A.CHAL’s new EP EXOTIGAZ will keep you warm this winter.
The eighteen-minute long project showcases the Peruvian singer-songwriter and producer’s genre-breaking versatility. All six songs span exciting turns in emotion and intensity that leave us wondering where he’ll take us next. Blending elements from his biodiverse adventures to his nightclub soundscapes, EXOTIGAZ is a thrilling introduction to A.CHAL’s artistic potential.
The Knockturnal: How did you get to this EP from your last album?
A.CHAL: I was working on an album, and I still am, but in that process, a lot of personal stuff went down so it kind of delayed things a bit. And by the time I was gearing up to do the album, it was like I got to wait until next year. But I felt like the fans wanted this music and I felt like I had it, it was right there, and I was like, ‘This isn’t even going to be on the album because the album’s so crazy,’ that I was like, ‘Let me just give it to them.’ Also, like I told you earlier, I had so many different vibes that I was just getting inspired from traveling that I was like, ‘Let me see what people are gravitating to the most and put together like six songs as an appetizer palate and just see what people are vibing with.’ Because I’m in such a different creative space than I was before that it’s scary for me. I don’t know, it’s hard to tell, I know what I’m doing is fire, but there are so many ways of going about it.
The Knockturnal: How does this EP differ from other things you’ve done?
A.CHAL: This EP is more rhythmic. It’s definitely more live. More for the women. My music is like a soundtrack for people to get out their head and get in their heart. Whether that’s on an aggressive level, or on a sexual level, or that’s in a dancing level. On this one– I’m in the Amazon in a rave. That’s how it feels to me. So that’s kind of what I wanted to give people because it’s cold right now and I know a lot of people are making cold music, but I wanted to make something to keep them hot while it’s cold.
The Knockturnal: What was the creative process like?
A.CHAL: I traveled a lot. I was in the Dominican Republic, I spent a lot of time in Miami, I was in Mexico for a bit, Cali. “Love N Hennessy” put me in a place where I traveled to promote it. I would go to these small towns throughout the states and Mexico and just interacting with all these Latinos and all these cultures, it gave me a different perspective on my audience and I was like, “Damn, I wanna do something for them that fits here but they haven’t heard before.” It was different than my last projects. My last projects, I was in the studio working every day and it was a totally different vibe.
The Knockturnal: When are you the most inspired?
A.CHAL: When I meet a girl. Probably when you’re going through something that’s hard to digest and you gotta get that shit out. Pain and pleasure.
The Knockturnal: Is there a song on the EP that you’re very proud of?
A.CHAL: I’m proud of “Indigo Girl”. I like that song a lot. I’m proud of that song because I feel like I meet a lot of girls that I can’t necessarily be with. I definitely get a lot of texts like, “Yo, I appreciate that song.” And I’m very proud of “000000” too. “000000” I did on piano one day and I recorded it and got my boy to make a beat for it. Really the EP is “000000”, it’s based around that. That song is gonna go crazy.
The Knockturnal: Can we expect more visuals for this EP? Do you like furthering your art through visuals?
A.CHAL: Hell yeah. Maybe one for each one. Yeah, the “DÉJALO” video is something we all put together, me and my team, and we didn’t outsource anyone for that and that was dope. I feel like I got some of the most fire videos, conceptually so, especially for the kind of music I make. To me, that’s just another platform for me to be artistic.
The Knockturnal: Where are you going to work yourself to in six years?
A.CHAL: My idols are Prince, Bob Marley, and Jimi Hendrix. I like how you can’t really define them as an artist or genre. They touched a lot of people, different shades and different sexualities. It’s worldly music in my opinion. More so Marley. That’s the kind of artist I want to be. I don’t care about being trendy and relevant. I care more so about being legendary and building something that people can look back in six years and be like, ‘Yo, this dude was always trying to push the needle and now he got to this point still doing that.’ Not trying to compromise my artistry just trying to be popping.
The Knockturnal: What advice do you have for that older you?
A.CHAL: I’m pretty wise, man. I’m like one of the wisest people I know. For real, no cap. I would say blood over money, for sure. Always remember that. I remind myself shit every morning when I wake up. Sometimes I look at myself in the mirror like, “Alright, don’t do this again.” But, have fun. That’s probably the thing I want to say. Have fun and appreciate shit. You can sit here and start thinking, ‘What am I doing wrong?’ Just have fun and appreciate this shit. You might die. I was in a plane yesterday, shit almost fell. It could’ve been over. I was thinking in that moment, ‘OK, if this is it, how do you feel about life?’ and I’m like, ‘Man, I’m blessed. I’m happy. This has been an amazing journey for me.’ Even if it ended right here, right when it was about to go, I’m cool. Just appreciate it. Stay happy. Smile more, think less.
The Knockturnal: What color is your music?
A.CHAL: This project is royal blue and gazi green. The blue is because I been in the Amazon before, there’s no light pollution out there. So, the stars and the moon, you see what it really is. It’s blue. You would think there’s a blue light over you. The blue reflects on you. It’s crazy. There’s all this vegetation around you. Life. Wildlife. Because the Amazon is wild.
