seems to be the go to for everyone. I use them all! Apple, Amazon, Spotify, etc
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
My official website is sinistramusic.com ; Also at linktr.ee/sinistramusic I have all of Sinistra’s official links updates constantly. Follow us on IG: @sinistramusic!
Anything else before we sign off?
Thanks for the opportunity and I want to thank everyone for listening and sharing Sinistra’s music! We Will do our Best top continue to create the best music we can. Every song we release comes with a conceptual vídeo as well so feel free to add our Youtube Channel @sinistramusic !! Cheers!!
