We were lucky to catch up with El Javi recently and have shared our conversation below.
El Javi, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
On June 10th I released a new EP, “El Javi, Vol I”. The intention behind the recording of this EP was to capture my live sound. There was no edits, recorded in single takes and with minimum production. I felt the need to do this because we live in a time where music is over produced and the sound of a musician or band gets farther away from how we sound live in a quest to make it “perfect”
I wanted to honor the “old ways” where a musician plays a song and it gets captured and released.
I was able to focus on the performance and the emotion behind each song, just like when I play a live show.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I started playing the guitar 30 years ago. From the first strum of the guitar I knew this was what I wanted to do. I grew up listening to all kinds of music but the one style that really marked me was classical music. I love instrumental music, I enjoy feeling things without the need of words or a message. So since I started playing the guitar I felt the need to focus on creating instrumental music. I always wanted to create a sound experience that takes me and the audience on a journey.
It’s been a long process to get to a place where I feel confident about what I do. The mastery of an instrument takes lots of time and dedication. And also takes sacrifices to say no to other things in life.
Yet the reward is worth it. The connection I have with the instrument is like a gateway to another universe. It is my connection to the divine, like a spiritual practice.
In return I get to share with others that experience, I get to inspire them, bring healing, connection and joy. It has open so many doors in my life. I’ve met so many interesting people and lived amazing experiences.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
I think the best way to support is to learn to appreciate what artists do. It all starts with education. If schools had more art in their program we would have a community that know what it takes to create a piece of art (music, visual, etc..). Through education we also get exposed to things we might not get from the mainstream media, helping broaden our capacity to appreciate new things.
We need to stop seeing music or art as a “disposable” thing, we take it so much for granted now that the access of it is free and easy. Unfortunately it has devalued art. However things can change if people learn to appreciate the value it brings into their lives and to see the hard work that goes behind it. When you see a 1 hour show it took the artist hundreds if not thousand of hours to become what you see on stage.
The work is not just the 1 hour you see.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A lesson or belief I had to unlearn is having my ego being the one getting fed with what I do. I think is very easy for artists to let their ego grow as their art gets out in the world. As one receives recognition for their work we feel we are better than others or we are special. It can be a trap, it disconnects us from the essence of what art is. We are a channel of the divine expressing itself, we are messengers. Once I realized that, my connection with music became more expansive and it also gave the gift to connect with my audience in a deeper level.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.eljavi.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/eljavimusic
- Facebook: facebook.com/eljavimusic
- Twitter: twitter.com/eljavimusic
- Youtube: youtube.com/eljavimusic
Image Credits
Melissa. Markle, Aaron Walls, Wyllym Brown, Julius Garrido