Alan, how did you come up with the idea to start a netlabel and offer all albums for free?
The idea came to me after I released a digital sampler with Mexican punk on Nación Libre, which at the time was just a punk community. I also released the debut LP of my first band in a DIY manner. Then my band broke up, and I wanted to offer the album for free to everyone. To have a suitable platform for this, I decided to transform Nación Libre into a netlabel.
I offer all albums for free because I believe that music should be free and accessible everywhere without restrictions. Moreover, I think that "free music" is the best way to make something known. The music industry only presents you with canned music, with the same sound over and over again, only the singers change. They care about nothing but profit, year after year, artist after artist. There is no room for true music that comes from the heart and conveys true emotions and feelings. Of course, I am generalizing a lot, but most artists signed to major labels are like that.
Have you ever thought about starting a traditional label and selling the music?
All the time. Since the first demo of my first band was recorded, I have been thinking about starting a classic label. The biggest obstacle has been and is money. I sell a few CD-Rs of my bands at Verzet concerts. Maybe someday I will have the opportunity to build a traditional label. But I assume that the future of music is digital, even when it comes to sales, so I will probably open an online shop or include a donation button on my site to offer the bands more than just pure promotion.
How do you get in touch with the bands, and do you sometimes have to persuade them to participate?
Well, some of the bands are my own projects or bands I am friends with, but I am always looking for new bands and new sounds for the netlabel, and when I find something interesting, I contact the band. Sometimes I had to persuade them a bit because the punk scene is not as familiar with netlabels and free downloads as I would like it to be. Others assume that it is just a blog with free downloads, not a digital label. I have to clear up this misunderstanding. Recently, however, I no longer have to approach bands myself; they contact me looking for promotion online. This shows me that the attitude of the bands is changing, and they are open to new ways of distribution.
How is Nación Libre received in Mexico and around the globe? What kind of reactions do you get from visitors, friends, and bands?
Basically, the acceptance is excellent, but as mentioned before, many people still think that Nación Libre is just a blog with free downloads. I want to change this perception. Since Nación Libre is a Mexican netlabel in Spanish, most visitors and bands come from Mexico, Latin America, and Spain. So, there is a large audience that embraces the project well.
Visitors and bands say that this is an excellent place for promotion and that there should be more websites, communities, and places like Nación Libre for the distribution of underground music. My friends have always supported me in this project, which is, of course, a great incentive to give my best and offer good music with good thoughts and true feelings, in the spirit of DIY.
You mentioned Verzet, is that one of your bands? What instrument do you play, and are you active in any other projects?
Correct, Verzet is one of my bands. I play guitar and sing the second voice. During the demo recordings, it was still a one-man band, and I played the guitar and bass, sang, and also created the samples of the drum machine.
Other projects I am involved in are El Poeta Muerto (Folk Punk, just me and my acoustic guitar), Leonore (Depressive Punk, second voice and guitar, we are currently recording), and Mona Lisa Acelerada (Electronic / Cyberpunk project, I create all sequences, noises, and voices).
What are the lyrics of your bands about? What are the general themes that Mexican punk bands sing about?
The lyrics of Verzet revolve around the current punk scene, manipulation by the mass media, criticism of religion, against the system and conformity... El Poeta Muerto deals with personal experiences, friends, enemies, passion, life in my city, and the endless desire to set the world on fire. Mona Lisa Acelerada has practically no lyrics, just a few voices or snippets of text from books, mostly about cyberpunk, science fiction, and post-apocalyptic themes. The lyrics of Leonore, finally, deal with misanthropic and apocalyptic aspects, the extinction of humanity, and the rise of machines.
The themes of Mexican punk bands are mostly political; there are a lot of anarchist bands. Others sing about revolution and freedom, but without anarchist thoughts. Friends, drinking beer, and hatred of the police are other popular themes.
We live in a pseudo-democratic country, controlled by the mass media, corrupt politicians, the drug mafia, and injustice, so we use punk as a protest movement against it.
What is the music scene like in Mexico? Are there many underground bands, and do you have any insider tips for me? Are there enough suitable venues to hold concerts?
