Subliminal, the artist behind the album Presumit, tells us the formula of his success

G13Mag recently had the opportunity to interview Subliminal. The former winner of the Maleducats contest and Sona9 semifinalist tells us about his experience and his inspiration to reach the songs that have positioned him in the urban music scene.

How were your beginnings with music? At what point did you decide to go for it?

 “Well, look, I’ve always written, I think since I was eight, seven… I don’t know, since I had a little use of reason I started writing music and it was typical; I wrote a lot of rapping a lot of lyrics in a row, I didn’t leave spaces, I had no idea, right? Basically, but well, I started like that and then I think the first strongest contact was at the university, when I started there. I met artists like Aren, Cios who are very good friends of mine and I showed them some songs and they told me: “this one is really cool, you have to release it” and then everything started a bit more serious; to make their videoclip, to release it more professionally, let’s say”.

What were your influences?
“My influences, since I was little, I’ve always had a lot of rap Nach, Chojin, ZPU, Violadores del Verso… not so much but also some things from Lírico de Violadores I had listened to more in particular. A lot of rap in general… songs like Rap vs. Racismo for example, these are the mythical ones, aren’t they? And now I’ve been changing a little bit more and right now I have much more American references like Tyler, the Creator, Drake… I don’t know, I’m moving in this style now.”

And then we go to your album, “Presumit”, how have you integrated all this? Because the truth is that the sound is a departure from your previous style and is very different from what we understand in general terms as urban music.

“Yes, well that’s what we have tried a little bit at the end. I think that to do something original you have to get out of your references a little bit, right? Like the one who says. That’s why I listen to very little music in Catalan because in the end, if I’m working now on a product that is more in Catalan, I have to move away from what is already here.

In the end, in order to do what The Tyets or 31 FAM etc. do, they already do it very well, I don’t want to do what they do, I want to do my style, that of Subliminal, right? Then I go a little more to references, as I say international Aminé has been a great international reference and I have also used many from here, such as C. Tangana, “El Madrileño“, there you can see many similarities, I love everything that is Rels B, Nathy Peluso, Sen Senra … 

I do not know many artists that in the end each one has something special and is to take it and make a puzzle … and put together my own, of course.”

How do you see the scene for you right now?

“Catalan? Spanish? Because there’s a difference here.”

Both, we are curious, because sometimes, like people close themselves to sing in Spanish and we are also curious if that has generated limits for you.

“No, because in the end the music I do, I do it in Catalan and Spanish. It is true that the album “Presumit” I have felt it much more in Catalan from the first moment and it came out that way, it is not something that I stopped to think: “look, I’m going to reach more people objective is not to reach more people. The goal is to do something that people like but first of all that I like, so music is an escape route. 

So that’s what I’m saying, the album “Presumit” has come out in pure and simple Catalan, it does have four, I think it has four songs in Spanish or so and they are the ones that have come out in Spanish. So the Catalan scene right now, I think it is gaining a lot of potential.  I think there are very good artists, emerging, Figa Flawas, Julieta also incredible… they are two of my personal bets to say: these people are going to grow a lot. 

Then you also have The Tyets, who are a bit more established but are still growing, the guys, Flashy Ice Cream, 31 FAM… all these, Lildami obviously… I don’t know, the Catalan scene is very powerful and increasingly diversified, so I like to have made a small niche there, that is growing, because in the end it’s my home. I come from here, I’ve been from Badalona all my life, I move in Barcelona and I feel comfortable here in a way.

And then the Spanish scene of course is much broader, it depends on genre you enter but I feel very comfortable too. I think it’s going to be possible to make a good niche too and nothing there working to see how we do”.

Then you also have The Tyets, who are a bit more established but are still growing, the guys, Flashy Ice Cream, 31 FAM… all these, Lildami obviously… I don’t know, the Catalan scene is very powerful and increasingly diversified, so I like to have made a small niche there, that is growing, because in the end it’s my home. I come from here, I’ve been from Badalona all my life, I move in Barcelona and I feel comfortable here in a way.And then the Spanish scene of course is much broader, it depends on what genre you enter but I feel very comfortable too. I think it’s going to be possible to make a good niche too and nothing there working to see how we do”.

Finally we wanted to ask you about the emotional journey you have made in the two contests you recently competed in. You have won the Maleducats and you are in the process of Sona9, I don’t know how you have been in the Sona9…

“In Sona9 we have been in the semifinals. Well, little things happen. But we still took the whole experience with us. It has been quite incredible all the way, the truth. It’s a very long contest, and we’ve already talked about it among participants. 

In the end what I take with me is all the experience of the concerts we have done for them, all the industry contacts and also a lot of contact with groups like these; Figa Flawas, who I met through the contest, or F.E.M., for example, or Vichy Flok. Little people that maybe I wouldn’t have known otherwise and I ended up liking them a lot.

And then Maleducats was incredible. I had a great time, it was very nice to see how we were passing phase by phase and also to share that illusion with the team.  In the end the prize is an accompaniment grant from Cases de la Música, which I am very grateful for the way they have worked with us this year, and playing at the Maleducats festival next year, which if we remember this year’s edition has been incredible, they have brought artists like Bizarrap, who is number one, right?.”

Let’s see what next year’s line-up is like, we are looking forward to it and to be able to go up there and show what we are worth in front of all Catalunya.”

Now that we know a little more about Subliminal, let the music speak for itself.

G13 Club is a private social club for medical and recreational cannabis users based in Barcelona. It is also a space for musical and artistic development that promotes a multitude of activities focused on the expression and exhibition of urban, hip hop, reggae and skate culture.