Con 31 Fam no introductions necessary. They started out tender, hits came almost immediately and they have become one of the leading bands on the Catalan music scene. Now they are involved in the tour of “bona fide” (Delirics, 23), his fourth album.
Most of the public already know the trajectory of these six boys from Sabadell. Or at least part of it; of his origins, in his tender eighteen years, with a computer and a cheap microphone; of the successes that catapulted them to what they are now: one of the leading bands on the Catalan music scene, with four albums, singles with millions of listeners and various tours of the peninsula.
“We are very sectarian, we always work with the producers themselves, our three trusted“
Now they return to Mondo Sonoro (this time three of them: Kid Pi, Joey C, Koalekay) with a maxim: a change is coming. They are no longer the same, nor will they be the same in the future. “It was like saying ‘Hey, our time in the industry has always been in fucking good faith.’ We have never gone behind nor have we wanted to pretend what it is not. We have always wanted to do things in good faith”. And they will continue to do so, although they point out that “a new stage also begins in our lives and as a group”.
31 Fam They have evolved. His sound is still personal, however it is not the same. In “bona fide” they have fused urban genres, from dancehall to trap or r’n’b. (Kid Pi) “I have always been of some genres and he [Koalekay] of others. Normally it’s that, I have my idea of a particular genre and perhaps because my partner, I don’t know, he’s not used to this type of music, but if he likes it, it’ll be the first thing he’ll do. And a lot comes out of this. From the spontaneity of ‘I do what is mine and, from there, I share it. And from this ‘common’ other ideas emerge later”. Here is the secret behind the musical production of 31 Fam: they don’t create songs based on a plot or conceptual thread, but simply create music. That’s all. Then they raise together, from their links, each of these songs. “In ‘Jet lag’ [21] The same thing happened, I mean, we made a lot of music during the pandemic, we put it together and then the concept came out. ‘Nens del barri’ was set aside, but we saw that it fit there and we decided to finish it. It is a subject that a week and a half before ‘Jetlag’ was published, I was not going to enter. This happens to us a lot, that we are doing as we go along and as we decide”. Although the question is, if they follow this anarchic creative process, how do they manage to mix genres and voices in a body of work as solid as it is? “bona fide”? (Kid Pi) “In this sense we are very sectarian, we always work with the producers themselves, our three trusted ones. Therefore, even if there are gender changes, the imprint does remain a bit. Me too, even if I change gender, my voice and my lyrics remain. I think this makes the project continue to sound like 31 Fam. Even if we do a Mexican corrido”.
To all this we must add that the band is very clear about its origins in all its movements, regardless of their level of professionalism or the exponential growth of followers they have experienced in recent years. (Joey C.) “This record, for those people who have been listening to us for many years, is very reminiscent of the first projects, with songs like ‘Massa fum’ or ‘Wan Tun’. There are songs that are more like the beginnings of 31 Fam, but there are small parts of dancehall, techno or pop. And I think it’s just a small preview of what’s to come.”
And speaking of professionalization, this is a factor of change to take into account at this time. Professionalization as a group within the music industry. 31 Fam They have also become a company, without neglecting that personality of, as they say, a neighborhood that has identified them since its inception. (koalekay) “You know, becoming a company and seeing that your product is no longer for five hundred people, but for thousands and thousands of people, obviously changes your perspective. I want to say that you have to learn different ways of doing things, because now not only six work, but six work, more dancers, more managers, more record companies. Many more people come into play who work for your project”. In addition, they have already been in their career for several years and the group chooses to achieve the dream that all its members share: to become a benchmark for the public and accompany them during as many vital moments as possible. (Kid Pi) “When a few years go by and the people who started listening to ‘Valentina’ when they were fifteen or sixteen, will listen to it again and they will consider it a fucking classic. ‘It’s my childhood, I grew up listening to this.’ It’s the same thing that happened to me, who had grown up listening to Lax’n’Busto, Manel, etc.”. (Koala) “A new stage begins both in our lives and in our trajectory as a group. We want to direct everything in a different way, both at the level of gigs and music as well as everything. It will be noticed. A heavier change will come. And with this promise, they say goodbye. There are 31 fam for years and years. And we are delighted.
31 FAM concert
Menorca (June 16, Es Claustre), Mallorca (June 17, Es Gremi), Valls (June 23, Festa Major), Madrid (June 30, Río Babel Festival), Canet de Mar (July 1, Canet Rock), Premià de above (July 2, Festa Major), Bilbao (July 7, BBK Live Bereziak), Igualada (July 14, Anòlia Festival), Sant Feliu de Guíxols (July 30, Porta Ferrada), Sant Just Desvern (August 4, Festa Major) , Castellón (5 August, Arenal Sound), Riells and Viabrea (6 August, Festa Major), La Bisbal del Penedès (12 August, Festa Major), Gironella (17 August, Festa Major) and Zaragoza (30 September, Sala Gorila) .
