:02.2007 Interview with ARBOL www.myspace.com/arbolmmarin
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Arbol + Onionlab conquered the hearts of the public and critics at last year's Sonarama, and now Miguel Marín tells Sonar On Line readers about his plans for the present and the future.

Miguel Marín, a Seville-born musician based in Barcelona, is one of the most prolific composers on Spain's electronic scene and is working with the Catalan design studio Onionlab (www.onionlab.com) on what is currently the most promising audiovisual project with the highest international profile. As well as having worked with producers, choreographers and artists of the stature of Bigas Luna, Leo Obstbaum and Jean Nouvel, he is the man behind numerous soundtracks for both cinema and theatre, and has provided the sound for various video installations. He has released two albums under the name of Arbol and is about to release a third on his own record label, which will be entitled "You Travelled My Heart Inside Out".

But who is behind the Arbol project? Miguel Marín was born in November 1974 in Seville (Spain). Marín, the composer of soundtracks and contemporary music which combine austere and elegant electronica with avant-garde influenced music, is one of Spain's most important audiovisual artists. Marín has worked with producers, choreographers and multimedia artists of the stature of Santiago Garrido and Saju Haru, among many others.

During his career, Marín has recorded twenty LPs and performed his compositions at music and multimedia festivals including Sónar, Benicassim, Lovebytes, AvMotional and the LEM festival, where he wrote and performed his own composition with the Barcelona Municipal Band in the Caixa Forum Auditorium. His most recent works have involved creating soundtracks for films including Son de Mar, Yo Soy la Juani, and 41 Grados, and the creation of sounds for video installations such as Gaudir Nouvelle, Historias Hechas de Papel and Beyond Identity, as well as the music for plays such as Valle Inclán's “Las Comedias Bárbaras,” which was directed by Bigas Luna for the II Valencia Biennial Exhibition.



Among his many projects is Arbol, Marín's alias when recording, which he has used to release two LPs and several singles and compilations. He is currently putting the finishing touches to his third album, which will be released on his own record label, and which will be entitled "You Travelled My Heart Inside Out". Arbol is currently working with the Barcelona multimedia studio Onionlab on the creation of an audiovisual show entitled “Imaginary Soundtracks” which combines live music and synchronised images in real time. It has been presented at various festivals all over the world, and was a Laus awards finalist in 2006 in the "Best Audiovisual Project" category.
www.onionlab.com


-What is Arbol? What are its aims?

"Arbol is my musical project. After having lived in London and Warsaw since 1996, and being part of groups like Sr Chinarro (1995/96) and Piano Magic (1998/2003), I decided to embark on a solo career influenced by imaginary soundtracks, and especially those which in their vast majority are composed for electronic and acoustic instrumental music. I have been living in Barcelona since late 2005, and during my career I have worked with musicians who have been very helpful, like Jordi Saludes, Haruna Komatsu and Suzy Mangion. My aim as Arbol is to combine music with real time live images, using technology as well as electro-acoustic instrumentation, in order to create a new way of watching films. I think that it is something like going to a new type of cinema. That is why I am working with the Barcelona multimedia studio, Onionlab”.

-What did your participation at Sónar 2006 consist of? What was the experience like?

Arbol's participation with Onionlab at Sónar 2006 involved our joint performance of the "Imaginary Soundtracks" project," which involved synchronising images and music in real time, live. It was our way of trying to take the audience on a type of imaginary journey. Our performance went down very well with the people who filled the Santa Mónica Art Centre, so much so that they asked us to present the project at several other festivals, including Av. Motional in Bucharest. The Santa Mónica Art Centre was the ideal venue for this type of project… and the walls reverberated”.

What projects have you got lined up for the present and future?

"At the moment Arbol is getting ready for a month-long tour which will take it to Japan. Meanwhile, we are finishing off the next album, which will come out after the summer 2007, on the Lejosdiscos label and my own label (Emilii Records). Apart from that, I am working on composing the music for a show by the dance company Erre Que Erre, which will be entitled "Lost and Safe," which will premiere in 2007. I am also producing the debut album by the Barcelona artist Iris, as well as giving workshops at various arts centres, which look at electronic music as a new soundtrack.

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