The scene in Mexico is complicated; it differs in some ways, fundamentally due to the borderlines in each region. I live in the north of the country, which is a complete desert (literally and figuratively); there are not many venues or spaces for underground music here, they prefer mainstream and cover bands, and there are no promoters for original music. Therefore, bands that have achieved a certain fame leave their hometown and travel to the center of the country, where they find support and suitable venues for their music. The capital has the largest scene with underground shops, collectives that promote alternative bands, and more opportunities for music distribution.
All over Mexico, there are many underground, alternative, and independent bands, but we need more distribution, more spaces, more supporters, and for that, fewer rockstar attitudes and personal grievances.
Have you only recorded your own music so far? Or can bands also contact you if they want to have their music produced by you? Do you have your own equipment for that?
So far, I have only recorded my own music, but in the coming weeks, I will be recording the bands of a few friends. I am always ready to record with an interested band, produce them, or support them in other ways. My home studio is small, and I am not the best music producer, but I enjoy what I do, and I always give my best.
You are very active when it comes to music. Even if your own label doesn't work out, do you want to focus even more on music and perhaps earn a living from it someday? Maybe as a celebrated rock superstar on a world tour?
Well, I am involved in various areas of art, so music could be a way to earn a living, but not the only one. I don’t see myself as a rockstar touring the world, but rather as a music producer. I want to expand my home studio into a professional recording studio and record and produce with local bands (and if possible, also with foreign bands, hehe).
I have never been on tour abroad, but I have received some invitations. I am really eager to go on tour with one of my bands or my solo project. Therefore, I hope to find the opportunity to play in other countries soon.
Despite the internet, people still focus only on artists from their own country or a few superstars from the USA. What do you think is the reason for this narrow-mindedness, and how do you think it will develop?
We are used to consuming commercial radio and TV shows. Their only purpose is to sell; underground and independent artists do not matter to them. They are focused on the mainstream, which mostly revolves around pop stars and alternative rock bands from the USA. This is all caused by the monopoly of the music industry. The big four (EMI, Warner, Sony, and Universal) control most of the music scene worldwide, which means they have the power to impose trends on us. However, for many years, they have not changed their marketing strategy; they keep releasing the same pop music with the same lyrics, only the voices are exchanged.
This needs to change, which is only possible if we stop consuming this crappy music and support our local scene and the true artists who really deserve it.
In which country would you most like to tour and which band would you like to play with?
I have always wanted to tour Europe, especially France. I also want to visit South America (Argentina, Chile, Brazil). It would be great to be on tour with my solo project. That would be the easiest, just me with my guitar on the road. If I could borrow a guitar at the venue, I could travel with very light luggage, hehe.
Which band I would like to have as support depends on which of my projects I am touring with. I don’t really know which band I would want to support or rather which I would want to support on a tour. With El Poeta Muerto, it would be fantastic to perform with Andrew Jackson Jihad or Defiance from Ohio. With Verzet or Leonore, I could imagine a melodic crust/hardcore band like Tragedy, Nux Vomica, Finisterre, or even more chaotic noise like Ruidosa Immundicia or Punch... But hey, until I can go on tour, I will see which support I would like to be on the road with.
Nación Libre recently celebrated its five-year anniversary. What are the plans for the near future? Perhaps even an English version?
Certainly a lot of free recordings, hehe. Well, I am working on a new version of the site, which will be updated more frequently, including a blog with news and reviews of the underground scene around the world. I also want to revive my podcast to give the bands more promotion.
The English version is also planned, but first, the new site needs to be finished before I can start with the translations. In any case, I want to set up a multilingual website. Unfortunately, I can't do that without support, so it may take a while longer.
What would you like to say to the readers in Germany in conclusion?
First of all, thank you for the interview. It is a great help in overcoming language barriers.
The music industry is in decline, and it knows it. The war against copyright is a fight for freedom, where every single person counts. We have the opportunity to fight against the music monopoly. Take a guitar, bass, and drums, and shout all your feelings and ideas into the world, find alternative ways to do things...
Free music for free people. Smash the music industry.
