La Casa Azul - El Sonido de

"The fizzy sound of LA CASA AZUL" - The first demos and the first album. It's been only six or seven years, but in this time LA CASA AZUL have achieved so many different goals and have convinced so many fans around the globe (and we're not only talking about their enormous success in Japan), that an album like this makes more sense than ever. Even more so if we remember that "El sonido efervescente de La Casa Azul", the band's debut mini-CD, has been sold out for a long time now. In fact, the first demos they distributed before releasing this debut have been cult items for a long time, too. Even before they played their first live show (as you can check by listening to the album we're now re-introducing). Hence, the re-release of the first album plus the three first demos and other extra tracks is such good news. Even more so if they're coming with a renewed, better sound (mastered by Xavier Alarcón), and a luxuriant new artwork: illustrations by Jean Duprez, one of our favourite illustrators (www. Duprezdolores. com) and cover art by Cocoe (www. #cocoe. com). Let's talk about history. In 1999, sunshine-pop producer Guille Milkyway found in the five members of LA CASA AZUL the perfect vehicle for his sunny melodies, which melted the spirit of the A&M label in the 60's with 70's disco and 90's europop. But, as stated by Eugene Light on the liner notes, when LA CASA AZUL came under the spotlight "it wasn't the right moment for Bubblegum, Ye-Ye, Europop, Sunshine Pop, André Popp nor Roger Nichols. (... ) They'd sing 'Me gustas' ('I like you') and it meant 'Me gustas', as if the songs had just come out from the Brill Building". In other words, maybe the scene wasn't ready to hear the influence of HARPER'S BIZARRE, THE COWSILLS or the golden years of A&M, but when they sang "Me gustas" it meant "Me gustas", and the songs connected immediately with the people. You've got the prove towards the end of the album: the crowd singing along by heart to songs that had not been released yet. It was november, 1999. Almost a year later, in October 2000, Elefant released their debut mini-album on mini-CD and 10" vinyl. Both formats are sold out. This record features, as well as the eight songs included in their debut mini-album, their first three demos that started it all. We have also included their cover versions of MECANO and Jeanette, plus the song "Tantas cosas que arreglar" (featured in our 2003 compilation "Momentos perdidos") and the new version of "Chicle cosmos", recorded in 2004 to be included in the soundtrack to the movie "El Asombroso Mundo de Borjamari y Pocholo", a comedy featuring Spanish comedians Santiago Segura and Willy Toledo. 1999-2002 First news from the Barcelona-based band LA CASA AZUL ("The blue house") come in the shape of a demo tape: splendid electronic pop songs, with great arrangements and catchy choruses. Just with the broadcasting of this demo on some radio shows the band won a noticeable following in Spain. On February 2000, Elefant releases a CD-Single by UK band SUPERCUTE, featuring a song -"Jamie Theakston"- remixed by LA CASA AZUL. In May 2000, at the awards delivery party of the radio show "Viaje a los sueños polares", they receive three awards: best new act according to the show directors, the same according to the listeners, and best 1999 demo, chosen by the listeners as well. Their debut mini-album comes out in October 2000, a cross between THE ARCHIES and PET SHOP BOYS. 2003 As an advance of the album release, two new songs are included on the Elefant compilation "Modapop": "Jamás te he olvidado" and "En noches como la de hoy". Finally, in December arrives the long-awaited long player by LA CASA AZUL, "Tan simple como el amor". The album receives great reviews, among them a very good one in MOJO magazine (UK), from the April issue. 2004 The five members from LA CASA AZUL make their first TV appearance: they play "Música uno" and "Zona Disney", both on TVE, lip-syncing "Superguay", the first single taken from the album. In "Zona Disney" they get a feature and an interview as well as the performance. Shortly afterwards, LA CASA AZUL write the theme song for the "Zona Disney" TV show in Spain and Portugal. 2005 In July, Guille Milkyway flies to Japan to take part in the Elefant parties that are being organized there as a part of ExpoAichi 2005. LA CASA AZUL plays along with NIZA (who have reformed for the occasion) and DJ Polar in the two Elefant parties at club Cay (at Spiral Hall in Tokyo's Shibuya district), on July 23rd and 24th. The feedback from the Japanese fans is amazing, and hundreds of people dance like crazy to the music played by LA CASA AZUL. Before these successful concerts, on July the 17th and 22nd, Guille spins some records along with DJ Polar in two other Elefant parties (one of them organized with the help of the Apple Crumble store), which are held at the clubs CHU! #and Aoi Heya in Shibuya. In October comes out "Como un fan", a new EP that climbs directly up to number 10 on the top singles list in Spain on the week going from october 24th to the 30th, 2005. 2006 "Como un fan" ranks among the best singles of 2005 according to influential Spanish magazine Rockdelux, and so does the videoclip of the title song according to the same polls.