PureVolume

About the W.A.C.O. project

A twofold initiative that springs from a regular guy, who is both: 1) A humanitarian worker who has spent the past five years in war zones in Africa, and who is involved in a would-like-to-be-slightly-for-profit music project, meant at getting some independent funding for small projects for kids and youth coming out from war (children forced to join armed groups, victims of violence, but also disenfranchised youth in areas torn by war). Projects undertaken by W.A.C.O. primarily include sport initiatives such as rehabilitation / construction of basic sport facilities (basketball and volleyball courts, soccer fields), and training and organization of sustainable sport associations; and music initiatives such as support to local music-related schools / groups, training for music workshops and equipment (kids can build pretty decent guitars when given basic tools and materials). W.A.C.O. Project strongly believes that creative aggregation points for kids and youth are essential to avoid a cycle in which the trauma of war takes root and develops into poverty and social breakdown. Thus, W.A.C.O. vision is a space for expression and reformulating oneself. An exemplifying effort in this project is a reggae-ish 14-track collection from which, for example, Hill after Hill, Oceanhunters and A Dry Season are taken, made up with stories from Africa and African friends who opened themselves, shared their experiences, and even helped with lyrics. In the future, W.A.C.O. Project would like to build in more active participation of young African musicians and poets, and to represent a sound area for sharing experiences in music and for giving the opportunity to communicate with music and words. 2) And just a regular guy, of course, with his own history and stories and emotions, which he tries to translate into music that has more Western connotations, since Europe gave him birth! And who modestly believes that he has decent creativity and good stories to tell (Songs for Blue Spirits). A past in the US and playing blues and soul in some pubs left also a trace, and that is were songs like (Moonshine) come from, and others are on their way to help prepare A Soul Dish... With Blues On The Side. He cannot really see his life completely detached from humanitarian work, and he will continue to perform this work knowing that it is a privilege, for the things that can be done and the beauty of the people that are met in Africa.

As you can hear, the songs uploaded are just home-made demos, worked out in a couple of apartments in Africa and Europe, performed by the regular guy himself with the aid of some musical instruments, a sequencer, a mic and an impressive little digital recorder from BOSS. He likes his own voice, but he recognizes that a sequencer is not real stuff, and that he is not a professional musician, after all. So, what he would like to find is a way to record the songs in some sort of professional way, or get some help to do it. A band that likes the idea of recording the instrumental bases, leaving the vocals to him, mixing the whole thing and re-proposing it on this site? A label that wants to hear more, likes the stuff and decides to help the recording process? Well, he does not really know, but if you have an idea, just let him know! Plus, he writes, and seemingly not too bad (for those who can read the language, there's a book called Baltika, published under the name diemme); ...and check out the blog sometime!