«Music to me is an art form and I treat it that way»

 

The experienced guitarist, singer and songwriter born in Barcelona Xavier Soranells presents his debut album called EXESS to be released soon. A new Pop-Blues sound with Mediterranean roots to delight the European audience of all ages.

 

How would you present EXESS?

EXESS is where I am right now. Using the letters X and S from my first and last name has given me the chance to say: This is me, that’s what I do, and that’s where life has taken me. The rest, you know, it follows…

You have defined your music style as a Pop-Blues cooked up in Barcelona…

Well, there’s always a musical background in everything you do, what you’ve learned through the years. In my case, the Blues is there, the Rock&Roll is there, and anything that I’ve absorbed along the way. So I came up with this idea of Pop-Blues sound that, of course, has been made in my hometown Barcelona which gives this personal flavour to it.

So, is your music addressed to a wide audience?

I strongly believe that all kinds of music are for all ages, no matter what you do, if it’s Classical Music, Hard-Rock or Jazz. So in that respect, my music shouldn’t be different to any other and it can be accessible to everyone. It always depends on your tastes, cultural background and education of course.

Do you consider yourself primarily as a guitar player?

Yes, I see myself as a guitar player in the first place. That’s how I started. I fell in love with the instrument right away, and it was my escape when I was a youngster. I later saw the need of singing and that led me to write and compose my own music.

All of the music and lyrics are self-composed. What are they inspired by?

Well, I think it’s a state of mind. You can write stories or things you have lived before but at the end what you write is a song.

You talk your album as a classical production. What does it mean?

Music to me is an art form and I treat it that way, like an art. Technology has come to all of us for good but also for bad, because we live in some sort of competition where everybody wants easy, fast rewards and recognition, no matter where the quality goes. The idea of quick, easy, not polished material, it’s been chosen for the masses as an option but that’s not what I’m looking for. So we took care on every little detail in the studio, with the musicians and with the devices we used too. We basically came up with this idea of working as the old school but with the new devices.

Is a live show the greatest moment for a musician?

Live music is something I really love. It’s when everything comes truthful and it’s the ultimate way of expression. It’s like painting a picture for people in real time.

How did your love for music begin?

There’s a story behind that. I remember I was in the playground at my school when I was around 8 years old, and an older guy came to me and asked: Do you know Eric Clapton? I said yes I do, but I haven’t heard it very much. Then he told: I have a tape for you if you want to hear it. When I played it at home, it opened my mind… it blew my mind away. So I said: I want to do this in my life, I want to play guitar.